Blog
On Categorizing History
Recent discussions in one of my graduate seminars have me thinking about how we structure the curriculum of higher education. There's an inherent difficulty in categorizing different histories--an interrelationship between histories that has given rise to broad meta-labels like "world history" or "transnationalism," labels that are aware of the problems presented by categorizing history and… Continue reading On Categorizing History
7 Basic Query Letter Tips for Aspiring Fiction Authors
Back in December, when I started offering an editing service on Fiverr to help fellow writers fine-tune their query letters, I anticipated that most of the work would revolve around refining their pitch so that it sounded as interesting and marketable as possible. Instead, I found that a lot of people are missing out on… Continue reading 7 Basic Query Letter Tips for Aspiring Fiction Authors
Holiday Heritage: Springerle
Anyone who knows me knows that---in stereotypical American fashion---I identify strongly with my European heritage, especially during the holiday season when lots of old traditions are dredged up each year. I'm German American. I am aware that many native-born Germans turn up their nose at Americans claiming German ancestry, but I'd like to think I… Continue reading Holiday Heritage: Springerle
Representation Announcement
I am very excited to announce that I have signed with Amy Stapp of Wolfson Literary Agency!
Armchair Historians: 19th-Century Germany & the Schleswig-Holstein Question
In this podcast, I got to talk with Anne at Armchair Historians about something I haven't really discussed on my blog before: the Schleswig-Holstein wars and the rise of a cohesive German identity throughout the 19th century.
Wielder of Words: On Vikings & Poetry
This article, originally published over at author Joshua Gillingham's website, is based on Peter Hallberg’s 1975 publication ‘Old Icelandic Poetry: Eddic Lay and Skaldic Verse’ as well as Haukur Þorgeirsson and Óskar Guðlaugsson’s ‘Old Norse for Beginners’
A Visit to Keldur, Iceland
Anyone familiar with Iceland has likely heard something about turf houses, the iconic grass-roofed houses that grace the countryside, carried over from insulation methods in medieval Norway. I wrote once before about Rútshellir, a famous old cave guarded by a turf-covered barn. But while the cave itself might be the oldest man-made residence in Iceland,… Continue reading A Visit to Keldur, Iceland
A Modern-Style Riot in 1517
May Day is known as the day when people riot and protest. This began in Victorian times, when May 1st was chosen as international workers' day, beginning a long tradition of resistance to unfair treatment. But I'm talking about an altogether very different May Day riot: 'Evil May Day,' as it was known at the… Continue reading A Modern-Style Riot in 1517
Northern Myths: Siegfried, Sigurd, and Beowulf
Check out my recent discussion with Luke and Dan over at Northern Myths. We cover the comparative myth of Siegfried/Sigurd, references to related legends in the Beowulf manuscript, and more.
