Dames, Dishes, and Degrees: Faculty Wives in America is available. You can order the book here
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sept. 17 Amherst Neighbors 4-5:30 pm on Zoom
Oct. 1 Jones Library 7-9 pm
Oct. 15 Amherst Women’s Club 6-8 pm
American Literature Association Symposium Nov. 5-7 I will be delivering a paper, “Alison Lurie: Faculty Wife.”
Nov. 14 Holyoke Public Library History Room 1:30 to 2:30 I will give this talk: “Constance and Donald Green: An Unsolved Mystery.” Although Green didn’t wind up in the book, I did a lot of research about her.
Nov. 20 Amherst Historical Society, “History Bites” talk, held at Bangs Community Center, Amherst 1-3.
On July 15th I gave a book talk at the Pollard library in Lowell MA. I read part of chapter 3 of Dames, Dishes and Degrees which is about clubs at the University of Chicago. In the audience were two good friends who live in the Boston area. Their attendance made the event extra special.
My book launch for Dames, Dishes, and Degrees, on June 16 was great. Here are some pictures.
On June 11, The Amherst Current published a profile of me.
On June 4, I delivered a paper, “Edith Wharton and the Academic
World: An Analysis of Her Hillbridge Stories,” at the 2026 Edith Wharton Summit, The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts. 
Forthcoming
On September 17, I will give a talk about Dames, Dishes, and Degrees online for Amherst Neighbors. I will post the Zoom link as soon as it is available.
Recent
March 2025 I gave a PowerPoint presentation based on a chapter of Dames, Dishes and Degrees at the Christopher Newport University conference on Women and Gender. In the chapter, “Thrift, Industry and Service,” I look at several generations of African American women and their activism. The PowerPoint had the same title and was a closer examination of two women: Margaret Murray Washington and Jennie Moton.
You can read more about my experiences at the conference here
Past
Click poster image to enlarge
This poster was on display at both the American Historical Association (AHA) Annual Meeting, January 8, 2011, Boston Massachusetts and the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians June 10 2011 Amherst, Massachusetts.
The poster exhibits the themes of Dames, Dishes, and Degrees by highlighting the various wives clubs at one academic institution, North Carolina State College (later University).
Brewing Battles
In June 2015, I gave a paper, “Nursing responds to substance abuse” at The Alcohol Drug History Society Biennial Conference, Bowling Green, Ohio.
In June 2013 I attended the Alcohol Drugs History Society conference in London. I gave a paper on “Creating Bourbon: Distillers and the federal government 1862-1964.” One of my most read posts, “Methylated Spirits,” was about a paper at that conferenc.