Laura Ansley
@lmansley.bsky.social
Editor, historian, feminist, & book-lover | Director of Publications, @historians.org | Emerita, @nursingclio.bsky.social | she/her
Pinned
a woman in a library with a tote bag that says ' nlg ' on it
Alt: Woman grabs books off a library shelf and stuffs them in a tote bag
media.tenor.com
This year is my 11th annual @bookriot.bsky.social #ReadHarder Challenge. In this thread, I'll share the books I read to complete each of the 24 tasks. 💙📚 bookriot.com/read-harder-...
Reposted by Laura Ansley
We had so much fun churning butter with children and their caregivers. While our biceps worked out, we chatted about the history of food, labor, animals, and so much more!
Our UNH History team is doing it again next month. You can do it too! We hope this idea gathers STEAM! 🗃️#skystorians
Our UNH History team is doing it again next month. You can do it too! We hope this idea gathers STEAM! 🗃️#skystorians
And at the other end of the student age spectrum, a team from UNH led by @ksalex10.bsky.social and @jlepler.bsky.social went to a local elementary school to inject some history fun into STEAM Night. 🗃️
Churning Butter and Promoting History – AHA
A butter-churning activity got children excited about history at an elementary school STEAM night.
www.historians.org
February 11, 2026 at 5:26 PM
We had so much fun churning butter with children and their caregivers. While our biceps worked out, we chatted about the history of food, labor, animals, and so much more!
Our UNH History team is doing it again next month. You can do it too! We hope this idea gathers STEAM! 🗃️#skystorians
Our UNH History team is doing it again next month. You can do it too! We hope this idea gathers STEAM! 🗃️#skystorians
Last week, we published articles at #AHAPerspectives on teaching history outside of history departments. This week, we have another fun pairing.
February 11, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Last week, we published articles at #AHAPerspectives on teaching history outside of history departments. This week, we have another fun pairing.
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Latest piece, on the joy of creating courses for and teaching history to lifelong learners. The average age of my sharp, curious, and (in many cases) globe-trotting seniors? 70. "We may be old," said one such student, "but we're not dead yet."
#lifelonglearning
#lifelonglearning
In #AHAPerspectives, Suzanne M. Litrel describes teaching history to students in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, “reaching out to older learners in a low-stakes environment, I’ve found, rekindles or even jump-starts their love of history.” 🗃️
Not Dead Yet – AHA
For the 50+-year-old students in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, taking history courses rekindles or even jump-starts their love of history.
www.historians.org
February 10, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Latest piece, on the joy of creating courses for and teaching history to lifelong learners. The average age of my sharp, curious, and (in many cases) globe-trotting seniors? 70. "We may be old," said one such student, "but we're not dead yet."
#lifelonglearning
#lifelonglearning
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Opinion Poll:
Should historians organize their own book launches? If so, how? It feels like icky self-promotion in a time when the world is burning, but is it important? 🗃️
Should historians organize their own book launches? If so, how? It feels like icky self-promotion in a time when the world is burning, but is it important? 🗃️
February 11, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Opinion Poll:
Should historians organize their own book launches? If so, how? It feels like icky self-promotion in a time when the world is burning, but is it important? 🗃️
Should historians organize their own book launches? If so, how? It feels like icky self-promotion in a time when the world is burning, but is it important? 🗃️
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Any ideas @jackiantonovich.bsky.social, @lmansley.bsky.social, @sarahbelle721.bsky.social, @cethompson.bsky.social ?
Hello, friends! I have a student in a class who is searching for an external examiner for her undergraduate Honors work. She is focused on surrogacy and reproductive justice in Europe and the U.S. There is a small honorarium available for a prof who can help! Let me know.
February 11, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Friends: my book, Dangerous Migration: Mexican Labor and the Fight for Immigrant Rights, will be released on March 15. You can pre-order it here, and you can use promo code S26UIP when ordering directly from the press to save 30%! www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
February 9, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Friends: my book, Dangerous Migration: Mexican Labor and the Fight for Immigrant Rights, will be released on March 15. You can pre-order it here, and you can use promo code S26UIP when ordering directly from the press to save 30%! www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...
This letter randomly came to mind this morning. Still unbelievable. (And just one archival find in a great book.)
I’m just gonna share one letter that @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social included in his excellent new book, Big Fiction. It’s a real doozy, from Bennett Cerf of Random House.
February 7, 2026 at 6:50 PM
This letter randomly came to mind this morning. Still unbelievable. (And just one archival find in a great book.)
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Learned about the depressing trend of describing books as TL;DR (Too Long, Didn't Read) at a conference last weekend.
Instead, I propose LR;WI (Long Read and Worth It). What are some long books that you read recently and enjoyed? I'll start: 🗃️
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Instead, I propose LR;WI (Long Read and Worth It). What are some long books that you read recently and enjoyed? I'll start: 🗃️
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
The Tame and the Wild — Harvard University Press
A dramatic new interpretation of the encounter between Europe and the Americas that reveals the crucial role of animals in the shaping of the modern world.When the men and women of the island of Guana...
www.hup.harvard.edu
February 6, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Learned about the depressing trend of describing books as TL;DR (Too Long, Didn't Read) at a conference last weekend.
Instead, I propose LR;WI (Long Read and Worth It). What are some long books that you read recently and enjoyed? I'll start: 🗃️
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Instead, I propose LR;WI (Long Read and Worth It). What are some long books that you read recently and enjoyed? I'll start: 🗃️
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Everything is really hard right now, like REALLY hard, on a daily basis. But @ietonat.bsky.social made us breakfast tacos for lunch and my day is a little better.
The videos of the NYC kids at the mini podium are helping too.
The videos of the NYC kids at the mini podium are helping too.
February 6, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Everything is really hard right now, like REALLY hard, on a daily basis. But @ietonat.bsky.social made us breakfast tacos for lunch and my day is a little better.
The videos of the NYC kids at the mini podium are helping too.
The videos of the NYC kids at the mini podium are helping too.
Reposted by Laura Ansley
New from #HistoryInFocus — More on the Doctoral Futures initiative, which aims to rethink graduate education in History and beyond. Plus, I recap my time at #AHA26; spoiler alert: it was mostly podcast-related sessions. 😀 🎙️
@historians.org
www.historians.org/podcast/doct...
@historians.org
www.historians.org/podcast/doct...
Doctoral Futures at AHA 2026
Daniel provides a quick recap of his time at this year’s AHA annual meeting in Chicago. In addition, he sat down with Stacy Hartman from ACLS to discuss Doctoral Futures.
www.historians.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:56 PM
New from #HistoryInFocus — More on the Doctoral Futures initiative, which aims to rethink graduate education in History and beyond. Plus, I recap my time at #AHA26; spoiler alert: it was mostly podcast-related sessions. 😀 🎙️
@historians.org
www.historians.org/podcast/doct...
@historians.org
www.historians.org/podcast/doct...
Reposted by Laura Ansley
“The world is a hunter of the monsters of girls, bent on filing sharp edges and shattering teeth and silencing wants and stifling impulses.” maudlinhouse.net/when-we-haun...
When we h(a)unted
We stalked the halls of dead malls, ghosts before our time. We lived by sense, taste and smell and sight, by instinct, lust and desire and rage. We were not quiet. We were not neat. The world is a hun...
maudlinhouse.net
February 5, 2026 at 2:26 PM
“The world is a hunter of the monsters of girls, bent on filing sharp edges and shattering teeth and silencing wants and stifling impulses.” maudlinhouse.net/when-we-haun...
Reposted by Laura Ansley
In #AHAPerspectives, @drkyliesmith.bsky.social shares how she approaches teaching history to her nursing students. “Students need to learn a broad conception of history that explores the economic and political forces that shape their patients’ lives, as well as their own profession.” 🗃️
Nurses Need History Too – AHA
Teaching history to nursing students gives essential context to the healthcare systems they work in.
www.historians.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:13 PM
In #AHAPerspectives, @drkyliesmith.bsky.social shares how she approaches teaching history to her nursing students. “Students need to learn a broad conception of history that explores the economic and political forces that shape their patients’ lives, as well as their own profession.” 🗃️
Really looking forward to this one, after it was postponed due to the fall federal shutdown.
On 2/11, the AHA will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on vaccines. Panelists Elena Conis, David M. Oshinsky, Michael Willrich, & moderator Sarah Weicksel will discuss how public perception & the role of the federal government in vaccination has changed over time. 🗃️
History of Vaccines – AHA
The American Historical Association (AHA) will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on vaccines. The briefing will take place on Wednesday, February 11, at 9:00 a.m. in Raybu...
www.historians.org
February 4, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Really looking forward to this one, after it was postponed due to the fall federal shutdown.
In #AHAPerspectives, we have two paired pieces this week about the value of teaching history to students outside history departments.
First up is Kelly Schrum, who teaches history of higher education to graduate students in a higher education and student affairs program. 🗃️
First up is Kelly Schrum, who teaches history of higher education to graduate students in a higher education and student affairs program. 🗃️
Why Should I Know History? – AHA
Higher education and student affairs programs can benefit from learning the history of higher education.
www.historians.org
February 4, 2026 at 4:03 PM
In #AHAPerspectives, we have two paired pieces this week about the value of teaching history to students outside history departments.
First up is Kelly Schrum, who teaches history of higher education to graduate students in a higher education and student affairs program. 🗃️
First up is Kelly Schrum, who teaches history of higher education to graduate students in a higher education and student affairs program. 🗃️
Reposted by Laura Ansley
In #AHAPerspectives, historian Kelly Shrum writes about teaching student affair professionals the history of higher education. 🗃️
Why Should I Know History? – AHA
Higher education and student affairs programs can benefit from learning the history of higher education.
www.historians.org
February 3, 2026 at 5:33 PM
In #AHAPerspectives, historian Kelly Shrum writes about teaching student affair professionals the history of higher education. 🗃️
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Cokie Roberts fellowship application is open for anyone researching women's history at the U.S. National Archives -- due April 15 archivesfoundation.org/news/sixth-a...
The National Archives Foundation Opens Sixth-Annual Application for Cokie Roberts Women’s History Fellowship - National Archives Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.–The National Archives Foundation, the nonprofit partner of the National Archives and Records Administration, opened applications for the sixth-annual […]
archivesfoundation.org
February 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Cokie Roberts fellowship application is open for anyone researching women's history at the U.S. National Archives -- due April 15 archivesfoundation.org/news/sixth-a...
Reposted by Laura Ansley
I am looking for a part-time research assistant in the Cambridge (Mass.) area to help with a history of the Academy. Details at bit.ly/4asu0Pr and feel free to DM or email me with questions.
Research Assistant for Humanities, Arts, & Culture
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences seek a detail-oriented undergraduate history student to support award-winning historian Jacqueline Jones with research for a 250th anniversary history of the ...
bit.ly
February 2, 2026 at 9:35 PM
I am looking for a part-time research assistant in the Cambridge (Mass.) area to help with a history of the Academy. Details at bit.ly/4asu0Pr and feel free to DM or email me with questions.
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Hi, academics on here! I have room in my schedule for one new developmental-editing project this month & one in March. If you or a scholar you know is looking for an experienced developmental editor, please visit my website (link in bio) and/or DM me. References available.Thanks!
February 1, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Hi, academics on here! I have room in my schedule for one new developmental-editing project this month & one in March. If you or a scholar you know is looking for an experienced developmental editor, please visit my website (link in bio) and/or DM me. References available.Thanks!
In @authormsbev.bsky.social’s Rebel, set in 1867 New Orleans, the protagonist describes when she was a child in NYC and the Fugitive Slave Act (1850) put her community on high alert to protect each other from being captured and sent south. Resonates with today—whistles and all.
January 31, 2026 at 6:16 PM
In @authormsbev.bsky.social’s Rebel, set in 1867 New Orleans, the protagonist describes when she was a child in NYC and the Fugitive Slave Act (1850) put her community on high alert to protect each other from being captured and sent south. Resonates with today—whistles and all.
My favorite of the Christopher Guest films (though nearly tied with Best in Show). But O’Hara was incredible in all of them.
January 30, 2026 at 7:18 PM
My favorite of the Christopher Guest films (though nearly tied with Best in Show). But O’Hara was incredible in all of them.
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Hi #skystorians i’m preparing to teach a lower level undergraduate course on the history of 20th century American consumerism. Please send me your secondary reading recs. Thank you!
January 29, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Hi #skystorians i’m preparing to teach a lower level undergraduate course on the history of 20th century American consumerism. Please send me your secondary reading recs. Thank you!
Reposted by Laura Ansley
Attention Teachers! Join NHD’s BRAND NEW Revolutionary Ideals webinar series in partnership with the AHA to learn with top historians in the field. Two teachers will be selected to participate in this opportunity and can earn graduate credits or professional development hours. Apply by February 27!🗃️
NEW! Revolutionary Ideals Webinar Series for 120 Teachers Nationwide—Apply Now! - National History Day
Attention Teachers! To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, National History Day is introducing a new webinar series, Revolutionary Ideals: Understanding 250 Y...
tinyurl.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Attention Teachers! Join NHD’s BRAND NEW Revolutionary Ideals webinar series in partnership with the AHA to learn with top historians in the field. Two teachers will be selected to participate in this opportunity and can earn graduate credits or professional development hours. Apply by February 27!🗃️
It's January, which means a new president of @historians.org has recently begun her term. For #AHAPerspectives, I had the pleasure of interview Suzanne Marchand about her life and career. You don't want to miss the explanation for this porcelain, from her previous research on that industry.
Totally Disparate Interests – AHA
Get to know Suzanne Marchand, the 2026 president of the American Historical Association.
www.historians.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:31 PM
It's January, which means a new president of @historians.org has recently begun her term. For #AHAPerspectives, I had the pleasure of interview Suzanne Marchand about her life and career. You don't want to miss the explanation for this porcelain, from her previous research on that industry.
My @historians.org colleague @drwhit.bsky.social will be reporting on the Texas State Board of Education meeting today and their social studies standards revision discussion. Follow along 👇🏻🗃️
Good morning, all. I’m back to cover today’s Texas SBOE meeting. Livestream and agenda are at the link below. They’re planning to get started at 9 AM CT. I aim to cover all of it, with special attention to item 5 on the social studies standards. Follow this thread for more. ⬇️
Meeting Agenda — Current | State Board of Education
sboe.texas.gov
January 28, 2026 at 2:18 PM
My @historians.org colleague @drwhit.bsky.social will be reporting on the Texas State Board of Education meeting today and their social studies standards revision discussion. Follow along 👇🏻🗃️
Happy book birthday to a brilliant historian and one of the smartest writers on music!
Today is publication day! Wow. Thanks to everyone who preordered the book. I really appreciate it. If you have not preordered, then you can go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy.
Please send me a pic if you already have a copy or when you go pick it up! I'd love to see it!
Please send me a pic if you already have a copy or when you go pick it up! I'd love to see it!
January 27, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Happy book birthday to a brilliant historian and one of the smartest writers on music!