Megan Kate Nelson 📚
@mkn.bsky.social
I am a Colorado-born and raised, Boston-based writer, historian, and Pulitzer Prize Finalist. I am the author of "The Westerners" (2026), “Saving Yellowstone” (2022) and “The Three-Cornered War” (2020). More details at https://megankatenelson.com
Pinned
Megan Kate Nelson 📚
@mkn.bsky.social
· Oct 23
Everything is terrible but BIG NEWS:
My new author website is live! megankatenelson.com
Read more about me, my books, upcoming events, and
pre-order "The Westerners"!
My new author website is live! megankatenelson.com
Read more about me, my books, upcoming events, and
pre-order "The Westerners"!
Blueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it.
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
January 18, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Blueskis, studies have shown that when folks see or hear about a book more than five times, they are likely to check it out, and buy it.
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
So in the spirit of creating buzz, here is the gorgeous cover of THE WESTERNERS, which will be published on March 31!
👇👇👇👏👏👏
Back in 2016, Nursing Clio put together a series called Protest: Past & Present. It was one of the most powerful series we've ever done, showing the power of protest (for good and bad). I'm going to post the essays below 🧵
January 18, 2026 at 3:00 PM
👇👇👇👏👏👏
My texts to Dan, in the last 30 minutes of this Bills - Broncos game.
January 17, 2026 at 11:46 PM
My texts to Dan, in the last 30 minutes of this Bills - Broncos game.
If you want to know if protestors are Minnesotan or not, ask them to say "tote bag cooler."
the wildest thing is right-wingers acting like minnesotans in videos must be outside agitators when we can all hear their accents. i don't think i could do that accent convincingly if i spent a year practicing. and neither would i wish to. have you heard that shit? craziest american accent
January 16, 2026 at 9:21 PM
If you want to know if protestors are Minnesotan or not, ask them to say "tote bag cooler."
I just mistyped "best, Megan" as "beset, Megan" and it seemed right somehow.
January 16, 2026 at 2:38 PM
I just mistyped "best, Megan" as "beset, Megan" and it seemed right somehow.
I am so glad to see this thread, because I have been making these same arguments to my mother, who is convinced he is going to cancel the midterms (she has, thus far, been unmoved by these very reasonable questions).
the question to ask about this is, okay, he wants to cancel the midterms. how does he get the VA state board of elections to cancel the midterms? how does he get the georgia board of elections to do it? how does he convince republican house members to quit their jobs and give up their paychecks?
Trump says a lot of deranged shit, but, per this Reuters article — and the threats of invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota this morning — he is very clearly exploring how to cancel the midterms.
www.reuters.com/world/us/fiv...
www.reuters.com/world/us/fiv...
January 15, 2026 at 7:35 PM
I am so glad to see this thread, because I have been making these same arguments to my mother, who is convinced he is going to cancel the midterms (she has, thus far, been unmoved by these very reasonable questions).
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
This is why we celebrate the Boston Substack Party, when the patriots wrote strongly worded pamphlets about tea.
Republican on CNN: You peacefully protest with a letter to the editor. You peacefully protest by starting a Substack or a podcast.
January 15, 2026 at 1:08 PM
This is why we celebrate the Boston Substack Party, when the patriots wrote strongly worded pamphlets about tea.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
Here's an idea, constrain the executive *before* they do something crazy. Congress was Article I for a reason
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), to Bloomberg TV:
“If there is military action against #Greenland, I will be one of the first people to file and co-sponsor a War Powers Resolution. It will pass.”
“If there is military action against #Greenland, I will be one of the first people to file and co-sponsor a War Powers Resolution. It will pass.”
January 15, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Here's an idea, constrain the executive *before* they do something crazy. Congress was Article I for a reason
Pre-orders are great for authors and presses, Blueskis.
They show reader interest in the topic, and justify the print run.
If you want to support the work of historians, pre-order their books!
They show reader interest in the topic, and justify the print run.
If you want to support the work of historians, pre-order their books!
January 14, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Pre-orders are great for authors and presses, Blueskis.
They show reader interest in the topic, and justify the print run.
If you want to support the work of historians, pre-order their books!
They show reader interest in the topic, and justify the print run.
If you want to support the work of historians, pre-order their books!
On today’s episode of “The Suppression and Censorship of US History” …
The White House says the Smithsonian Institution must submit materials about current and upcoming exhibitions and events for a review that will determine whether they express "improper ideology." n.pr/4583d8f
Today is the Smithsonian's deadline to give thousands of documents to the White House
The White House says the Smithsonian Institution must submit materials about current and upcoming exhibitions and events for a review that will determine whether they express "improper ideology."
n.pr
January 13, 2026 at 12:45 PM
On today’s episode of “The Suppression and Censorship of US History” …
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
i hope all the people resisting ICE on the ground know how fucking inspiring they are. minneapolis right now, and chicago and LA and charlotte and DC and portland before them, you’re setting the blueprint for the future battles sure to come. thank you.
January 13, 2026 at 1:54 AM
i hope all the people resisting ICE on the ground know how fucking inspiring they are. minneapolis right now, and chicago and LA and charlotte and DC and portland before them, you’re setting the blueprint for the future battles sure to come. thank you.
Good god.
I will definitely be masking up on the train to NYC in two weeks.
I will definitely be masking up on the train to NYC in two weeks.
The size of the winter COVlD wave has been revised upward as post-holiday data come in.
We estimate 1 in 55 people in the U.S. are actively infectious.
🔥WV: 1 in 14
🔥IN: 1 in 15
🔥MI & OH: 1 in 21
🔥MO: 1 in 22
🔥CT: 1 in 24
🔥KS: 1 in 25
🔥MA & IL: 1 in 27
Quick 🧵 1/4
We estimate 1 in 55 people in the U.S. are actively infectious.
🔥WV: 1 in 14
🔥IN: 1 in 15
🔥MI & OH: 1 in 21
🔥MO: 1 in 22
🔥CT: 1 in 24
🔥KS: 1 in 25
🔥MA & IL: 1 in 27
Quick 🧵 1/4
January 13, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Good god.
I will definitely be masking up on the train to NYC in two weeks.
I will definitely be masking up on the train to NYC in two weeks.
Blueskis, have you ever wondered how soap became so smelly?
Or what soap production might have to do with warfare?
If so, join us for a virtual conversation about these and other soapy matters tomorrow, January 13 at 5:00 EST!
Register here: www.masshist.org/events/Indus...
Or what soap production might have to do with warfare?
If so, join us for a virtual conversation about these and other soapy matters tomorrow, January 13 at 5:00 EST!
Register here: www.masshist.org/events/Indus...
Massachusetts Historical Society: Industrializing Olfaction: How Soapmakers Changed the Urban American Smellscape in the Late 19th Century & Early 20th Century
www.masshist.org
January 12, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Blueskis, have you ever wondered how soap became so smelly?
Or what soap production might have to do with warfare?
If so, join us for a virtual conversation about these and other soapy matters tomorrow, January 13 at 5:00 EST!
Register here: www.masshist.org/events/Indus...
Or what soap production might have to do with warfare?
If so, join us for a virtual conversation about these and other soapy matters tomorrow, January 13 at 5:00 EST!
Register here: www.masshist.org/events/Indus...
I’m not sure why I expected that the speeches at the Golden Globes would be more political and defiant.
A whole lotta nothing, until Wanda Sykes (bless her).
A whole lotta nothing, until Wanda Sykes (bless her).
January 12, 2026 at 3:20 AM
I’m not sure why I expected that the speeches at the Golden Globes would be more political and defiant.
A whole lotta nothing, until Wanda Sykes (bless her).
A whole lotta nothing, until Wanda Sykes (bless her).
Woot!
A great New Year’s Resolution would be to buy more history nonfiction.
Start here!
A great New Year’s Resolution would be to buy more history nonfiction.
Start here!
Just three months from today, my book about Americans’ 250 year struggle over slavery’s place in George Washington’s legacy will be out in the world. Some great (and NYT bestselling!) writers have said kind things about it. I hope you’ll consider pre-ordering a copy. bookshop.org/p/books/thy-...
January 11, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Woot!
A great New Year’s Resolution would be to buy more history nonfiction.
Start here!
A great New Year’s Resolution would be to buy more history nonfiction.
Start here!
THIS.
Chilling to see democratically-elected representatives and journalists, armed with nothing but cameras and coats, confronting the lethal power of the State. This is exactly why we have a Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Read your history and think about the kind of society you want.
JUST NOW: Huge mass of agents in a standoff, weapons drawn as Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig, and Kelly Morrison attempt to conduct congressional oversight at the Whipple Building, which has been HQ for thousands of ICE agents.
@zeteo.com
@zeteo.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:46 PM
THIS.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
This is the heart of it.
Any press coverage that gullibly paints this partisan punitive campaign of retribution as "fighting crime" or "enforcing immigration laws" is actively complicit in a government campaign to punish dissent.
Any press coverage that gullibly paints this partisan punitive campaign of retribution as "fighting crime" or "enforcing immigration laws" is actively complicit in a government campaign to punish dissent.
whats missing from all the coverage is that the president is using the military to harass, brutalize and punish areas of the country that didnt vote for him
January 10, 2026 at 3:52 PM
This is the heart of it.
Any press coverage that gullibly paints this partisan punitive campaign of retribution as "fighting crime" or "enforcing immigration laws" is actively complicit in a government campaign to punish dissent.
Any press coverage that gullibly paints this partisan punitive campaign of retribution as "fighting crime" or "enforcing immigration laws" is actively complicit in a government campaign to punish dissent.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
No book is going to turn kids into someone else. But books will regularly show kids other people like them and show those kids they're not alone. And they'll show kids other types of people who also exist. There is a large proportion of the population who are terrified of this.
January 10, 2026 at 1:25 PM
No book is going to turn kids into someone else. But books will regularly show kids other people like them and show those kids they're not alone. And they'll show kids other types of people who also exist. There is a large proportion of the population who are terrified of this.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
Good morning #aha26! Come see our panel on engaging storytelling at 8:30 in Continental A (Hilton) as part of the Sinclair Workshop on Historical Podcasting. After that, find me in the book exhibit with my mic and tell me your favorite writing advice!
January 10, 2026 at 12:12 PM
Good morning #aha26! Come see our panel on engaging storytelling at 8:30 in Continental A (Hilton) as part of the Sinclair Workshop on Historical Podcasting. After that, find me in the book exhibit with my mic and tell me your favorite writing advice!
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
They didn’t just hate Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Gretchen Whitmer, and Kamala Harris. They hate me. They hate you. They hate any woman who isn’t performing attractive feminine submission for their pleasure.
January 9, 2026 at 10:30 PM
They didn’t just hate Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Gretchen Whitmer, and Kamala Harris. They hate me. They hate you. They hate any woman who isn’t performing attractive feminine submission for their pleasure.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
This week marks the 250th anniversary of Common Sense. I wrote about it and why Paine’s words still matter today.
open.substack.com/pub/imperfec...
open.substack.com/pub/imperfec...
To Make the World Again
Common Sense at 250
open.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:05 AM
This week marks the 250th anniversary of Common Sense. I wrote about it and why Paine’s words still matter today.
open.substack.com/pub/imperfec...
open.substack.com/pub/imperfec...
Historian Blueskis (Bluestorians? Historiskis?) at the AHA!
Go to the book exhibit RIGHT NOW and talk with @katecarp.bsky.social about the best #writing advice you have ever received!
Go to the book exhibit RIGHT NOW and talk with @katecarp.bsky.social about the best #writing advice you have ever received!
Seriously, I am shy, please come talk to me and save me from having to approach people cold.
Headed to #AHA26 today, recorder and mic in hand! If you see me in the book exhibit, come say hi and tell me the most influential writing advice you know!
January 9, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Historian Blueskis (Bluestorians? Historiskis?) at the AHA!
Go to the book exhibit RIGHT NOW and talk with @katecarp.bsky.social about the best #writing advice you have ever received!
Go to the book exhibit RIGHT NOW and talk with @katecarp.bsky.social about the best #writing advice you have ever received!
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
I wish people were as horrified about immigrants being kidnapped and killed in detention centers as they are about this shooting at the same time I am very glad there is finally some larger momentum building against this and I hope it sustains.
January 9, 2026 at 2:33 AM
I wish people were as horrified about immigrants being kidnapped and killed in detention centers as they are about this shooting at the same time I am very glad there is finally some larger momentum building against this and I hope it sustains.
Reposted by Megan Kate Nelson 📚
Kristi Noem, herself, supplied the method used to ID the agent. She said he "been dragged by a vehicle” in an earlier incident.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
The agent, Jonathan Ross, was dragged by a vehicle and injured during a June operation in the Twin Cities, court records show.
ICE agent who fatally shot woman in Minneapolis is identified
Jonathan Ross, a Minnesota-based agent, was dragged in a separate incident last year by a fleeing motorist.
bit.ly
January 8, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Kristi Noem, herself, supplied the method used to ID the agent. She said he "been dragged by a vehicle” in an earlier incident.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
@startribune.com reporters, who know their way around court records, quickly unearthed his name and confirmed his identity.
One year ago tonight, the wind was howling and tree limbs were coming down in the streets of Pasadena.
When I woke up the next morning, the air was full of smoke and ash, and the light had an eerie red glow.
By that evening, we knew that the Eaton Fire was tearing through Altadena.
When I woke up the next morning, the air was full of smoke and ash, and the light had an eerie red glow.
By that evening, we knew that the Eaton Fire was tearing through Altadena.
January 7, 2026 at 10:35 PM
One year ago tonight, the wind was howling and tree limbs were coming down in the streets of Pasadena.
When I woke up the next morning, the air was full of smoke and ash, and the light had an eerie red glow.
By that evening, we knew that the Eaton Fire was tearing through Altadena.
When I woke up the next morning, the air was full of smoke and ash, and the light had an eerie red glow.
By that evening, we knew that the Eaton Fire was tearing through Altadena.