Clara Totten
@tottencs.bsky.social
Director at Kent State University Press. Library enthusiast. Cats and plants, too. (she/her)
Reposted by Clara Totten
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
February 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
I swear every dev team for Microsoft products was like, "let's make it have *almost* what users need but not quite, leaving out just enough critical functionality that they'll have to find other tools. And let's make it so they don't realize what's missing until they've sunk a few hours in lolz"
February 9, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I swear every dev team for Microsoft products was like, "let's make it have *almost* what users need but not quite, leaving out just enough critical functionality that they'll have to find other tools. And let's make it so they don't realize what's missing until they've sunk a few hours in lolz"
Reposted by Clara Totten
February is Black History Month, and to mark the occasion we’re pleased to highlight our book series American Abolitionism and Antislavery, which presents the best scholarship on antislavery activism and abolitionism in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century United States.
Backlist spotlight: Celebrating Black History Month with “American Abolitionism and Antislavery”
February is Black History Month, and to mark the occasion we’re pleased to spotlight our book series American Abolitionism and Antislavery, edited by John David Smith. The series presents the…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:07 PM
February is Black History Month, and to mark the occasion we’re pleased to highlight our book series American Abolitionism and Antislavery, which presents the best scholarship on antislavery activism and abolitionism in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century United States.
Same goes for humanities scholars! Editors love quick responses, even "no," as much as we love suggestions!
As a former editor: PLEASE do this!
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
3) When you decline, suggest at least one other reviewer, preferably a junior scientist who tends to do a great job and is likely not on the radar of the editor.
February 6, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Same goes for humanities scholars! Editors love quick responses, even "no," as much as we love suggestions!
Reposted by Clara Totten
And new, an interview in the Pittsburgh Review of Books
pghrev.com/christopher-...
pghrev.com/christopher-...
Christopher Briem on a Pittsburgh Beyond Steel - Pittsburgh Review of Books
To the outside world, Pittsburgh is invoked as a symbol of American industrial might, of catastrophic decline, of improbable reinvention. The storyline is
pghrev.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
And new, an interview in the Pittsburgh Review of Books
pghrev.com/christopher-...
pghrev.com/christopher-...
Reposted by Clara Totten
Books for Understanding ICE in Minnesota from @uminnpress.bsky.social. Been thinking about our publishing friends in the Twin Cities, proud to be in community with presses doing this kind of work and sending lots of support www.upress.umn.edu/books-for-un...
Books for Understanding ICE in Minnesota - University of Minnesota Press
The surge of ICE and CBP enforcement in the Twin Cities and Minnesota has deeply impacted staff at the press, our families, and our neighbors. For those interested in learning... READ MORE
www.upress.umn.edu
February 3, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Books for Understanding ICE in Minnesota from @uminnpress.bsky.social. Been thinking about our publishing friends in the Twin Cities, proud to be in community with presses doing this kind of work and sending lots of support www.upress.umn.edu/books-for-un...
Reposted by Clara Totten
I talked to the brilliant @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social about the sentence he has been repeating for months, "I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win." We discussed anti-Trump organizing and the important of sharing resistance successes. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
January 30, 2026 at 5:20 PM
I talked to the brilliant @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social about the sentence he has been repeating for months, "I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win." We discussed anti-Trump organizing and the important of sharing resistance successes. newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Reposted by Clara Totten
Kent State’s books and authors kicked off the new year with attention in Cleveland Scene, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, New Books Network, and more. See all the latest in our January roundup.
January news and reviews
Cleveland Scene wraps up 2025 with the list “10 Cleveland Novels the Book Lover in Your Life Actually Would Like For Christmas”—including KSU Press’s edition of The Coming of Fabr…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Kent State’s books and authors kicked off the new year with attention in Cleveland Scene, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, New Books Network, and more. See all the latest in our January roundup.
Reposted by Clara Totten
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Reposted by Clara Totten
sources say your mom had to make a call on the land line, so the modem had to be disconnected
Yahoo and AOL are down
Yahoo and AOL are down
www.independent.co.uk
January 21, 2026 at 4:45 PM
sources say your mom had to make a call on the land line, so the modem had to be disconnected
Great job, Brazil.
"Bolsonaro . . . is unlikely to appreciate the approved reading list. It includes Brazilian works on Indigenous rights, racism, the environment and the violence meted out by the country’s 1964-85 dictatorship – a regime Bolsonaro openly supported."
"Bolsonaro . . . is unlikely to appreciate the approved reading list. It includes Brazilian works on Indigenous rights, racism, the environment and the violence meted out by the country’s 1964-85 dictatorship – a regime Bolsonaro openly supported."
Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books
Former president convicted for coup plot to take advantage of law that knocks four days off jail term for each book read
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Great job, Brazil.
"Bolsonaro . . . is unlikely to appreciate the approved reading list. It includes Brazilian works on Indigenous rights, racism, the environment and the violence meted out by the country’s 1964-85 dictatorship – a regime Bolsonaro openly supported."
"Bolsonaro . . . is unlikely to appreciate the approved reading list. It includes Brazilian works on Indigenous rights, racism, the environment and the violence meted out by the country’s 1964-85 dictatorship – a regime Bolsonaro openly supported."
Reposted by Clara Totten
“Future prospects for greater Pittsburgh are decoupled from the prospects of the steel industry, a reality... difficult to accept for a region identified for so long with the once monolithic industry.”
From BEYOND STEEL by @chrisbriem.bsky.social (@ksupress.bsky.social). pghrev.com/did-the-wolf...
From BEYOND STEEL by @chrisbriem.bsky.social (@ksupress.bsky.social). pghrev.com/did-the-wolf...
Did the Wolf Finally Leave? - Pittsburgh Review of Books
In early 2014, colleagues in the media relations department at the University of Pittsburgh forwarded to me a voicemail they said was from an independent
pghrev.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:57 PM
“Future prospects for greater Pittsburgh are decoupled from the prospects of the steel industry, a reality... difficult to accept for a region identified for so long with the once monolithic industry.”
From BEYOND STEEL by @chrisbriem.bsky.social (@ksupress.bsky.social). pghrev.com/did-the-wolf...
From BEYOND STEEL by @chrisbriem.bsky.social (@ksupress.bsky.social). pghrev.com/did-the-wolf...
Reposted by Clara Totten
NPR built a visual archive of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, showing exactly what happened through the lenses of the people who were there. In Chapter 5, we look at how Trump’s pardons, political messaging and use of power reshaped the public story.
Jan. 6, 2021: A visual archive of the Capitol attack
NPR’s Jan. 6 archive brings together reporting, video, documents and testimony to show what really happened during the Capitol riot. Explore the timeline, cases and evidence behind the attack.
n.pr
January 9, 2026 at 2:07 PM
NPR built a visual archive of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, showing exactly what happened through the lenses of the people who were there. In Chapter 5, we look at how Trump’s pardons, political messaging and use of power reshaped the public story.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Big news: @rustbeltlab.bsky.social has launched “Rust Belt Studies"! We're proud to see KSUP represented in the inaugural issue, which has @jlauck1941.bsky.social's essay from “Where East Meets (Mid)West,” plus a review of Deborah Fleming’s “Ghosts of an Old Forest.”
www.rustbeltstudies.org/journal
www.rustbeltstudies.org/journal
December 13, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Big news: @rustbeltlab.bsky.social has launched “Rust Belt Studies"! We're proud to see KSUP represented in the inaugural issue, which has @jlauck1941.bsky.social's essay from “Where East Meets (Mid)West,” plus a review of Deborah Fleming’s “Ghosts of an Old Forest.”
www.rustbeltstudies.org/journal
www.rustbeltstudies.org/journal
Reposted by Clara Totten
Big thanks to @clevelandmag.bsky.social for including Deborah Fleming’s “Ghosts of an Old Forest,” published this year by KSUP, on their list “50 Cleveland Book Releases We Loved in 2025”!
clevelandmagazine.com/articles/50-...
clevelandmagazine.com/articles/50-...
December 10, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Big thanks to @clevelandmag.bsky.social for including Deborah Fleming’s “Ghosts of an Old Forest,” published this year by KSUP, on their list “50 Cleveland Book Releases We Loved in 2025”!
clevelandmagazine.com/articles/50-...
clevelandmagazine.com/articles/50-...
Reposted by Clara Totten
Consider this a book publisher's very important contribution to the ongoing font discourse #FontDebate
December 10, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Consider this a book publisher's very important contribution to the ongoing font discourse #FontDebate
Friends, calling this number will warm your heart. You need this today.
this is not our customer service number. it’s just my voicemail inbox.
you’re welcome to call. i hope you do.
216-361-6772.
you’re welcome to call. i hope you do.
216-361-6772.
November 27, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Friends, calling this number will warm your heart. You need this today.
Reposted by Clara Totten
Thanks to @fitgradfts.bsky.social for highlighting Rebecca Jumper Matheson‘s book “Artisans and Designers,” new in our series with the Costume Society of America. If you’re in New York, don’t miss the author’s signing at FIT on December 1 at 5:30PM.
Book Launch: ‘Artisans and Designers’ with Rebecca Jumper Matheson
The School of Graduate Studies and the MA program in Fashion and Textile Studies invite you to celebrate the publication of Artisans and Designers: American Fashion Through Elizabeth and William Ph…
events.fitnyc.edu
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Thanks to @fitgradfts.bsky.social for highlighting Rebecca Jumper Matheson‘s book “Artisans and Designers,” new in our series with the Costume Society of America. If you’re in New York, don’t miss the author’s signing at FIT on December 1 at 5:30PM.
These cookbooks are delightful, as lovely objects to hold in your hand and as purveyors of great recipes. I've got Biscuits, Pickles & Preserves, and Buttermilk. Highly recommend.
Still need to find a dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner? You can find inspiration and recipes in our Savor the South cookbooks 🥧
uncpress.org/search-grid/...
uncpress.org/search-grid/...
November 25, 2025 at 10:15 PM
These cookbooks are delightful, as lovely objects to hold in your hand and as purveyors of great recipes. I've got Biscuits, Pickles & Preserves, and Buttermilk. Highly recommend.
Congrats, Danielle! "The Art of Pity" asks us to consider, in a most fundamental sense, why literature matters--something as relevant today as it ever has been (cc @ksupress.bsky.social)
I was honored to be invited to give the annual Dotterer Lecture Series in Literature talk at Salisbury University yesterday. It was great meeting new people and catching up with old friends!
November 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Congrats, Danielle! "The Art of Pity" asks us to consider, in a most fundamental sense, why literature matters--something as relevant today as it ever has been (cc @ksupress.bsky.social)
👇 Facts without context, relationships, and meaning are literally just bits of trivia. Trivia =/= knowledge
I keep thinking the *process* of researching is as important as what you discover.
It forces you to consider what impacts and relates to what you are looking for and the context of what you find impacts its meaning.
Knowledge is not a box of cereal that you can just grab a handful of. #KM
It forces you to consider what impacts and relates to what you are looking for and the context of what you find impacts its meaning.
Knowledge is not a box of cereal that you can just grab a handful of. #KM
Well slap my ass and call me Suzy
November 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM
👇 Facts without context, relationships, and meaning are literally just bits of trivia. Trivia =/= knowledge
What I said in a meeting just now: "book distribution may sound mundane but actually it impacts everything we do and is hugely important"
I recently wrote a post for Feeding the Elephant explaining distribution's place within publishing. It is geared toward scholarly publishing, but a lot of it holds true for the whole industry. #feedingtheelephant
networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Book Distribution, but Were Afraid to Ask | H-Net
A guest post from
networks.h-net.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
What I said in a meeting just now: "book distribution may sound mundane but actually it impacts everything we do and is hugely important"
Reposted by Clara Totten
“I want a compass. / I need deliverance. Good god, take me”
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
November 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
“I want a compass. / I need deliverance. Good god, take me”
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
— Oliver Baez Bendorf (@oliverbaezbendorf.bsky.social)
.
.
.
This poem appeared in The Spectral Wilderness by Oliver Baez Bendorf, published by Kent State University Press (@ksupress.bsky.social), 2015. Shared here with deep gratitude.
Reposted by Clara Totten
FYI1: The superb webinar "Turning your Dissertation into a Book" is up!
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
Turning Your Dissertation into a Book
YouTube video by The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute (The Proctor Institute)
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:41 PM
FYI1: The superb webinar "Turning your Dissertation into a Book" is up!
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
FYI2: It's the 1st for "Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series" co-sponsored by @aupresses.bsky.social (HT, Faculty Outreach Committee) and hosted by Rutgers CMSI. #ReadUP #PublishUP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SST...
Reposted by Clara Totten
From the New York Post to the Journal of Southern History, KSUP titles continue to help shape conversations around the region and the world. Congrats to all the authors whose books are featured in this month’s stack. Read more at the new roundup of news and reviews.
October news and reviews
Deadbeats, Dead Balls, and the 1914 Boston Braves gets a positive mention in the New York Post, where it’s called “assiduously researched and smartly written.” It also earns a rav…
kentstatebooks.wordpress.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
From the New York Post to the Journal of Southern History, KSUP titles continue to help shape conversations around the region and the world. Congrats to all the authors whose books are featured in this month’s stack. Read more at the new roundup of news and reviews.