+ On a more serious note, I’m going to continue making a weekly plea to everyone who reads & enjoys these threads that y’all subscribe (for free!) if you haven’t already. Every little bit helps support our work on this independent public scholarly site! +
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.
blackwhiteandread.com
October 4, 2026 at 11:54 AM
+ On a more serious note, I’m going to continue making a weekly plea to everyone who reads & enjoys these threads that y’all subscribe (for free!) if you haven’t already. Every little bit helps support our work on this independent public scholarly site! +
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
So for the final post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, three things I've learned through the first year of our public scholarly website--including why it was definitely the right thing to do but also why we really, really really, need folks to share & subscribe (for free!).
October 2, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: Broader Takeaways – Black and White and Read All Over
Three things I (really we, but I don’t want to speak for Vaughn) have learned through this first year with our site. A distinct skillset: I had started and maintained my AmericanStudier daily blog sin...
blackwhiteandread.com
October 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
So for the final post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, three things I've learned through the first year of our public scholarly website--including why it was definitely the right thing to do but also why we really, really really, need folks to share & subscribe (for free!).
How my AmericanStudier blog has changed & improved since the move to our new public scholarly website--& why there's never been a better time propose a Guest Post of your own for it! That & more in today's anniversary series post! 🗃️
So for the next post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, a couple of positive changes when AmericanStudier shifted to our new public scholarly website--& why one of them makes me even more excited to share y'all's Guest Posts if you keep them coming!
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
September 30, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: This Blog’s Evolutions – Black and White and Read All Over
[Just over a year ago, Vaughn finalized and we launched this new public scholarly website, Black & White & Read All Over. There’s a lot about the site and what it has brought out of and added to our w...
blackwhiteandread.com
October 1, 2026 at 12:26 AM
How my AmericanStudier blog has changed & improved since the move to our new public scholarly website--& why there's never been a better time propose a Guest Post of your own for it! That & more in today's anniversary series post! 🗃️
PS. In the meantime, check out the Guest Posts featured at the top of the blog's page--from @walterdgreason.bsky.social & @dieselfunk.bsky.social, my @scholars.org mentee Regina Mills, & students at UMass Lowell & Sacred Heart! & then proposed your own Guest Posts, please!
AmericanStudier - Black and White and Read All Over
Ben Railton's daily blog on all things AmericanStudies
blackwhiteandread.com
September 30, 2026 at 4:48 PM
PS. In the meantime, check out the Guest Posts featured at the top of the blog's page--from @walterdgreason.bsky.social & @dieselfunk.bsky.social, my @scholars.org mentee Regina Mills, & students at UMass Lowell & Sacred Heart! & then proposed your own Guest Posts, please!
So for the next post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, a couple of positive changes when AmericanStudier shifted to our new public scholarly website--& why one of them makes me even more excited to share y'all's Guest Posts if you keep them coming!
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
September 30, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: This Blog’s Evolutions – Black and White and Read All Over
[Just over a year ago, Vaughn finalized and we launched this new public scholarly website, Black & White & Read All Over. There’s a lot about the site and what it has brought out of and added to our w...
blackwhiteandread.com
September 30, 2026 at 4:43 PM
So for the next post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, a couple of positive changes when AmericanStudier shifted to our new public scholarly website--& why one of them makes me even more excited to share y'all's Guest Posts if you keep them coming!
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
blackwhiteandread.com/september-30...
This November will mark 16 years (!) of my AmericanStudier daily blog--but this week also marks 1 year of it being housed on our awesome Black & White & Read All Over site. & while much of the blog's content remains what it's always been, the new site has changed some key things for the better.
September 30, 2026 at 4:42 PM
This November will mark 16 years (!) of my AmericanStudier daily blog--but this week also marks 1 year of it being housed on our awesome Black & White & Read All Over site. & while much of the blog's content remains what it's always been, the new site has changed some key things for the better.
+ & if you want to keep up on all the threads, remember you can subscribe to this newsletter--& any of ours—for free! This weekend is the site’s 1-year anniversary (thanks as ever to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social for her amazing, ongoing work), & subscribers just happen to be our favorite gift! +
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.
blackwhiteandread.com
September 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM
+ & if you want to keep up on all the threads, remember you can subscribe to this newsletter--& any of ours—for free! This weekend is the site’s 1-year anniversary (thanks as ever to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social for her amazing, ongoing work), & subscribers just happen to be our favorite gift! +
+ One very straightforward way for everyone to do that is to subscribe to the #ScholarSunday newsletter, which is free & also a great way to support this website that @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social built for us! +
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.
blackwhiteandread.com
September 20, 2026 at 11:59 AM
+ One very straightforward way for everyone to do that is to subscribe to the #ScholarSunday newsletter, which is free & also a great way to support this website that @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social built for us! +
The easiest way to make sure you get the #ScholarSunday threads is to subscribe through the awesome website @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social made for us. It's free to subscribe, you can choose which newsletters, & it's a great way to support independent public scholarship.
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.
blackwhiteandread.com
September 15, 2026 at 10:32 PM
The easiest way to make sure you get the #ScholarSunday threads is to subscribe through the awesome website @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social made for us. It's free to subscribe, you can choose which newsletters, & it's a great way to support independent public scholarship.
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
So this week on AmericanStudier, I’ll blog about a handful of layers to my favorite TV show, Deadwood, as Vaughn & I thought & talked through them. Leading up to a weekend post where I’ll develop my overarching reading of the show’s American & deeply relevant ideas! 🗃️
September 15, 2026 at 4:15 PM
So this week on AmericanStudier, I’ll blog about a handful of layers to my favorite TV show, Deadwood, as Vaughn & I thought & talked through them. Leading up to a weekend post where I’ll develop my overarching reading of the show’s American & deeply relevant ideas! 🗃️
My daily AmericanStudier blog turns 16 this November & is still going strong, so hear hear!
September 10, 2026 at 5:08 PM
My daily AmericanStudier blog turns 16 this November & is still going strong, so hear hear!
I appreciate that, Deborah! You can subscribe through this page on our site. & please let me know when you do convert those over so I can share the posts!
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.
blackwhiteandread.com
August 28, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I appreciate that, Deborah! You can subscribe through this page on our site. & please let me know when you do convert those over so I can share the posts!
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
blackwhiteandread.com/newsletter/
As a Southern boy, I thought the 1st verse of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" was a badass response to Neil Young's patronizing.
As a blossoming AmericanStudier, I thought the 2nd verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" was white supremacist.
Today, I think both things are true--but also ...
As a blossoming AmericanStudier, I thought the 2nd verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" was white supremacist.
Today, I think both things are true--but also ...
August 26, 2026 at 6:26 PM
As a Southern boy, I thought the 1st verse of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" was a badass response to Neil Young's patronizing.
As a blossoming AmericanStudier, I thought the 2nd verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" was white supremacist.
Today, I think both things are true--but also ...
As a blossoming AmericanStudier, I thought the 2nd verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" was white supremacist.
Today, I think both things are true--but also ...
So for the final Birthday Best compilation, here are 49 favorites from 2025-26--featuring all those posts, a tribute to my late Dad's book on James Fenimore Cooper, a series on the groundbreaking cinematographer & amazing American James Wong Howe, & more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-16-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-16-20...
August 16, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2025-2026 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrated his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, I’ve featured a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to this new po...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 17, 2026 at 12:26 AM
So for the final Birthday Best compilation, here are 49 favorites from 2025-26--featuring all those posts, a tribute to my late Dad's book on James Fenimore Cooper, a series on the groundbreaking cinematographer & amazing American James Wong Howe, & more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-16-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-16-20...
We come to it at last, the final birthday blog compilation--fav posts from the last year at AmericanStudier, my 16th! Including a great Guest Post from @walterdgreason.bsky.social & @dieselfunk.bsky.social, tributes to my younger son at Michigan & my wife @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's book, & much more!
August 17, 2026 at 12:24 AM
We come to it at last, the final birthday blog compilation--fav posts from the last year at AmericanStudier, my 16th! Including a great Guest Post from @walterdgreason.bsky.social & @dieselfunk.bsky.social, tributes to my younger son at Michigan & my wife @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's book, & much more!
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 48 favorites from 2024-25 on AmericanStudier, including those posts & series, follow-ups to my first podcast season on the 1870s Celestials Chinese American semipro baseball team, & much more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-15-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-15-20...
August 15, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2024-2025 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrates his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, I’ve featured a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to a new post ...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 15, 2026 at 4:49 PM
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 48 favorites from 2024-25 on AmericanStudier, including those posts & series, follow-ups to my first podcast season on the 1870s Celestials Chinese American semipro baseball team, & much more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-15-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-15-20...
2024-25 featured the 2 biggest life changes in my history of blogging at AmericanStudier: my older son Aidan started college; & I got married to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social! Both of those informed many posts throughout the year, from Nashville histories to thoughts on Mr. Beast courtesy of Vaughn!
August 15, 2026 at 4:49 PM
2024-25 featured the 2 biggest life changes in my history of blogging at AmericanStudier: my older son Aidan started college; & I got married to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social! Both of those informed many posts throughout the year, from Nashville histories to thoughts on Mr. Beast courtesy of Vaughn!
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 47 favorites from my 14th year of AmericanStudying, featuring those Guest Posts, a weeklong series for the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures & a complementary tribute to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's HollywoodStudying, & tons more!
August 14, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2023-2024 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrates his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, I’ve featured a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to a new post ...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 14, 2026 at 3:28 PM
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 47 favorites from my 14th year of AmericanStudying, featuring those Guest Posts, a weeklong series for the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures & a complementary tribute to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's HollywoodStudying, & tons more!
2023-24 on AmericanStudier featured a bunch more student Guest Posts (3 of mine, & one of @robinfield.bsky.social's), a very special Guest Post from my younger son Kyle Railton on his high school project on the OJ Simpson trial, tributes to my Fitchburg State & Boston scholarly communities, & more!
August 14, 2026 at 3:26 PM
2023-24 on AmericanStudier featured a bunch more student Guest Posts (3 of mine, & one of @robinfield.bsky.social's), a very special Guest Post from my younger son Kyle Railton on his high school project on the OJ Simpson trial, tributes to my Fitchburg State & Boston scholarly communities, & more!
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 46 favs from 2022-23, featuring those Guest Posts, a tribute to my Dad's Digital Yoknapatawpha project, the 5th anniversary of my @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, @kidadaewilliams.com's I Saw Death Coming, & so much more AmericanStudying!
August 13, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2022-2023 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrates his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, I’ve featured a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to a new post ...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 13, 2026 at 4:57 PM
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 46 favs from 2022-23, featuring those Guest Posts, a tribute to my Dad's Digital Yoknapatawpha project, the 5th anniversary of my @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, @kidadaewilliams.com's I Saw Death Coming, & so much more AmericanStudying!
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 45 favorite posts from 2021-22 at AmericanStudier, including those Guest Posts, a tribute to @mkn.bsky.social's book on Yellowstone, series on Judy Garland, Bill Murray, & Ulysses S. Grant, & much more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-12-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-12-20...
August 12, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2021-2022 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrates his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, here’s a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to a new post with 49...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 12, 2026 at 9:12 PM
So for the next Birthday Best compilation, 45 favorite posts from 2021-22 at AmericanStudier, including those Guest Posts, a tribute to @mkn.bsky.social's book on Yellowstone, series on Judy Garland, Bill Murray, & Ulysses S. Grant, & much more!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-12-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-12-20...
My 12th year of blogging at AmericanStudier continued the string of awesome Guest Posts--from @drtanyaroth.bsky.social, another student of @robinfield.bsky.social's, FSU English Studies major Kurtis Kendall, my @scholars.org Boston Chapter Co-Leader Tiffany Chenault, & many more.
August 12, 2026 at 9:10 PM
My 12th year of blogging at AmericanStudier continued the string of awesome Guest Posts--from @drtanyaroth.bsky.social, another student of @robinfield.bsky.social's, FSU English Studies major Kurtis Kendall, my @scholars.org Boston Chapter Co-Leader Tiffany Chenault, & many more.
Guest Posts have always been my favorite part of my AmericanStudier blog, & I'm stoked that @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social has just dropped her first Review Roulette guest post. Check out @celexo.bsky.social on a ubiquitous, morbid musical motif in the movies! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/hearing-deat...
blackwhiteandread.com/hearing-deat...
Hearing Death at the Movies – Black and White and Read All Over
A Guest Post by Alexander Ludwig
blackwhiteandread.com
August 12, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Guest Posts have always been my favorite part of my AmericanStudier blog, & I'm stoked that @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social has just dropped her first Review Roulette guest post. Check out @celexo.bsky.social on a ubiquitous, morbid musical motif in the movies! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/hearing-deat...
blackwhiteandread.com/hearing-deat...
So here's today's Birthday Best compilation, 44 favorite posts from 2020-21 on AmericanStudier--featuring all those Guest Posts, Katrina's 15th anniversary, follow-ups to the release of my book Of Thee I Sing, & a special tribute to my Dad's websites!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-11-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-11-20...
August 11, 2026: Birthday Bests: 2020-2021 – Black and White and Read All Over
[On August 15th, this AmericanStudier celebrates his 49th birthday. So as I do each year, here’s a series sharing some of my favorite posts from each year on the blog, leading up to a new post with 49...
blackwhiteandread.com
August 11, 2026 at 3:36 PM
So here's today's Birthday Best compilation, 44 favorite posts from 2020-21 on AmericanStudier--featuring all those Guest Posts, Katrina's 15th anniversary, follow-ups to the release of my book Of Thee I Sing, & a special tribute to my Dad's websites!
blackwhiteandread.com/august-11-20...
blackwhiteandread.com/august-11-20...
As you'd expect from the most locked-down year of Covid, my 11th year of blogging at AmericanStudier featured by far the most Guest Posts to date: from @robinfield.bsky.social as well as two of her awesome students; @hermioneclone.bsky.social; @adamgolub.bsky.social; @katejewell.bsky.social; & more.
August 11, 2026 at 3:34 PM
As you'd expect from the most locked-down year of Covid, my 11th year of blogging at AmericanStudier featured by far the most Guest Posts to date: from @robinfield.bsky.social as well as two of her awesome students; @hermioneclone.bsky.social; @adamgolub.bsky.social; @katejewell.bsky.social; & more.