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essays

The Author’s Corner with Gaines M. Foster

Rachel Petroziello   |  June 19, 2024

Gaines M. Foster is Murphy J. Foster Professor of History Emeritus at Louisiana State University. This interview is based on his new book, The Limits of the Lost Cause: Essays on Civil War Memory (LSU Press, 2024). JF: What led […]

Current’s 2023 Pushcart Nominations

John Fea   |  November 30, 2023

Please join us in congratulating our nominees for this year’s Pushcart Prize, which is awarded by the Pushcart Press, publisher of the annual Best of the Small Presses, “the most honored literary series in America.” These are: “The Hidden Seasons […]

On George Scialabba’s new collection of essays

John Fea   |  November 15, 2023

Followers of this blog know that I am a big fan of writer George Scialabba. (I have never met Scialabba, but I am guessing that he would be uncomfortable with the word “fan.”) If you are not reading Scialabba you […]

Current contributing editor Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn receives a “notable mention” in the 2023 edition of Best American Essays

John Fea   |  October 24, 2023

Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn‘s essay, “Pastlessness,” was published in the Summer 2022 issue of The Hedgehog Review. See her published work at Current here, including her most recent piece, “Remembering the University’s Mission.” She is an original member of the Current board […]

The Author’s Corner with Brooks R. Blevins

Rachel Petroziello   |  February 14, 2023

Brooks R. Blevins is Professor of History at Missouri State University. This interview is based on his new book, Up South in the Ozarks: Dispatches from the Margins (University of Arkansas Press, 2023). JF: What led you to write Up […]

The Author’s Corner with Holly A. Mayer

Rachel Petroziello   |  September 19, 2022

Holly A. Mayer is Professor Emerita of History at Duquesne University. This interview is based on her new book, Women Waging War in the American Revolution (University of Virginia Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write Women Waging War […]

The problem with 5-paragraph essays

John Fea   |  June 28, 2022

I never learned to write one. Stanford education professor David Labaree says that the 5-paragraph essay “was meant to be a step on the way. Now it’s the stifling goal for student and scholar alike.” Here is a taste of […]