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So that happened…
What a delightful way to start off the New Year:
“Parade” magazine named Obstinate Daughters to their list of the 20 Most Anticipated Books of 2026.
I had no idea this was happening—or even how it happened, for that matter—but it feels so gratifying when something that has been in my life for so long is seeing the world beyond my office door.
Happy Public Domain Day!
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when a slew of creative works bids adieu to copyright protection and enters the public domain.
Laws vary around the world. (For example: Charlie Parker’s compositions entered the public domain in the E.U., but have not yet done so in the U.S.)
A few of the authors who have works entering this free-for-all usage category in America include William Faulkner, Agatha Christie, Langston Hughes, T.S. Eliot, Dashiell Hammett, Freud, Nabokov, and many more…
Read MUCH more about it over at one of my favorite websites, The Public Domain Review.
“Women of WWII: More Untold Stories”
Loved being a part of the upcoming documentary, “Women of WWII: More Untold Stories,” the follow-up to the popular documentary which aired last year. Always a pleasure to share stories of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who worked on the Manhattan Project. The doc should be airing on PBS stations across the U.S. (and streaming) this June. Will keep you posted…
#OTD
In January 1776, 250 years ago this month, Thomas Paine published “Common Sense.” Well, Philadelphia printer and bookseller Robert Bell published and sold it, while Paine remained—for the time being—anonymous. (This advertisement from the Pennsylvania Evening Post.)
The ad mentions the “following interesting SUBJECTS,” which include the “design of government,” “Monarchy and Hereditary Succession,” “Thoughts on the present state of American affairs,” and the author’s own “miscellaneous reflections” on the “present ability of America.”
The amazing William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan—whose archives feature in Obstinate Daughters—has 58 editions of Common Sense: Addressed to the Inhabitants of America. Now you can take a peek inside their collection and learn MUCH more at their current online exhibit, “Revolutionary Paine.” Check it out here.
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Enjoy trips down revolutionary history lane? Check out my various social feeds, where I have been sharing all sorts of outtakes from my Obstinate Daughters research, from travel photos to rare documents to racy love letters.
(See social links at the bottom of this email.)
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Bruno overindulged a bit New Year’s Eve. He is making up for it in naps.
🌟 Until next time… 🌟
Aaaaaand, we’re off!
Another trip around our Sun begins. I leave you with this:
“A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one without any fear.”
With Gratitude,
