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Category Archives: All Posts
Influential Albums – 4) Born in the U.S.A.
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. Every song tells a story. All the … Continue reading
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Tagged Album Sequence, Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen, Buckaroo Banzai, I'm on Fire
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Influential Albums – 5) Still Life
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. It’s not even close to the best … Continue reading
Influential Albums – 6) Alien Lanes
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. 7) Alien Lanes, Guided by Voices I … Continue reading
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Tagged abstract expressionism, alien lanes, Grinnell College, guided by voices
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Influential Albums – 7) This Year’s Model
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. 7) This Year’s Model, Elvis Costello and … Continue reading
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Tagged Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Ten Influential Albums, This Year's Model
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Influential Albums – 8) The Blues, Vol. 1
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. 8 – The Blues, Vol. 1 (Chess … Continue reading
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Tagged 101 the Fox, American Graffiti, Blues, Chess Records, Chuck Berry, Hard Again, most influential albums, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Volume 1
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Influential Albums – 9) Still Feel Gone
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. 9 – Still Feel Gone, Uncle Tupelo … Continue reading
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Tagged Gun, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Still Feel Gone, uncle tupelo, Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
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Influential Albums – 10) Dinner Music for People Who Aren’t Very Hungry
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. 10 – Dinner Music for People Who … Continue reading
Influential Albums – G.I. Blues
To celebrate the upcoming publication of my short story, “The Record Collector,” I’m finally doing the “post an influential album each day for 10 days” thing that several friends challenged me to do. Honorable Mention – G.I. Blues, Elvis Presley … Continue reading
More Gears and God Book Reviews
I’m pleased to share two great book reviews of Gears and God: Technocratic Fiction, Faith, and Empire in Mark Twain’s America that came out recently. Both do a fantastic job of covering the book’s focus on how dime-novel science fiction … Continue reading
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Tagged American Literary Realism, C19, dime novels, Gears and God, Mark Twain, Mark Twain Annual, science fiction
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MLA 2020: A Final Reminiscence
In hindsight, my favorite moment of the 2020 MLA Conference in Seattle wasn’t the excellent panels or my presentation or the fine coffee, beer, and seafood. It was approaching the University of Minneapolis Press’s cubicle in the Academic Press Exhibition … Continue reading
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Tagged 2020, Lemon Jail, MLA, The Replacements, University of Minneapolis
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MLA and Book Reviews
MLA 2020 went well. I gave my presentation on Mark Twain’s “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses” and got to connnect/re-connect with a lot of great scholars. University of Iowa Press was gracious enough to allow me to display Gears and God … Continue reading
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The Replacements: “Live and Drunk” at 35
Thirty-five years ago, the Replacements performed one of rock music’s most brilliant acts of artistic sabotage. In 1984, the Minneapolis-based band was receiving accolades in the press. Music fans discussed when (not if) they’d move to a major label and … Continue reading
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Tagged 12/9/84, 1984, Bill Sullivan, Bob Mehr, Bob Stinson, CBGB, December 9, Live and Drunk, New York, Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, Tour, Trouble Boys
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C19 Presentation on Steampunk
I learned this week that my proposed presentation, “The Pros and Cons of Steampunking a C19 Syllabus,” was accepted for the C19 (Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists) 2020 Conference. The presentation will be part of the “Teaching the Weird Nineteenth Century” … Continue reading
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Tagged C19, c19 conference, steampunk, Teaching the Weird Nineteenth Century
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Minor Updates: Writing & Teaching
October is always a busy month that starts with a birthday and ends with Halloween. Not having any major news doesn’t mean I’m not really busy. To wit: Drafting paper for MLA presentation on Twain’s love of sea adventure fiction. … Continue reading
Go Country, Young Man (90s Music Nostalgia)
The Ken Burns-produced Country Music documentary that premiered on PBS last week is predictably great. It’s also giving me fits of nostalgia remembering the time I tried to be an “alternative country” singer. It was a very late-1990’s thing to … Continue reading
Twain Trip and Strange Stars Review
I’ll have at least one more research trip to the Mark Twain Papers in Berkeley between now and December (before I present at MLA on Twain’s love of sea adventure novels). I’m hoping to work a Bay-area bookstore appearance in … Continue reading
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Tagged David Bowie, Mark Twain, Mark Twain Papers, Strange Stars
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American Novel to 1900 (Class Details)
This summer, I’m teaching UC Davis’s “American Novel to 1900” class. I used the class to try something I’d always wanted to do–something scholar Paul Lauter did while developing the uber-inclusive Heath Anthology of American Literature–namely, asking students to prioritize … Continue reading
August Updates: Book and Articles
My American Novels to 1900 class for UC Davis started last week, and I’m finishing up some big projects before fully diving into that pool. First, I’m doing final proofreading review for my “Science and Technology” chapter of Cambridge University … Continue reading
New Gears and God Review
Last month’s issue of Nineteenth-Century Literature featured a review of Gears and God. It requires a subscription to read the whole thing, but I’m providing a link to the preview of the first page from University of California Press’ page. … Continue reading
New Editing Gig at Mark Twain Annual
Last week, I formally agreed to be the new Book Review Editor for the Mark Twain Annual. The Annual is a fantastic journal–one that I look forward to each year. They publish Twain scholarship that takes risks, tries things, and … Continue reading
Live at ConQuesT 50
I returned from Kansas City a few weeks back and thought I’d share some highlights from the annual science fiction convention (ConQuesT). I appeared on two panels (one on American Gods, one on Doctor Who) and had reading that included … Continue reading
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Tagged American Gods, Bland Lemon Denton, ConQuesT, Doctor Who, Gears and God, James Hollaman, Kansas City, Keith Stokes
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Full ConQuesT 50 Schedule
My full schedule for Kansas City’s 50th Anniversary ConQuesT SF Convention is now available under Appearances. Come by the Sheraton at Crown Center and see me talk about Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Doctor Who, and read some of the stranger … Continue reading
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Tagged American Gods, ConQuesT, Doctor Who, Gears and God, Kansas City, Neil Gaiman, steampunk
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ConQuesT 50th Anniversary
The Kansas City Science Fiction Convention (ConQuesT) has updated its list of panelists. I’ll be appearing there, along with some fine writers, artists, and fans, starting on Friday, May 24. I’ll post more under the “Appearances” tab once I know … Continue reading
Nathaniel Williams 