very much looking forward to this online course for the The 92nd Street Y, New York's Roundtable series, starting next week, about the rise, accomplishments, demise, and legacy of the Federal Writers' Project (rescheduled from last summer). still time to sign up! roundtable.org/class/course/t…

my review of Derek Leebaert's very fine new book Unlikely Heroes about FDR and his complex relationship with the Ickes-Perkins-Hopkins-Wallace bloc wsj.com/articles/unlik… via WSJ Books Section

Very much looking forward to this talk, coming up soon!

Next Thurs, March 16 at 7PM, join Maureen Corrigan as she hosts a Zoom panel discussion on the Federal Writers' Project Past and Future w/ Scott Borchert, Colleen Jaurretche, & @Davidkipen. Register here: bit.ly/Federal-Writer…

tomorrow night! I hope you can join us for a discussion of the FWP, past and future

looking forward to this!

Excited to hear what this Library of Congress symposium has to say about the work & legacy of the Federal Writers' Project. One of the panelists is People’s Recorder producer & lead writer David A. Taylor, who is on the 2:10pm panel. guides.loc.gov/2023-federal-w…

tmrw in DC, the Library of Congress is hosting this symposium on the Federal Writers' Project. looks fantastic and it's free! featuring writers & scholars from whom I've learned a great deal about the FWP: loc.gov/item/event-408…

very excited to see that Rep. Ted Lieu & Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández have reintroduced legislation to create a 21st-Century Federal Writers' Project, reviving & extending the FWP's participatory, grassroots self-portrait of the USA - a crucial undertaking! lieu.house.gov/media-center/p…

the Jersey Devil's cameo in my article on the FWP guides for Humanities Magazine: “One report is that he is writing a thesis, A Plutonian Critique of Some Awful Aspects of the Terrestrial Life, in preparation for a doctoral degree from the University of Hell” neh.gov/article/how-wp…

"In their best moments, the American Guides are engrossing, artful, and surprising. Some you can read cover to cover, and all of them reward leisurely skimming." Scott Borchert tells the story of the Federal Writers Project and their American Guides: neh.gov/article/how-wp…

"In their best moments, the American Guides are engrossing, artful, and surprising. Some you can read cover to cover, and all of them reward leisurely skimming." Scott Borchert tells the story of the Federal Writers Project and their American Guides: neh.gov/article/how-wp…

So why was the work of the Writers’ Project so important? Why did the WPA Guides matter to Americans? It’s a question we’ll be digging into with this podcast! It’s also summed up really well here by author and professor (and project advisor) David Kipen. Libros Schmibros

i've been reading and thoroughly enjoying Tricia Romano @tromano.bsky.social's oral history of the Village Voice, easily the best on its subject, so I was glad to see this rave review: "a symphonic kind of anarchy" is right. it's out on 2/27. nytimes.com/2024/02/12/boo…

another new book to recommend: Don Armstrong's authoritative and long awaited (by me) bio of jazz (and rock and pop) critic, columnist, Rolling Stone cofounder, and bridge between critical traditions Ralph J. Gleason. just published by Bloomsbury Academic

The Writers’ Project had a critical mission – to document the stories of all Americans, including those who had long been ignored by the history books. Author Scott Borchert talks about the urgency of preserving these stories. Remember, folks, Episode 1 launches tomorrow!

the People's Recorder podcast premieres today, digging into some of the endlessly fascinating stories of the Federal Writers' Project and its efforts to create a national, grassroots self-portrait during the Depression. check it out! (congrats David A. Taylor & the Spark Media team!)

thanks, Alex - this was one of my favorite reviews of Republic of Detours because it so clearly captured the political meaning of the Federal Writers' Project and its lessons for today

Excited about the upcoming @LivingNewDeal webinar with producer/writer David A. Taylor and author/historian Susan DeMasi. This will be an amazing conversation about the legacy of the Federal Writers’ Project. Tune in on June 11 at 8pm ET! Register for free: eventbrite.com/e/whose-storie…

this Weds at Roosevelt House in NYC, I'll be talking to Sheryl Kaskowitz about her excellent new book A Chance to Harmonize -- which tells the story of the semi-secret Music Unit of the New Deal's Resettlement Administration. I hope you can join us!