A Southerner in the West: Tracing sightlines between southern and western identity

Contributing editor Caroline Grego reflects on the similarities between how southerners and westerners form their regional identities, based on her childhood in the South and living in the West for the past six and a half years as a graduate student. I am lying in a natural rock hot springs pool at Valley View Hot…

Indigenerds Unite!: Indigenous Comic Con 2017

As part of our coverage of Native American Heritage Month, Erstwhile guest author Kerri Clement takes us inside the 2017 Indigenous Comic Con, held November 10-12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This annual event brings together self-proclaimed “Indigenerds” from around the country to celebrate nerd life and their Indigenous heritage. Attendees show off elaborate costume constructions…

More than a Word, More than a Holiday Meal: Conversations for Native American Heritage Month

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month Erstwhile Contributing Editor Alessandra Link offers links to articles and projects that have recently caught her attention. From Indigenous-produced documentary films to a new digital Indigenous history project, authors are using a wide variety of media to convey Indigenous stories of past and present. Jon Hurdle, “Ruined ‘Apartments’…

In Defense of the Portfolio: A New Gatekeeper to Candidacy

Erstwhile Contributing Editor Alessandra Link shares her reflections on the portfolio comprehensive exam process at University of Colorado, Boulder. Modeled off of tenure dossiers, portfolios provide students with material that they can take with them to the job market. The portfolio process, Link explains, also prompts increased student-faculty interaction., This uptick in conversation should help…