Commentary

Teaching the War in Ukraine

Teaching the War in Ukraine

It wasn’t long after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, that I knew I would need to teach a course on it. Six months later, with the war in full force, I launched a semester-long course titled “The Global Politics of the War in Ukraine.” I am an...

Stirring the Ashes of the Burned-Over District

Stirring the Ashes of the Burned-Over District

Some of my maternal ancestors were early settlers in South Butler, New York. My great, great, great grandparents, Zenus and Eliza Stone, came to South Butler at some point before 1830 and raised a passel of children there. Zenus is listed on census rolls in those...

Picture the Book: A Photo Essay of a Memoir

Picture the Book: A Photo Essay of a Memoir

The first time I drove on Route 13 in Ithaca, New York, after my mother died, I crept along at the 40 mph minimum speed limit. On the gentle descent into town on that summer’s day in 2016, Cayuga Lake lay in the west as it should. But in front of me, the road’s white...

Dear Joe, What about Us?

Dear Joe, What about Us?

You say that the state of the union, SOTU, is strong. That our democracy is working. Really? It is my birthday today. I promised my friends I was taking the day off. That means no writing or calls to action. But then I kept stewing over your talk last night. All the...

The Racism of American Capital Punishment

The Racism of American Capital Punishment

The death penalty in America always incites controversy. Last year, Alabama took three hours to administer their lethal injection drugs. Idaho had to pause an execution for the lack of those drugs. And two people on death row were exonerated. The larger long-term...

The Traumas of the Buffalo Winter Blizzard of 2022

The Traumas of the Buffalo Winter Blizzard of 2022

I was 1 year old when the legendary blizzard of ’77 struck Buffalo, NY. This coincidence made me a “blizzard baby,” as my late mother Gail frequently recalled with a fond, nostalgic smile. She shared the Buffalo folklore tales of snowbanks towering to the height of...