At 5:45 this morning, I landed in Amsterdam. 

The first thing the struck me was exactly what I expected: I don't speak the language. It was abundantly clear right away. While the primary directional signs in the airport were in English, the advertisements and secondary...

A few weeks ago, my classmates and I had an orientation for studying abroad. As the University of Alabama's director of study abroad programs clicked through her powerpoint, she noted that a number of things in her presentation were geared for undergraduate students ra...

In just three days, I will head to Atlanta, board a flight to New York City, then catch a plane to Amsterdam. It will be my first time in Europe. 

I am going with my doctoral cohort from the University of Alabama. We are going to spend nine days in the Netherlands and B...

I generally embark upon the summer with an ambitious reading list, and this year is no exception. Once I submit final grades and work through the end-of-semester obstacles, I start looking for a good book to clear my head and renew my love of reading. I read a lot, but...

Earlier today, as I sat in a darkened college classroom with my students, doors locked and shades closed for fear that an active shooter might be at large on our campus, I knew that the current dialogue surrounding school shootings would never be impersonal or distant...

I grew up in a household where the "N" word was used regularly. When the Civil War came up at school - and it did often - it was described by most of my teachers as "The War of Northern Aggression." It was not about slavery, they said, but about states' rights, whateve...

I first compiled this list in July of 2017 in order to address the frequent number of requests I receive for a list of books that might help readers better understand Appalachia. This is meant to be a short list of essential reading for those who want to understand the...

In an increasingly anti-intellectual political climate, it is more important than ever for us to read books. 

While there are millions of pages of words available online, it is becoming more difficult every day to cut through the clutter, the clickbait, and the falsehoo...

Drug addiction is an issue that continues to draw clear geographic, political, and class distinctions in the US. 

Since the opioid epidemic began garnering national attention a few years ago, many of America's most prominent media outlets have devoted resources to cover...

If you are a regular reader of my blog, what follows is going to seem completely out of character for me. However, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that I geek out pretty hardcore over writing instruments, so this might not be much of a surprise...