Dr. Ben Railton, a Professor of English and American Studies at Fitchburg State University, teams up with Dr. Vaughn Joy, an independent researcher and recent PhD in History, to discuss their new public scholarship site, Black and White and Read All Over. They share the importance of control over content and community-building. Vaughn dives into her book on Hollywood’s Christmas films and the impact of McCarthy-era politics. Together, they offer tips for aspiring public scholars, emphasizing sustainable content and the significance of public-facing work.
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insights INSIGHT
Collaboration Models Community
Co-creating a site can model interdisciplinarity, solidarity, and community beyond individual silos.
Collaboration amplifies reach while preserving distinct individual voices.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Announcements To Share Joy
Use an announcements page to share book news, calls for papers, and achievements you don't want to self-promote.
Let the site amplify colleagues' work so they feel comfortable celebrating publicly.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Why Ben Began Daily Blogging
Ben started daily blogging to respond quickly to cultural conversations and stay active as a scholar.
He now writes in batches and schedules posts to maintain consistency while teaching heavy loads.
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How do you house the resources you want to share online, academics? Dr. Ben Railton and Dr. Vaughn Joy are featured in this episode of The Social Academic podcast about Public Scholarship. Jennifer van Alstyne asks them about their just-launched public website collaboration, Black and White and Read All Over. Who do you hope visits your website? How do you hope they engage with what you share with them? When this married couple wanted a permanent space for their public scholarship, they chose to create it together. A special thank you to Dr. Walter Greason for sharing that #ScholarSunday would make for a great podcast episode! I'm delighted to have these two on the show for you just in time for the launch of their new website. Congratulations!https://theacademicdesigner.com/2025/public-scholarship-with-ben-railton-and-vaughn-joy/ Visit their website: Black and White and Read All Overhttps://BlackWhiteAndRead.com/ This episode was streamed live on September 29, 2025. Dr. Ben Railton is Professor of English Studies, Director of Graduate English, and Coordinator of American Studies at Fitchburg State University. He's the author of six books, most recently Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism (2021). He also contributes the bimonthly Considering History column to the Saturday Evening Post. He's most proud to be Dad to two college student sons, Aidan and Kyle; and husband to his badass wife and website co-host Vaughn.https://bsky.app/profile/americanstudier.bsky.social Dr. Vaughn Joy is an independent researcher and recent graduate with a PhD in History from University College London. Her first book, Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy, explores how Hollywood manipulated the American Christmas holiday for socially conservative ends in the post-war, early Cold War period in response to federal pressures on the motion picture industry. Her other work concerns McCarthyism, Hollywood business practices and politics, and media literacy of pop culture.https://bsky.app/profile/gvaughnjoy.bsky.social Ben and Vaughn have recently launched a shared website, Black and White and Read All Over, that hosts Ben's daily AmericanStudier blog and weekly round up of public scholarship in his #ScholarSunday threads, as well as Vaughn's weekly film review newsletter, Review Roulette. The site, called Black and White and Read All Over, also welcomes announcements from other scholars to share their achievements, upcoming events, and forthcoming publications to promote academic pride and joy in our community. This is The Social Academic, a podcast about online presence for faculty, researchers, and graduate students. I’m Jennifer van Alstyne (@HigherEdPR). I help academics like you feel confident when you show up online. You have agency in creating a stronger online presence for yourself. Let's build a strong digital footprint through your academic website, social media, and bio writing.https://theacademicdesigner.com The Social Academic blog https://TheSocialAcademic.com/blog/ Thank you for watching! Please subscribe for more videos for your online presence in academia. Want to support The Social Academic? Buy Jennifer a matcha or tea 🍵: https://buymeacoffee.com/higheredpr -----------------------------------------Schedule your no pressure Zoom call with Jennifer to talk about working together on your online presence for academics 🌟https://higheredpr.as.me/meet-with-jennifer Here's how we can work together, view services https://theacademicdesigner.com/services/
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