Apr 22, 2021

An Inside Look at the American Historical Association

An Interview with Laura Ansley

Laura Ansley

Hosted by Christina Gessler

Summary

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.

In this episode you’ll hear about: Laura’s reasons for leaving academia, the path to her job at the American Historical Association, what the AHA is, how the insurrection on the US Capital on January 6^thmade historians “relevant”, and how historians continue to teach both inside and outside academia.

Our guest is: Laura Ansley, who joined the AHA as managing editor in September 2019. She worked previously at the American Society of Civil Engineers as a journals production editor and was an editorial apprentice at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. In her free time, she volunteers as managing editor of Nursing Clio, a website focusing on histories of gender and medicine. She holds an MA in history from the College of William & Mary and a BA in history and American studies from Case Western Reserve University. Her ORCID is https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0160-0190. Follow her on Twitter: @lmansley.

Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.

Listeners to this episode might be interested in:

The American Historical Association
New Books in History
Omohundro Institute
Historians in Historic Times
Washington History Seminar
Essential Guide to Writing History: History Essays by Katherine Pickering Antonova
400 Souls: A Community History of African-America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi, Editor
Leaving Academia by Christopher Caterine [which includes Laura’s story of leaving her PhD program]
Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Wendy Laura Belcher

Your Host

Christina Gessler

Dr. Christina Gessler holds a Ph.D. in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the creator and executive producer of the Academic Life podcast, and writes the show's newsletter ChristinaGessler.Substack.Com featuring curated playlists and writing advice. She is a writing coach and developmental editor for academics.

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