Mark Simpson-Vos
@simpsonvos.bsky.social
I care about ideas doing work in the world
Professional humanist and book editing person
Seeking to enter by the narrow gate.
Religion | History | Indigeneity | Music | Sport
MN born NC by choice
Always #GDTBATH | #DurhamNC #BullCity
Professional humanist and book editing person
Seeking to enter by the narrow gate.
Religion | History | Indigeneity | Music | Sport
MN born NC by choice
Always #GDTBATH | #DurhamNC #BullCity
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Bringing this back since the Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments related to Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order.
Why did I write about state court pushback to the Dred Scott decision? Because President Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order directly cited the Dred Scott decision when he took aim at birthright citizenship. And we could see state courts pushback against the Supreme Court again. I'll explain. /1
NEW: Many of SCOTUS's recent rulings have been criticized for their apparent bias and politicization. @marceliusb.bsky.social dives into the history of state court pushback against the 1857 Dred Scott ruling denying Black Americans citizenship to show how SCOTUS doesn't always have the final say.
December 5, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Bringing this back since the Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments related to Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
@npr it’s not a principle. It is a constitutional guarantee.
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration. n.pr/48E1oko
Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments in birthright citizenship challenge
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to uphold the longstanding principle that grants citizenship to the children of non-citizens born in the U.S., following a legal challenge by the Trump administration.
n.pr
December 5, 2025 at 8:10 PM
@npr it’s not a principle. It is a constitutional guarantee.
Check out this interview on Louisville Public Media with Anne Marshall, discussing her new biography of Cassius Clay, one of the most complex and fascinating characters in 19th century American politics.
What can we learn from a 19th century Kentucky 'antislavery' slave holder?
The latest book from Anne E. Marshall, a professor of history at Mississippi State University, examines the life of Cassius Marcellus Clay. He was a 19th century Kentuckian who was an early member of ...
www.lpm.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Check out this interview on Louisville Public Media with Anne Marshall, discussing her new biography of Cassius Clay, one of the most complex and fascinating characters in 19th century American politics.
Anne Marshall has long been one of my favorites in the historical profession - a fantastic researcher and brilliant writer as well as a lovely human. So gratifying to see her biography of Cassius Clay get the attention it deserves - it's a real page turner! (Yay team @uncpress.bsky.social!)
"Anne E. Marshall has brought [Cassius Marcellus Clay] to vivid, swaggering life in her crisply written biography...His story is a reminder that history written without an appreciation for human contradictions is likely to be bad history." @wsj.com @simpsonvos.bsky.social www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘Cassius Marcellus Clay’ Review: The Slaveholder Against Slavery
Cassius Marcellus Clay’s outspoken abolitionism put his life at constant risk. He traveled with pistols and a Bowie knife.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Anne Marshall has long been one of my favorites in the historical profession - a fantastic researcher and brilliant writer as well as a lovely human. So gratifying to see her biography of Cassius Clay get the attention it deserves - it's a real page turner! (Yay team @uncpress.bsky.social!)
A publisher paid money for the rights to this slop. And an editor championed it.
A stain on our profession.
A stain on our profession.
hands down my favorite line from a book that provides no value add to the written word besides being, possibly, the most narcissistic memoir ever put to paper.
December 3, 2025 at 3:13 AM
A publisher paid money for the rights to this slop. And an editor championed it.
A stain on our profession.
A stain on our profession.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Anyone casually weighing in on this race needs to understand this.
If you ever wondered what GOP gerrymandering looks like in red states with blue cities, I present:
December 3, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Anyone casually weighing in on this race needs to understand this.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
My wife has been HIV+ for 34 years. She’s alive today b/c work of activists who destigmatized the virus, pushed medical science to adapt & find ways to treat it, & advocated for gov health programs that helped fund her care. The current U.S. regime may want to go back in time, but we won’t let them.
December 2, 2025 at 1:27 AM
My wife has been HIV+ for 34 years. She’s alive today b/c work of activists who destigmatized the virus, pushed medical science to adapt & find ways to treat it, & advocated for gov health programs that helped fund her care. The current U.S. regime may want to go back in time, but we won’t let them.
My wife just surprised me with a Bonne Maman advent calendar and I am here to tell you I have never felt more loved. It’s 24 days of little pots of delicious jam, people!
December 2, 2025 at 2:57 AM
My wife just surprised me with a Bonne Maman advent calendar and I am here to tell you I have never felt more loved. It’s 24 days of little pots of delicious jam, people!
Lord have mercy
November 29, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Lord have mercy
This was lovely.
Opinion | My Antidote to Early Evening Despair
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM
This was lovely.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
In honor of the holiday, I am reposting my op-ed on the history of Thanksgiving from the LA Times. (Spoiler: it ends badly for the Wampanoags.)
www.latimes.com/archives/la-...
www.latimes.com/archives/la-...
Which Thanksgiving?
When Americans sit down to our annual Thanksgiving meal with family and friends, we like to imagine that we are reenacting a scene that first took place in 1621.
www.latimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:08 PM
In honor of the holiday, I am reposting my op-ed on the history of Thanksgiving from the LA Times. (Spoiler: it ends badly for the Wampanoags.)
www.latimes.com/archives/la-...
www.latimes.com/archives/la-...
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Willis Padgett Whichard, one of four individuals widely credited for securing passage of the state’s Coastal Area Management Act, died Nov. 17 in Chapel Hill. A public memorial service is planned for January.
coastalreview.org/2025/11/just...
coastalreview.org/2025/11/just...
Justice, representative, senator Willis P. Whichard has died | Coastal Review
Former state Supreme Court Justice Willis Whichard, one of four individuals widely credited for securing passage of the state’s Coastal Area Management Act, died Monday in Chapel Hill.
coastalreview.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Willis Padgett Whichard, one of four individuals widely credited for securing passage of the state’s Coastal Area Management Act, died Nov. 17 in Chapel Hill. A public memorial service is planned for January.
coastalreview.org/2025/11/just...
coastalreview.org/2025/11/just...
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
This is heartbreakingly cruel and hypocritical. The same admin that has redefined refugee status to cover white South Africans is now going to drown thousands of refugees already approved for their status in red tape, potentially even seeking to strip some of their status and deport them.
Trump Admin planning a rule to re-decide whether *every* refugee who entered under Biden meets their criteria for a refugee. That’s 230,000 people! And no appeals!
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
This is heartbreakingly cruel and hypocritical. The same admin that has redefined refugee status to cover white South Africans is now going to drown thousands of refugees already approved for their status in red tape, potentially even seeking to strip some of their status and deport them.
This needs lots of amplification for writers of academic nonfiction (other writers too)
Perfect is the enemy of good.
Take a lesson from me and don’t wait until you are “through” w/ the project (trying to perfect it) before sending it out. I’ve been blessed in my career to have great feedback on my manuscripts, but I was often too exhausted to really dig in.
November 25, 2025 at 4:00 AM
This needs lots of amplification for writers of academic nonfiction (other writers too)
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Take a lesson from me and don’t wait until you are “through” w/ the project (trying to perfect it) before sending it out. I’ve been blessed in my career to have great feedback on my manuscripts, but I was often too exhausted to really dig in.
First peer reviews of my book landed last wk. Now that I’ve sobered up from the excitement of knowing this project will have a great home, the real revisions begin. Another set of reviews is on the way. Feedback is a gift & the academy makes sure you get plenty! Excited to share this book w/ y’all!
November 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Take a lesson from me and don’t wait until you are “through” w/ the project (trying to perfect it) before sending it out. I’ve been blessed in my career to have great feedback on my manuscripts, but I was often too exhausted to really dig in.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
narrator: 50 years ago...
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
November 25, 2025 at 2:11 AM
narrator: 50 years ago...
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
me: [nods] in 1945
narrator: in 1975...
me: what
Lifelong music lover and about to see my first ever show at the Ryman. I am giddy!
November 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Lifelong music lover and about to see my first ever show at the Ryman. I am giddy!
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Two fantastic @uncpress.bsky.social authors with their new books! Couldn’t be happier for @forthepoor.bsky.social and @sdahl.bsky.social here in Boston @aarweb.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Two fantastic @uncpress.bsky.social authors with their new books! Couldn’t be happier for @forthepoor.bsky.social and @sdahl.bsky.social here in Boston @aarweb.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
🚨🚨 In recent weeks, a third-party law firm, ClaimsHero, has launched an aggressive online campaign urging authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement. But as the federal judge overseeing the settlement made clear last week, ClaimsHero’s campaign is not just misleading—it may be unlawful.
November 20, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🚨🚨 In recent weeks, a third-party law firm, ClaimsHero, has launched an aggressive online campaign urging authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement. But as the federal judge overseeing the settlement made clear last week, ClaimsHero’s campaign is not just misleading—it may be unlawful.
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Joint Statement from Goodlander, Slotkin, Kelly, Crow, Deluzio, and Houlahan
November 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Joint Statement from Goodlander, Slotkin, Kelly, Crow, Deluzio, and Houlahan
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Less than 2 days left of first round voting for the UNC Press Readers' Choice Award!
Vote Now:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Vote Now:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 20, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Less than 2 days left of first round voting for the UNC Press Readers' Choice Award!
Vote Now:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Vote Now:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Mark Simpson-Vos
Once more for those in the back: VACCINES DON’T CAUSE AUTISM. Just ask @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/... @hopkinspress.bsky.social
Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism
My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad
www.press.jhu.edu
November 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Once more for those in the back: VACCINES DON’T CAUSE AUTISM. Just ask @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/... @hopkinspress.bsky.social