More than four months since cutting short the Spring 2020 public history tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m still mostly hunkered down. Since most museums and archives are still closed, I haven’t had much reason to travel, and that feels like the right decision given the current circumstances.

When I’m in the mood to put a positive spin on the virus lockdown, I’m trying to spin it to myself as an extended writing retreat. It is true that I have produced a tremendous amount of writing in the last four months. I drafted the first chapter of my historic resource study for Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site; wrote the first full draft of my administrative history for Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park; and submitted a review of existing cultural resource research to Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the first step of a research prospectus I’m working on for the park.

I also completed final revisions on the historic context study of LGBTQ history in Maryland, which I’ve been working on with Benjamin Egerman, under the direction of Preservation Maryland and funded by a grant from Maryland Historical Trust (MHT). The report is currently going through final editing, and I hope to be able to link to an online version soon. In the mean time, you can get the briefest of previews with this short article I wrote for the MHT Newsletter last month.

My heart is with those who are fighting the virus and the social and racial disparities that prevent individuals–and our society as a whole–from achieving the full measure of our potential. Be safe; be well.