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My TudorCon talk is live!
This weekend I presented virtually at TudorCon, a Renaissance history conference. My talk tracks how English has changed since its medieval form. You’ll hear me read in Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern English — and you’ll learn some new words! Watch the talk here:
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Media Review: The Gloucester History Festival
I purchased a digital pass to the Gloucester History Festival, because I recognized a few names on the program. I was excited to hear from Nicola Tallis, Janina Ramirez, Nathen Amin, and Dan Jones. When I logged into the site, my pass gave me access to over 40 talks on all kinds of history. Topics…
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Chasing Wonder: Fluency and Access for All Readers
Last week I attended another virtual Teaching That Succeeds event. Hosted by Holly, Elana, and Kata, this free session focused on the decoding threshold: the point when older students disengage from difficult readings. The mini conference offered two concurrent sessions; I chose Steve Chiger’s “Tier 1 Approaches for Helping Secondary Readers Access Complex Texts.” The…
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Tennyson and the Tenor
On Poetry and Music I am always searching for beautiful voices, and I’ve loved Ian Bostridge’s expressive tenor for many years. When I was in college, I heard him live in concert. Bostridge performs a setting of Tennyson’s “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal,” and it is gorgeous. You will marvel at its serenity and depth:…
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Tudorcon: Last Day to Join the Privy Council
Tudorcon 2026 is one month away, and you can still attend with a digital pass. Tudorcon from Home is a fully immersive experience where you can stream the talks, ask questions, and have fun in the chat. Here’s a preview of my talk: The conference will feature 16 speakers and a wide range of topics…
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Book Review: DIVINE MIGHT by Natalie Haynes
As I listen to the Gloucester History Festival talks online, I’ve added so many books to my reading list. While I initially prioritized the talks on medieval Europe, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons, I have enjoyed the talks on Classical texts from Ancient Greece by Emily Hauser and Natalie Haynes. Emily Hauser’s work is new to me,…
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Refining Gold: City of Ladies Reflection #1
In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that I’ve begun a slow read of Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies. Though I possess a Christine de Pizan coffee mug, and her work is often referenced in books on medieval history, I’ve never read this text. I’m using the Audible version of…
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An Elephant and Three Blind Poets
A few weeks ago, Joseph Bottum’s Poems Ancient and Modern substack shared John Saxe’s “The Blind Man and the Elephant.” This 19th-century comic verse describes six blind men trying to understand an elephant by touch. The poem reaches what Bottum calls an “obvious” conclusion — that none of them can be completely right because of…
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Book Review: QUEENS AND KINGS by Lucy Worsley
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Dr. Lucy Worsley is one of my favorite author-historians, and I’ve been anticipating her book Queens and Kings: An Unusually Personal History of the Monarchy since she announced it on social media. I enjoyed her previous books on Georgian history: Jane Austen at Home and The Courtiers. She was Chief…
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Course Review: Women Who Shook the Medieval World
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ I’m thrilled to review another virtual course on medieval women! This is my third course with Nathen Amin and Dr. Nicola Tallis, and each course has been a delight. I’ve taken The Tudors: The Creation of a Dynasty and Wars of the Roses: Power and Personalities. Nathen and Nicola are…
About Me
Emily K. Michael is a blind poet, musician, and writing instructor. She serves as the poetry editor for Wordgathering at Syracuse University. She is also a poetry mentor in AWP’s Writer to Writer program. Her work focuses on music, embodiment, teaching, and ecology. Emily is passionate about birds, medieval history, singing, and guide dogs.
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Recent Posts
- My TudorCon talk is live!
- Media Review: The Gloucester History Festival
- Chasing Wonder: Fluency and Access for All Readers
- Tennyson and the Tenor
- Tudorcon: Last Day to Join the Privy Council
- Book Review: DIVINE MIGHT by Natalie Haynes
- Refining Gold: City of Ladies Reflection #1
- An Elephant and Three Blind Poets