Better Late Than Never
I feel like all I do for this newsletter is apologize for being late. Nonprofit history life means I spend my time writing for local publications and grant applications, so I don’t always feel like writing in my free-time. Going forward I will shoot for getting the newsletter out on the 15th of the month, but am allowing myself some wiggle room in case that doesn’t happen.
One of the things I’m always on the lookout for are references to Soviet women and their service in popular culture. One avenue that I particularly enjoy this through is music. I remember first discussing the use of history in rock music in graduate school, discussing bands like Iron Maiden. One commenter mentioned that another band that does this is Sabaton. With songs like Night Witches and Defence of Moscow, they use history to inspire their music and lyrics. In looking them up, I also found they explain that history on their youtube channel. I love when artists are able to use their platform to further our understanding of history!
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to give a presentation on Soviet women to my local Lions Club. I used the same slide show from my visit on WW2TV and I hope they learned a thing or two. There’s a small part of me that gets a little satisfaction from talking about these badass women with a group of old, white, slightly sexist men.
On an unrelated note, I recently wrote about historic preservation for my day job and I wanted to share for those interested. The piece is linked here.
I know today’s newsletter is sparse, but I’m doing what I can. Thanks for your support.