Annette Speaks! Whitefield, Wesley, West, Why

NEWS FROM NON-BORING HOUSE Annette Emerges from Non-Boring House!

How Long Is This Post? Around 1500 words, or seven minutes

Part of my mission as Non-Boring Historian is that I sometimes emerge from my writing lair at Non-Boring House, and talk to real people. Like You!

Save the Dates!

SUPERSTAR TROUBLEMAKER George Whitefield (and that Wesley guy), Savannah, and the World

Savannah, Georgia (These are confirmed events. Exact locations and ticket sales ($20) to be announced soon)

Tuesday, October 24, 6:30 p.m. AND

Wednesday, October 25, 12 noon:

Whitefield. Wesley.

Two long-time frenemies who changed America, and the world.

Two guys from England’s backwaters, one of whom started life cleaning hotel rooms.

Two guys who met in a weird cult, and ended as celebrity rivals.

Which one became the most famous? You might be surprised.

Whitefield, and that Wesley guy. Products of a fast-changing time in the world. Because they didn’t start the fire, and neither did we.

(Nah, that isn’t the official picture for my talk. It’s badly done by me with clipart. As if that were not bleeding obvious.)

Now I quite understand why you may be concerned about hearing me speak about dead ministers in the Deep South. You may be thinking “Religion? I’m out.”

But c’mon, it’s me! I’m a historian, not trying to convert you. 😀

Not in or near Savannah, Georgia, but know someone who’s there or plans to be there? Please pass on the news, and assure them that you don’t need to be religious or into history to enjoy this. :)

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Informal In-Person Meet-Up with Annette, in Sacramento, California!

Thursday, October 5, 11:30 a.m. PST

Location: Will appear on invite

In Northern California? Here’s your chance to meet me and other NBH fans in person for a cozy coffee! Cheery chit-chat, shy people warmly welcomed, and I’ll happy to answer questions on NBH and history, nothing high-falutin’, I promise!

This is a special perk for Nonnies, paid subscribers to NBH.

RSVP: Nonnies only, please. Hit reply to this email or email me via annettelaing@substack.com or the usual address using subject line Sacramento Meetup, and with YES! in body of email, to get your invite with the location. Looking forward to seeing you!

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West With the Wagons Live Sip n’ Chat on Zoom!

Yes, I really went where the wagons went! Notice the ghostly wagon wheels behind me in Nebraska. Image: Annette Laing, 2023

Virtual Event: Friday, October 6, 4 p.m. PST (6 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Eastern, Midnight GMT) on Zoom. Sip ‘n Chat on West With the Wagons: The Journey So Far

West With the Wagons (WWW) is my special eye-opening series on the journey across America taken by 1849 Gold Rushers and other westward migrants. It’s based on original documents and historians’ work. But there’s more: It’s also based on my epic pre-pandemic trip in the wake of the wagons with my long-suffering spouse, Hoosen Benoti, in 2018, before museums closed, some never to re-open.

I show how the journey really looked and felt. Why the migrants went (and no, the answer’s not just “greed”, because nothing is that simple). We find out why these individual journeys changed life for millions, including the diverse migrants who participated, and the Native peoples for whom the migrants’ journeys brought opportunity, tragedy, and resilience.

Be prepared to be amazed by how different all of this was from what you thought you knew from old Westerns or that paragraph in the textbook or someone ranting on Twitter.

All nine episodes of West With the Wagons are available exclusively to Nonnies, paid subscribers. Right now, we’re still crossing the Great Plains of what’s now the Midwest, with the most jaw-dropping stuff still to come in the West! Here’s the most recent post:

West With the Wagons (9): Cholera

Zoom Meetup Details: At our casual Zoom meetup, we’ll chat about my 2018 trip, my sources for WWW, and whatever you enjoyed in the series so far and want to chat/ask questions about !

RSVP (Nonnies only): Hit reply, or email me at annettelaing@substack.com or the usual address to let me know you’re ready to join me online. Use Subject line: WWW Zoom Oct 6. Message: Count me in!

I will send you an invite soon!

Not a Nonnie? Join us! Get get full access to all WWW episodes, past and future, AND all 340 plus posts at the NBH web site, PLUS all NBH emails, as well as invites to this and future Zoom and live meetups! Your own historian, for the absurdly low price of $5 a month (yes, month!) on the annual plan. OR go monthly for just $6 a month.

Yup, I only look cheerful because we haven’t started moving yet. Image: Annette Laing, 2023

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Teachers’ Talk: True Tales . . . Teaching Elementary Social Studies with Confidence

Are you a Social Studies Teacher? Know someone who is?

Going to the Georgia Council for the Social Studies (GCSS), in Athens, Georgia, October 25-27, 2023? Have a colleague who’s going?

I’ll be there!

Friday, October 27 at 8:40 a.m., I’ll deliver a special Spotlight Session for K8 teachers at GCSS in Athens, GA, on True Tales . . . Teaching Elementary Social Studies with Confidence.

Please note that this is not a public event (sorry!), If you’re a Nonnie near Athens and would like a meet up, email me at Annettelaing@Substack.com or the usual Nonnie hotline with Athens? as your subject line, and “Interested!” in the body.

If you’re a bit freaked out by all the attacks on how teachers are teaching social studies/history, you’re not alone! I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I have spent my life steering my little boat through all kinds of choppy waters, first as a college professor, and now as an independent public historian. Come hear my best advice on how to gain reassurance, allies, and yes, confidence in teaching in troubled times.

I’ll also be present at GCSS throughout Thursday and Friday morning, hanging out in the exhibit hall next to a big banner announcing Non-Boring History, happy to chat, talk about NBH, and sign my books.

Are you a teacher in another state? Or know someone who is? I am always interested in talking with teachers. Please pass this along to them.

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Have Me Come to You!

Agh, you can’t see them smiling and looking engaged, but they were! Speaking on the London Blitz. Image: Annette Laing, 2023

Given my commitment to NBH, I don’t have a lot of time for speaking gigs these days, but I do still do them (as you can see!), and I do travel. Ask your state organization (historical society, teachers’ conference, service club, or similar) about hosting me to speak on history or on my work as a missionary for history. This is cheaper if you’re in Wisconsin or Illinois, and cheapest of all if I appear on Zoom, but don’t hesitate to ask. I also talk to local organizations, including schools and book clubs. More details on my speaking gigs at my website, AnnetteLaing.com

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When you're a Nonnie, you also provide critical support for my unique outreach as a trained academic historian, and recovering professor. I aim to entertain you, a real person, showing the joys and revelations of the work of trained historians, whether academic or public (museum professionals), in a time of crisis when history is under attack. Be a SuperNonnie (Patron), and you’re leading the way.