Writer and editor
Charlie Powell for Slate
I live in Athens, Ohio, and write about culture, history, and ideas for magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. I’m currently a senior staff writer for Slate.com.
My Slate pieces have been included in The Best American Food Writing (this one) and chosen as a finalist for Washington Monthly’s Kukula Award for book reviewing (this one).
My book, Innocent Experiments: Childhood and the Culture of Public Science in the United States, was published by the University of North Carolina Press.
I hold a Ph.D and an MA in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in American Studies from Yale University.
I used illustrations from 19th-century books to build my clips page. Thanks to this website for making it easy.
Audio
I’ve made three limited-series history podcasts for Slate, and I love to be a podcast guest. Here is a Spotify playlist with some of my favorite podcast appearances.
Speaking
I’ve appeared on panels and presented workshops, in person and online, for undergrads, grad students, and faculty, discussing writing as a profession, writing and editing on the internet, and my transition into a non-academic career in the humanities. I’ve done this for universities including Columbia University, UMass Amherst, NYU, the University of Southern California, the University of Rochester, Colorado School of the Mines, the University of Texas at Austin, and more. Want me to come to your campus, or hop on a Zoom? Please get in touch.
Bylines
I’ve written for Aeon Magazine, the Atlantic, Austinist.com (RIP), the Athens Independent, the Austin-American Statesman, Bitch Magazine (RIP), the Boston Globe, ELLEGirl (RIP), Lapham’s Quarterly, the New Haven Advocate (RIP), New York Magazine, PBS’ American Experience, Slate, the New Republic, Topic Magazine (RIP), Virginia Quarterly Review, The Washington Post, and YM (RIP).