Sign in

Robin Bernstein

@robinmbernstein.bsky.social
1.7K followers 581 following 240 posts

Author of Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit and Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights. scholar.harvard.edu/robinbernstein/… ; robinbernsteinphd.com .

PostsRepliesMedia
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Yesterday we went hiking and found 3 baby squirrels that had fallen from their nest. They were making high-pitched chirps and scrambling around blindly (eyes still closed). We couldn't tell if they'd been there for a while or if they'd just fallen. I hope after we left their mother recovered them.
000
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I'm stunned to announce that #FreemansChallenge has won the Herbert H. Lehman Award for Distinguished Scholarship. This prize, given by the New York Academy of History, "honors outstanding contributions to #NewYork State and City history." This means so much to me! @uchicagopress.bsky.social
0324
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
And here's one more photo of Cornelia Crow Carr--just 'cause I think she's pretty.
020
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Cornelia Crow later wrote Harriet Hosmer's biography, edited her letters, and named her daughter after the sculptor.
220
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
This is a sculpture, "Daphne," that Harriet Hosmer made as a "love gift" for Cornelia Crow. When Hosmer shipped it to Crow in 1854, she wrote, “…when Daphne arrives kiss her lips and then remember that I kissed her just before she left me."
120
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Here's a photo of Cornelia Crow Carr, just 'cause I think she's pretty.
2361
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Thank you, @scholarschoice.bsky.social, for including #FreemansChallenge in your display at @c19americanists.bsky.social! @uchicagopress.bsky.social #c19
071
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Pippin (8 lb chihuahua mix) demanded to go outside in the blizzard. Here's how far she got before she changed her mind.
Photo of heavy snow on porch near door. Dog's footprints are near door but nowhere else.
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Thank you, @draftingthepast.bsky.social! Kate Carpenter interviews #historians about how--and why--we do what we do. I loved talking with her about what I call the "disco ball of integrity." draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis... And now she's sent me this awesome swag! Thanks for this awesome podcast.
Smiling white person with red shirt, glasses, and green cap. Person holds travel mug that reads "drafting the past."
182
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
I'm thrilled to announce that Freeman's Challenge has received Nonfiction Honors for the Massachusetts Book Awards. I'm incredibly grateful. @uchicagopress.bsky.social #BookAward #MassBookAwards #prisons
3182
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Backyard rabbit nest! Their eyes are still closed, but they're very active.
000
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
How excited am I about the new issue of Sinister Wisdom? It's a compendium of 3 poetry chapbooks by Chocolate Waters. This is the perfect way to introduce a new Sapphic generation to this biting, sexy, funny, intense work. PS: Check out my favorite poem: "Question/Answer," p.68. You won't be sorry.
010
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I love this clip from @positivetalkradio.bsky.social. I talk about watching #Roots when I was a kid--and what it meant to me as a little white girl and future historian. @uchicagopress.bsky.social #BlackHistory #slavery #authorinterview
041
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Today in the Bernstein Bean Experience: I made flageolet beans for the first time. I didn't know if they would retain their lovely green color when cooked. They did keep some of it! Left: raw beans; right: cooked. #beans #letsoglebeans
010
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
OK, on a day when nothing seems funny, this made me laugh.
000
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Eight! Well done, goose parents.
Two adult geese with eight juvenile geese on grass in sun
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
OMG, everyone, @c19americanists.bsky.social is in @alisonbechdel.bsky.social 's new book, #Spent! This is page 144!!! Published today!
Frame from Alison Bechdel's new book, Spent. Ginger says to Sparrow, "Two weekends from now, I'm off to the 19th-century conference. Theme: 'The End: From Climate Apocalypse to the Dire State of Our Profession."
2235
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Sigh. A dog seized a baby bunny. I got the dog to drop the kit. There was no blood, but the kit was clearly traumatized. I put it someplace safe. Now, an hour later, it's still there. I hope it survives.
020
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
I stress-baked mashed potato bread at 6am.
070
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
So much gratitude. The journal Civil War History published a forum on Freeman's Challenge--and look at this cover. Thank you, @jimdowns.bsky.social, @historianheather.bsky.social, @crystallynnweb.bsky.social, @profkori.bsky.social, and more for your deep, kind, sharp engagement. I'm so moved.
1103
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
I am THRILLED to be on this longlist! And to be in such great company. Thank you, Massachusetts Center for the Book! @uchicagopress.bsky.social #massbookawards #freemanschallenge #bookaward
2124
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Look who greeted me this morning! The kits have left their nest. Moments after I took these photos, they all jumped out of the planter and scampered away.
010
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
THIS SAT: I'm delighted to speak at the Newburyport Literary Festival @nbptlitfest.bsky.social in a panel sponsored by the Mass Center for the Book. Toussaint Losier & I will discuss Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit. Join us! @uchicagopress.bsky.social
142
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Today! Join me and @ibramxk.bsky.social for conversation about how #prisons, #racism, and #capitalism all intertwined--half a century before the #13thAmendment. Conversation will be at the @hutchinscenter.bsky.social and on YouTube. Join us!
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
The Bernstein Bean Experience continues. Today: speckled bayo beans with rice, coconut, thyme, and scallions. I accidentally used sweetened coconut milk, so the dish came out like dessert. I added unsweetened shredded coconut to try to mellow it out. It didn't work, but it was still delicious.
110
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Bunny nest! There are at least 3 kits. Their eyes are open, so they're probably about a week old. This mother was smart: she built her nest in an unused planter in our garage. It's sheltered from rain, and the planter's height offers some protection from predators. Stay tuned for further cuteness.
110
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
This Wednesday at noon, I'll be in conversation with the extraordinary @ibramxk.bsky.social about #PrisonForProfit and my book #FreemansChallenge. Hope you can join us--live or online! Link in comments below. @uchicagopress.bsky.social @hutchinscenter.bsky.social
262
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
I'm delighted that #FreemansChallenge has won the Montaigne Medal. This award honors books that "illuminate, progress, or redirect thought." I'm grateful for this honor! @uchicagopress.bsky.social
2286
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
I will be in conversation with the incomparable @ibramxk.bsky.social at @hutchinscenter.bsky.social , @harvard.edu on Weds, April 23 at noon. Join us for a story of the origins of #PrisonForProfit and the racist allegation of Black criminality.
031
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
I interrupt the global cataclysm to announce that I made lemon-blueberry bread.
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I'm thrilled to speak at the Newburyport Literary Festival with Toussaint Losier about #FreemansChallenge and the true origins of #PrisonForProfit (spoiler: it didn't start in the South, and it began half a century before the #13thAmendment). @nbptlitfest.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social
1113
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Too much? I don't think so, either.
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
I'm in Providence for the #AAIHS conference. Learning so much from the wonderful papers. Then I check into my hotel room and find a framed portrait of #WendyCarlos, whom I have loved since 1985. A sign?
0100
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
TOMORROW: I'll be @busboysandpoets.bsky.social (K St. location)! I'll share the story of #WilliamFreeman, the Afro-Native teen who challenged America's original #PrisonForProfit -- almost 200 years ago. Join us! This event is free and open to all. @uchicagopress.bsky.social
151
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Washington DC-area folks! Please join me this Thursday @busboysandpoets.bsky.social (K St) for conversation about the true origins of #PrisonForProfit (spoiler: it didn't start in the South, and it didn't begin with the Civil War and the #13thAmendment). Free & open to the public. @UChicagoPress
273
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
TONIGHT! I'll be in conversation with @lisabiggs.bsky.social at the Boston Athenaeum. Join us for a discussion of the true origins of #PrisonForProfit (spoiler: it didn't originate in the South, and it didn't emerge after the Civil War).
071
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
It's out! I'm so grateful for this interview by Kate Tuttle in today's Boston Globe. We talked about my book #FreemansChallenge, the origins of American #PrisonForProfit, and the necessity of respecting pain. @uchicagopress.bsky.social @bostonglobe.com @katetuttle.bsky.social
0233
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
040
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
This is the panel from Art Spiegelman's #Maus that haunts me. I keep returning to this panel. Privilege is always contingent.
030
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
When I was a little girl, I wished for my grandmother to live to be 100 years old. Eleven years ago today, I got my wish (she lived to almost 102, and I still miss her so much--especially today, on her birthday). What's a wish you made that really mattered--and it came true?
0150
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
The answer: the Southwest Gold #beans retained some of their markings, but the borders of the spots are less distinct. And the beans are now more brown than yellow. They taste delicious.
020
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Today's #beans : these are Southwest Gold beans from Primary Beans. Will they will lose their pretty yellow markings when I cook them? I don't know yet! This is the "before" shot. Come back in a few hours for "after." #LetsOgleBeans #BeansBeansBeans
150
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Please join me and the brilliant @lisabiggs.bsky.social for a wide-ranging conversation about prisons, capitalism, and theatre! Feb. 19 at the Boston Athenaeum. @bostonathena.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social #FreemansChallenge #HealingStage #PrisonForProfit #AuthorLife #AuthorInterview
1134
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
Cookiefest continues! My gf and I made macarons. We filled the pink ones with mixed berry ganache and the green ones with pistachio ganache. Best of all, we BORROWED the macaron baking sheet from the "library of things" at the glorious Watertown Free Public Library. <3 <3 <3
090
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
My gf and I made rainbow cookies! It took two days because many steps involve refrigeration. They are gluten-free and unbelievably delicious.
190
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Today's archival find: 1851 ad for an anti-masturbation tract promising "an elaborate and carefully written account of the anatomy and physiology of the organs of both sexes (illustrated by numerous coloured engravings)." Take that, Onan!
060
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
For almost two centuries, #WilliamFreeman has been dismissed as a lunatic. I spoke with Rufus Williams about my realization that Freeman's argument against #PrisonForProfit was not only rational but urgent for people to hear today. @uchicagopress.bsky.social
111
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Spotted at a local craft sale: "Goofy lil hats you want to put on your fingers $1. It's extremely normal! It IS socially acceptable!"
"Goofy lil hats you want to put on your fingers $1. It's extremely normal! It IS socially acceptable!"
040
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Pippin is one year old today! She is dubious about her hat.
chihuahua puppy birthday hat one 1
0120
Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Here's the Norman Rockwell that Alison Bechdel is reimagining.
020