Exciting News!

I've been awarded a Us@250 fellowship at New America

Upcoming Public Event: Wednesday, July 5th. In Conversation with Kate Storey. New York Historical Society at *Bryant Park.*

America has a big birthday coming up. On July 4, 2026, the country will turn 250, and our collective memory hangs in the balance. The 250th is an opportunity to reshape our national story, reimagine patriotism, and work toward a more perfect union.

I have been thinking about how to reconcile the 250th with my work on the founding complexity and the presidency for years—all the while growing more concerned as news of uncritical celebrations began to materialize.

In the fall, I started to contemplate an ambitious, sweeping project, and I am thrilled to announce that it will be supported by New America, a bipartisan think tank in DC.

The inaugural class

My project, “How Should a President Be,” is a long-overdue national conversation that I’ll be conducting across the country next year, after I turn in my next book!

In the meantime, I’ll be working through ideas around that national conversation here—and I’m not wasting any time. You can expect the fun to start next week.

Best email I’ve received all year.

I’m in the inaugural class of Us@250, a new fellowship that hopes to reimagine the American narrative. Its themes, which have long been integral to the great project of my career, are particularly fitting to share today:

• Pride in the nation’s progress from its origins.

• Reckoning with historical and contemporary wrongs that have caused the nation to fall short of its ideals.

• Aspiration for a multiracial and inclusive democratic government by the principles of equality, fairness, and opportunity.

Happy 4th!

See you soonish! Until then, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. If you’d like a personalized copy of my books, please order them from Oblong.