Voting Booths

It’s Election Day. Oh My, What Choices?

As voters head to the polls this week, Clay broods on the current state of our national endeavor.
Man with white beard and sunglasses standing beside a loaded motorcycle, next to a wooden sign titled 'Blackfeet and Buffalo' in a rural area.

Frank Lister — A Native Son and Great Soul of America’s West

The Listening to America team lost a trusted colleague and dear friend last week. Frank Lister, our chief scout, passed away on October 27, 2026.  Frank made us all happy to be alive. He will be profoundly missed.
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“This Mass of Trash” — Jane Austen and Thomas Jefferson

You find Jane Austen fans in the most unexpected places. Though not likely Thomas Jefferson.
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The 1936 public execution of a 22-year-old Black man, Bethea, convicted of the rape and robbery of a 70-year-old white woman. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 spectators gathered around the wooden scaffold in a public courtyard. Widespread public disorder and criticism surrounding the spectacle led Kentucky (and other states) to ban public executions, making Bethea's hanging widely recognized as the last officially sanctioned public execution in the United States.

America’s Enlightenment Crisis

Recent events, including the proposal that the federal government live-stream the public execution of a convicted terrorist, are corroding our nation’s long enlightenment heritage.
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The Pantheon in Rome, Italy, originally built by Marcus Agrippa, Emperor Augustus's right-hand man, is an architectural masterpiece completed in 25 BCE. The wording at the entrance translates to “Made by Marcus Agrippa, the Son of Lucius, During his Third Consulship.” (Photo Wikimedia)

Serendipity and Ancient Rome

The new historical novel Agrippa, by bestselling author Robert Harris, brings to life the engineering marvels of Classic Rome, many of which still stand today.
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Canal du Midi

Reading Charles Dickens at the End of My Endless Summer

I write this as a personal letter to all of you who read my work. My work is exceedingly important to me — these weekly essays — and writing them is one of the principal joys of my life.
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Clay in front of the historic Palais de la Légion d'Honneur, on the Left Bank of the River Seine in Paris, France.

Americans in Paris: Clay’s Thomas Jefferson in France Tour

This week, Clay has been leading his fourth Jefferson in France Cultural Tour. Thomas Jefferson served as an American minister to France in the late 1780’s and considered it some of the happiest times of his life.
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Crow Canyon Tour Announcement

Field Report: History and Current Challenges to Western Public Lands

Alongside archaeologist Dr. Susan Ryan, Clay co-hosted a recent cultural tour of the Four Corners region to help guests get an “on-the-ground” look at the past and future of the National Monuments and Antiquities Act.
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Harper's Magazine cover, January 1947, featuring the title 'The West Against Itself' by Bernard Devoto (Vol. 194, No. 1160).

Where Is Bernard DeVoto When We Need Him?

Struck by the breathtaking speed of change in American life since World War II, Clay is writing a series of essays about what has transpired within a single humanities scholar’s lifetime. This week he writes about how our media channels shape our sense of history, current events, and national outlook.
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American and European Bison.

Reporting From Switzerland: a Euro-Bison Comeback. Who Knew?

Iconic to the American West, I was surprised to learn of a British preservation program for European bison.
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