About Me

I was born in Tennessee, raised in public schools and evangelical churches with a healthy dose of classic rock. I currently live in Massachusetts where I study U.S. Cultures & Politics at Hampshire College. My senior thesis will address Southern elections, the double-edged sword of populism, and the promises and risks of leaving the South behind in electoral politics.

I'm the news editor of The Climax, our campus newspaper, where I've interviewed Walter Benn Michaels, gotten press credentials to see Gov. Deval Patrick address the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, and occasionally pissed off the upper echelon of the administration. I've interned with The American Prospect and United for a Fair Economy.

My writing has appeared in The American Prospect Online, Real Change News, Campus Progress, and United for a Fair Economy's RacialWealthDivide.org, in addition to numerous pieces for The Climax. A list of articles can be found at the bottom of this page.

Specific interests: Elections and political strategy, the American South, conservatism and the Christian Right, the rhetoric of populism and reason.

Feel free to email me: stmw04 at hampshire dot edu.

Articles I've Written

"Conservative Liberal Arts"
Campus Progress, October 1, 2007
A review of Hanna Rosin's God's Harvard

"Know Your Right-Wing Speakers: Bryan Caplan"
Campus Progress, September 4, 2007.
A profile of Caplan for college progressives.

"Ron Paul's Abortion Rhetoric"
The American Prospect Online, August 20, 2007.
Does Ron Paul's anti-abortion stance put him at odds with libertarianism?

"The Myth of Bryan Caplan's Seriousness"
The America Prospect Online, July 20, 2007
Libertarians gather to hear the case against the ignorant, irrational masses.

"Scooter Libby: Best Samaritan Ever"
The American Prospect Online, June 15, 2007
Just remember, Libby attended a friend's bachelor party and spoke at his neighbor's book club.

Open letter to President Ralph Hexter and Dean of Student Services R. Michelle Green
Statement from The Climax Editorial Board, May 8, 2007

"Whistle Down to Dixie"
Campus Progress, March 26, 2007
If progressives really care about justice, how can they not care about a region in which it is so often denied?

"Walter Benn Michaels discusses the trouble with diversity"
The Climax, March 13, 2007
Walter Benn Michaels talks to The Climax before a lecture at Mt. Holyoke College.

"Whistling Dixie"
Real Change News, January 31, 2007
Time to pay attention, once again, to the distinct forms of inequality found throughout the rural South.

"Why Southern Rural Poverty Matters"
United for a Fair Economy's RacialWealthDivide.org
Earlier version of "Whistling Dixie"
In Spanish here

"Beyond Black and White in East Tennessee"
United for a Fair Economy's RacialWealthDivide.org
Understanding population change and the complexities of the anti-Latino backlash in the South.
In Spanish here

"A Rogue Element on the Chess Board: Talking to Michael Klare About Iran"
The Climax, May 2006
Michael Klare talks to The Climax about Iran's nuclear capabilities and possible U.S. military actions.