Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The project now known as Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America was ten years in the making. Although I often felt alone in front of my computer, the truth is that the past ten years have been filled with support from every quarter. Without that support, I don’t imagine I would now have a book; if I did, it wouldn’t be on confessional culture; and if it were, it would have been a far inferior rendition. My foremost intellectual debt belongs to Ned O’Gorman. Ned was there in the Penn State copy room when, one year into the project, I was ready to call it quits. On that occasion, Ned saw merit in the project and encouraged me to press on. Since that time, through countless phone conversations, latenight drinks, and marked-up drafts, Ned has remained committed to the project. He has also challenged my thinking about the role of confession in American culture more than anyone else. While I have often resisted his challenges, that doesn’t mean I haven’t profited immensely from them. A select group of people has amazed me with their depth and continuity of support. These people have read multiple drafts, written countless letters on my behalf, or otherwise gone beyond the call of duty in their support of Confessional Crises. In this category are Rosa Eberly, Mike Hogan, Shawn Parry-Giles, and Ned O’Gorman. Without colleagues willing to critically engage with portions of the manuscript (in some cases its entirety!) and offer resistance and feedback, Confessional Crises would have suffered. In this category, I am indebted to Jack Selzer, Steve Browne, Steven Mailloux, David Zarefsky, Jim Aune, Chuck Morris, John Murphy, Cara Finnegan, John Lucaites, Bjorn Stillion Southard, Davis Houck, Jeff Drury, James Darsey, Carolyn Miller, Calvin Troup, Pete Simonson, Jerry Hauser, Mike Edwards, Roger Stahl, Robert Hariman, Mitch Reyes, Nicholas Thomas, Roseann Mandziuk, Jeremy Engels, and David Frank. Beyond these, still others contributed material support to Confessional Crises. Here my debts run to Barbara Biesecker, Devery Anderson, Jeffrey Motter, Matt Newcomb, Sara Ann Mehltretter, Susan Wise Bauer, Brian Jackson, Debra Hawhee, David Timmerman, Greg Spencer, Nathan Crick, Josh Gunn, Scott Wible, Trevor Parry-Giles, Susan Zaeske, and Ben Henderson. A special thanks goes to those who made the University of Kansas an ideal spot to write this book. I have shared both drafts and life with these colleagues ,andambetterforit:ShawnAlexander,RobinRowland,BenChappell, Beth Innocenti, Jay Childers, Anthony Corbeill, Henry Bial, Donn Parson, Sharon O’Brien, Kristine Bruss, Kundai Chirindo, Greta Wendelin, Mary Lee Hummert, Rob Topinka, Jason Barrett-Fox, Thomas Heilke, Brent Steele, Sally J. Cornelison, Laura Mielke, Amy Devitt, Frank Farmer, Christopher Forth, Jason Roe, Jill Kuhnheim, H. Faye Xiao, and Allan Pasco. The Pie and Theory Reading Group has been a breath of fresh air. Kansas librarian Julie Petr deserves standout recognition; without her capacity to find rare documents I would have been lost. Finally, thanks go to KU’s General Research Fund, whose consistent support made summertime research possible. At the center of my Kansas experience has been the Hall Center for the Humanities, which provided me a residential fellowship and two semesterlong workshops to refine my argument under the best conditions possible. Here my debts extend to Victor Bailey, Kristine Latta, Jeanie Wulfkuhle, and Cindy Lynn. The Humanities Grant Development Office at KU has done more for the intellectual narrative of Confessional Crises than I ever dreamed possible for an institutionalized office. HGDO is far more than grant support—it is also thought support. Without the supportive resistance of the HGDO, Confessional Crises would have been underfunded and underdeveloped. Thanks go to Kathy Porsche and Sally Utech. Kendra Boileau and the whole team at Penn State University Press have been fantastic. Freelance copyeditor Nicholas Taylor was a pleasure to work with. Very few friends outside the academy ever asked me about the specifics of what I was writing. But I’m quite thankful for the few that did: Jamie and Darcy Kidd, Matt and Kori Podszus, Marc and Jenea Havener, Bill and Sue Tell (my parents!), and Jeff and Aubrey Tell. Finally, Confessional Crises is dedicated to Hannah, Jack, and Ashlyn. Even if Confessional Crises becomes a best seller, it could never compensate these three for the endless support, encouragement, and relief they have provided. x acknowledgments ...