Christina Thompson
@cathompsn
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Editor @harvard_review | Author SEA PEOPLE and COME ON SHORE | NLA, NEH, NEA Fellow | Writing about the history of the Pacific
Cambridge, MA
Joined July 2015
Started a new book. Here’s a sample of some of the source material: 😳
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8 history books from different places and periods: 1) Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia by Christina Thompson ( Polynesia )
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'Man Reading.' (1904) John Singer Sargent's portraits balance looseness and definition, what might be called Old Master-casual; faces and hands rendered just tightly enough to stay alive. The sitter is Nicola d'Inverno, Sargent's Italian valet and a frequent model.
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One of the best history books I’ve read all year I now believe more than ever that Ancient Polynesian navigators were some of the bravest and smartest people in human history
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And, she’s done it again!
theguardian.com
The author used her acceptance speech to call out the Australian government’s response to the war in Gaza, in a ceremony marked by political commentary
Australian writer Michelle de Kretser has won all the biggest prizes in Australia — many times over! She should be much better known here.
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A lesson you have to continuously relearn: you can read and read and read and read, but at some point you just have to start writing.
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My latest book review looks at an excellent the history of the Polynesian Triangle, @cathompsn's "Sea People". It looks at how Europeans misunderstood the history of th Polynesians and how that has been rediscovered. A brilliant read. https://t.co/g6A2YVWuzm
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Though, to be fair, getting it to help with the research is a no brainer.
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From the NYTimes: “When I asked Stacy Schiff…about the notion of consulting A.I. on how to structure a piece of writing, she replied, ‘To turn to A.I. for structure seems less like a cheat than a deprivation, like enlisting someone to eat your hot fudge sundae for you.’” 🤣
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Theory of SEA PEOPLE purchasing patterns: women bought hardcover as gifts for their husbands and fathers — the perfect Father’s Day gift! — men bought the ebook and audio. Based entirely on random thjngs people said.
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@mattjay Fossil men by Kermit Patterson and sea people by Christina Thompson are my recent favorite if you're into history and anthropology
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It still doesn't feel real, but I've started getting emails from the @marinerbooks marketing people, so apparently I really am going to be in Best American Short Stories 2025! Thank you @Harvard_Review @cathompsn @pronounced_ing
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"Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority." - President Alan Garber
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A great and uplifting piece on the Smithsonian and America generally
washingtonpost.com
Following his most recent executive order, I went in search of some “corrosive ideology.”
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If you look across the Gulf of Mexico from America, you are looking in the direction of Mexico. What renaming it to the Gulf of America suggests is that we are now effectively using the Mexican name.
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In our towns roads are named for the town they lead you to, and the name often reverses when you cross the town line. Thus Waltham Street in Lexington becomes Lexington Street in Waltham. This is quite a good system as it always tells you something about where you are.
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Some highly cool new research (NIH and NSF funded)
news.harvard.edu
Researchers place Caucasus Lower Volga people, speakers of ancestor tongue, in today’s Russia about 6,500 years ago
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Dive into the incredible journey of the Polynesians with "Sea People" by Christina Thompson. An amazing read for anyone fascinated by history, culture, and the marvel of human navigation! #MustRead #ChristinaThompson
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Those of you with long memories might recall the time in 2016 when Facebook had a habit of censoring art. First, it was Gustave Courbet’s painting 'The Origin of the World,' (1866) and then a drawing of a hand by Holbein which it said had breached its community standards. Now,
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