December 2025 Featured Scholar

Dr. Abigail Swingen (Associate Professor, Department of History)

What are you watching/streaming?

Lately I’ve enjoyed Bad Sisters, Hacks, Fisk (hilarious Australian show! Highly recommend!), Long Story Short, Department Q, and Somebody, Somewhere. I’m also a sucker for rock documentaries, and I like to binge old favorites like Bob’s Burgers, Mad About You, King of the Hill, and Gilmore Girls.

What games are you playing?

I’m not a game player but I do have hobbies, especially knitting, baking, and cross stitching. This past spring, I took a class at a local yarn shop and learned how to knit a sweater, which I’m really proud of! I also like hiking and listening for songbirds, especially in the woods in places like New England and the Upper Midwest.

What are you listening to?

Some podcasts I’ve listened to and enjoyed are Good Hang with Amy Poehler, 60 Songs that Explain the 90s, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, and a brief series on the Big Dig in Boston from WBUR. I also like to listen to audiobooks (especially celebrity memoirs!), and music that my daughter recommends.

What are you reading?

I just finished Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green, which was a very good popular history of the disease and persistent global inequities in access to medical care. I also recently read and enjoyed The Husbands by Holly Gramazio and True Biz by Sara Nović.

What are you writing/thinking about?

I’m writing a book on the history of Britain’s Financial Revolution of the late 1600s, so I’ve been thinking a lot about social and economic inequality.