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As a working historian, Alexis Coe has had an exceptionally interesting career.
), and written for a variety of publications includingTheNew Yorker, theParis Review, and theNew Republic.
Im hoping to do more.
Also, with Queenie, I wanted to tell her story in a way that hasnt been told yet.
Theres a 1997 movie calledHoodlum, in which Queenie is presented as a caricature.
Shes just a prop, a woman at the table.
And I wanted to know more about her.
I found Queenies story in an academic book by LaShawn Harris.
The episode about Ida B.
Wells was a story I had wanted to tell since 2013.
Shes going from boarding house to boarding house.
Her best friend is murdered, and that inspires her to investigate lynching.
What I see is the unfolding of a moment of genius.
How she came to it, what was at stake, and what happened after.
And then, over the last few years, we saw Wells get her due to a certain extent.
She had anOverlooked obituary in the New YorkTimesand shes become the patron saint of many journalists.
It doesnt have to be perfect, but I just want them to interact with it.
Thats how history can be meaningful to people who dont necessarily think its for them.
Could we talk a little bit about being a historian?
And I ended up being frustrated with the reach of conferences and papers.
At the time, I happened to live across the street from the Brooklyn Historical Society.
And thats exactly what happened I absolutely fell in love with public history, mostly because of public engagement.
And since then, Ive had quite a lot of freedom to take on other projects.
Im a consulting producer on a forthcoming George Washington series with Doris Kearns Goodwin for the History Channel.
Im curating the ACLU nationwide centennial exhibition that will launch in 2020.
I also just turned in a new kind of biography to Viking on George Washington.
But, you know, no one handed me this freedom.
Im not independently wealthy.
Im driven by engagement and by curiosity, and it seems to have worked out so far.
Im sure there are tons of women you havent yet written about but would like to.
Who is the biggest one thats on your mind?Oh, there are literally hundreds.
She was a legitimate Muslim princess who was dropped into Nazi Germany, and she died in a camp.
Her bravery has always been really overwhelming to me.
I think about her a lot.
