Spotlights

Don't know where to start? We've prepared a number of short "spotlights" that feature a dime novel from the collection. Each provides contextual information about the novel, a brief biography of the author, an annotated bibliography of scholarship, and discussion questions and activities. These might be used in the classroom as part of a larger unit on the dime novel or for independent study. Current spotlights include the lesbian pirate adventure, Captain Volcano; the anti-slavery slave romance Maum Guinea; and an adventure featuring a trio of cross-dressing heroines, among them Calamity Jane.

Spotlights were written by faculty, staff, and graduate students at NIU. If you'd be interested in writing your own spotlight, or if you're a teacher developing curricula using dime novels, please get in touch!