It was a dream come true to wear the American cap and gown at my graduation in Washington, D.C.

In the footsteps of Danish immigrants

As a Dane living in the United States, I love to walk in the footsteps of the Danish immigrants who came before me. I’m fascinated by their dreams and hopes, challenges and fates, and the traces they left in the landscape and in American culture and history – as well as how the American landscape, culture and history in turn left its mark on the new Danish residents. In 2021, my interest led to a master's degree in public history from American Public University, and I was the proud recipient of the Academic Scholar Award from APU's School of Arts and Humanities. 

In addition to Danish-American history, I’m interested in World War II (especially the home fronts and women and children in wartime), 20th century, popular culture (including food and tourism history), memorials and traditions, propaganda and public diplomacy, and newspaper and media history.

My interest in history is often part of my fiction texts, but I also enjoy writing non-fiction articles and creating online exhibits - see for instance: ​

• ​​Nordlyset and the New York City Danish Community (The Bridge, 2021) 
• Spreading "The Word":  The Dana College Theater Troupe Tour of 1942 (online exhibit, Danish American Archive and Library, 2020)
• WWII: The Danish American Experience (online exhibit, American Public University, 2017)
• Urban Danish Foodways and Ethnic Marketing Strategies in Bien, 1900-1950 (The Bridge, 2007)

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Christmas seals from the Danish American Home for the Aged, New York. (John Denune, ChristmasSeals.net)

New project: The Danish Home for the Aged, New York

I’m currently doing research for an article about the Danish retirement home in New York, which closed in 2020. If you have a story, pictures or letters from/about the home, you’re very welcome to send a message.