Writing chapters for my own edited books and other scholars has been a significant aspect of my career. These chapters enable me to explore a broad range of topics -- sometimes leading to future research and publishing -- that deepens my sense of the interconnected nature of American culture. Some 40 essays later, I am still as intellectually curious as when I wrote my first more than a decade ago.

Perhaps the more signicant issue is that I view all writing as an opportunity to engage in storytelling and add to the conversation about interesting topics and ideas. I have listed a few of my favorite book chapters below, which range from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to the economics behind the Disney Princesses and the connection between novelist Michael Chabon and filmmaker Wes Anderson.

“The Dudes Abide: Examining Clinton-Era Identity in Wonder Boys and The Big Lebowski,” in Michael Chabon’s America: Magical Words, Secret Worlds, and Sacred Spaces. Edited by Jesse Kavadlo and Bob Batchelor, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 19-29.

“Becoming Brad Pitt: Tabloids, Scene-Stealing, and the Making of a Hollywood Legend,” in _Deconstructing Brad Pitt. Edited by Christopher Schaberg and Robert Bennett, New York: Continuum, 2014. 164-177.

“Hollywood’s Leading Man: George Clooney, Star Power, and Authenticity in an Artificial World,” in Star Power: The Impact of Branded Celebrity. Edited by Aaron Barlow, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2014. 211-221.

“Fred, Homer, and Peter: Working Class Men in Animated Television from The Flintstones to Family Guy,” in Blue Collar Pop Culture. Edited by Keith Booker, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2012. 19-33.

“Swayze is America: Roadhouse, Point Break, and the Cult/Camp Movie of the 1980s and 1990s,” in Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream. 3 vols. Edited by Bob Batchelor, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2011. 19-26.

“Wes Anderson and the Cult of Hipster Aesthetics,” in Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream. 3 vols. Edited by Bob Batchelor, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2011. 113-24.

“How Family Guy Changed Television Forever,” (co-authored with Jodee Hammond) in Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream. 3 vols. Edited by Bob Batchelor, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2011. 227-39.

“The Cult of Cute: The Disney Princesses and American Girlhood,” (co-authored with Jodee Hammond) in Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream. 3 vols. Edited by Bob Batchelor, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2011. 101-13.

“Gaming the Guitar: Aerosmith, Metallica, the Beatles, and the Music Video Game Revolution,” in Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture. Edited by Elizabeth B. Christian, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010. 273-90.

“Who Gets to Wear the Cape: The Rise of the Black Superman in Martin Delany, Frederick Douglass, and Beyond,” (co-authored with Josef Benson) in Black and White Masculinity in the American South, 1800-2000. Edited by Lydia Plath and Sergio Lussana, Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars, 2009. 95-111.

“King James: LeBron James, Hype, Hope, and the Future of the NBA,” in Basketball in America: From the Playground to Jordan’s Game and Beyond. Edited by Bob Batchelor, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2005. 281-94.