Former 2019-2020 Public Humanities Fellow Scot McFarlane's first book, The River That Made Texas, is forthcoming from the University of North Carolina Press on September 29, 2026. McFarlane, a river historian, credits his Fellowship, especially his mentor, for supporting his project and helping to move it forward:

"Maria Gonzalez Pendas was my mentor. As [one of] the first public humanities cohorts, we collaborated and supported each other as we developed our projects and learned from many generous public scholars. It was an uplifting and energizing experience," McFarlane says. "But also, as someone who knew they would likely not pursue an academic career, Maria was an especially prescient mentor. I have been surprised by how closely I have stayed connected to academia through friendships, affiliations, journals, and conferences even as my career has been focused elsewhere. Maria told me to expect this from the beginning—that as a public scholar I would find inspiration in my academic network even if my career took me elsewhere. This is reflected in my forthcoming book."

Book description from UNC Press

How the relentless but largely forgotten Trinity River shaped Texas.

Today, half of Texas’s expanding population, including the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston, depends on the Trinity River, a river that has shaped the state’s politics, economy, and environment for centuries. From the prairies of North Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, the Trinity established Native nations, foiled Spanish and French imperialism, stood at the center of the Texas plantation system, and fueled the growth of the state’s largest cities.

In the first history of this vital river, historian Scot McFarlane illuminates how the Trinity has defined Texas history. Its floods enriched the soil and destroyed crops, its channel served as both a route and barrier to freedom, and its once-polluted waters now sustain a significant portion of the state. McFarlane’s captivating narrative brims with stories of the people who called the Trinity home over the centuries: the Comanche, steamboat pilots, enslaved and freed people, sharecroppers, inmates, and millions of urban residents. The result is a fresh perspective on economic development, slavery, and the environment—revealing the Trinity not as a backdrop to Texas history but as a force that shaped it.