[gotopes]

i started studying the history, and as it turns out, there were a lot of parallels between african-american history and irish history

Interesting! Studying Chicano history is how I got into studying Irish-American history. Lot's of parallels there too, particularly where religion and culture are concerned. Long story short, minoring in Chicano Studies led me to discover that my mother's maiden name, Obregon, is a Spanish evolution of "O'Brien", and that I have an ancestor who was part of Saint Patrick's Battalion in the Mexican-American war.

I really like post-colonial literature - can you give me some recommendations for African-American works or writers?

Anyway, to mitigate my threadjacking, I also collect:
- first edition books; these can be pricey, so I only have a few, but I think this is one collection I'll always be working on

- autographed books: I generally only get them signed at festivals or signings, which is why I have an odd collection, everyone from David Sedaris to Jeff Garlin.

- magnets from places I've visited. I'm not sure how I got started on this one; I guess it seems like a souvenir that doesn't take up too much space/can be useful.