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    Casting the Past: Indie Podcasters Bringing History to Life
    Casting the Past: Indie Podcasters Bringing History to Life
    Casting the Past: Indie Podcasters Bringing History to Life
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Casting the Past: Indie Podcasters Bringing History to Life

    By Heather Teysko

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    About this ebook

    Casting the Past is a collection of interviews with some of the brightest indie history podcasters with subjects ranging from Soviet Russia to the history of Scientific Discovery. In the growing field of history podcasting, these shows consistently bring great quality programming to listeners. They inform and entertain. And they do it as individuals, not with the backing and support of radio stations or universities. They're individuals who research, write, and produce their podcasts while on their lunch breaks from their jobs, or while their kids are sleeping. In short, this is a group of amazingly committed people who are passionate about history, and bringing it to life.

    In this collection of interviews, the creators of these shows talk about their time period and subject; how they became passionate about it, how they developed their interest, why they started podcasting, and why they keep going. They also talk about what makes their subject interesting, and why the rest of us should care about it.

    If you love history, or you love listening to great independent programming, this book will introduce you to shows and time periods about which you may not have ever known, and give you a brief introduction and insight into the people who work to keep these stories alive.

    Edited by Heather Teysko, the creator of the Renaissance English History Podcast, it is a great introduction into new time periods and subject matters, and would be of interest for anyone who has an interest in history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHeather Teysko
    Release dateMar 15, 2016
    ISBN9780986354564
    Casting the Past: Indie Podcasters Bringing History to Life

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      Book preview

      Casting the Past - Heather Teysko

      Introduction

      In the summer of 2009 I decided I wanted to learn about podcasting. It seemed like a good thing about which to know, and I thought it would be fun to do regular episodes on one of my biggest passions - Renaissance English History. While I had discovered a love for Renaissance England over a college winter break, devouring Alison Weir’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII in just a few days during a blizzard, I honed my equally-consuming passion for the music of the English Renaissance attending Choral Evensong services while living in the UK several years later. Half a decade or so later, I was married and living in Los Angeles, and wanted to find a way to stay connected to this passion.

      And so, I found myself at Best Buy purchasing a USB microphone on a Friday afternoon, determined to spend the weekend figuring out how to use Audacity and get a podcast on iTunes.

      Almost seven years later I spent half an hour interviewing Alison Weir for my podcast, and the Renaissance English History Podcast is one of the longest-running history podcast series, (though I have taken a lot of breaks to do things like have a baby).

      Statistics from the Pew Research Center show that, as of 2015, almost 17% of adults have listened to a podcast in the past month, almost doubling from the 2008 statistic of 9%. A third of adults had listened to at least one podcast, and almost half of adults are aware of what a podcast is.

      When nearly 20% of adults are doing something, you know it’s more than a trend. Podcasts have become a way for people to easily discover new interests and dive deeper into existing ones. The rise of smartphone use and ease of listening in cars through bluetooth connections has made listening to podcasts so easy my mom can do it (and she’s on a dial up connection at home, so that’s saying something).

      History podcasts are one of the largest segments of podcasts, and are continually growing. Almost as important as the podcasts themselves are the listening guides and discovery services through Reddit, Facebook groups, and websites with directories.

      Audio history programming isn’t new. The BBC has always had great history programs on radio. But the idea that I could spend a weekend figuring out how to record and edit a show with tools on my laptop, and then get it out to millions of people is a new phenomenon born of this amazing technology and social media.

      I am consistently blown away by the quality output of my fellow history podcasters, for whom telling stories about the past that connect people to those who came before them is a labor of love. Indie podcasters work when their kids are napping, recording quietly after everyone has gone to bed, updating feeds and websites as they are able. And yet they continue to turn out amazing programming that informs, enlightens, and entertains. These people are amazing!

      I conceived the idea to create a book of interviews of some of my favorite fellow indie history podcasters. Most of us try to rigorously stick to our topic, only throwing in personal details from time to time, and so we don’t often get to know much about the people behind the microphone. Why did they start their podcast? Why is history important to them? And why should we all know more about their subject?

      It was this desire to learn more about this community of which I am a part that made me want to create this book. Each podcaster submitted their own answers to the basic questions, and some recorded audio versions (you can hear those at http://www.castingthepast.com)

      Ideally, each podcaster would make this book available to their own audience, who in turn would be turned on to new interests they may never have discovered before. So please, if you’re curious about any of these podcasters and want to know more about their work, go to their websites and subscribe and listen to their podcasts! There are links to all of them at http://www.castingthepast.com as well.

      Thank you for supporting history podcasts!

      Chapter One

      1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries

      http://www.1001storiespodcast.com

      When did you fall in love with history?

      My dad was a great storyteller and he inspired me to pass along the tradition.

      What is your podcast about?

      We cover stories about people and events that are often overlooked. We try to choose stories that are interesting and fun to listen to

      What made you fall in love with your time period or subject?

      I am very proud of America and believe it is the most interesting culture on earth, driven by people who seek freedom and a better life. These people tend to be entrepreneurs and risk-takers and come from every country on earth.

      Why did you start your history podcast?

      I started podcasting after hearing Stuff You Missed in History Class, which inspired me to try it myself. I really do have 1001 stories to tell.

      What is one thing you wish more people knew about your time period?

      I would like people to focus more on the good that America has brought to the world by sharing their ingenuity and inventions and preserving and inspiring freedom. Ask this question of any country- what do you represent? Only America can say freedom. If you think about it the next time you watch the countries filing into the next Olympic event, more than half of those countries owe their freedom to Americans and American power.

      What is your favorite thing about podcasting and sharing your love of your subject with your listeners?

      My favorite thing about podcasting is carrying an idea from research to the finished product-then seeing the numbers of people around the world that listen. Most of all, however, it’s the emails I receive from fans.

      Why does history matter today? Why should people study it?

      Those who ignore the lessons of history bring lots of suffering to those who rely upon them.

      What has learning history opened up for you in life? How has learning history impacted your life?

      Learning history has helped me to better understand world politics and the mistakes currently being made by many world leaders who do not learn from history.

      Give me the quick rundown of your time period/subject.

      We cover mostly American history from 1775 thru 1975, but cover stories from the Knights Templar to Joseph

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