Episode 67: Stephanie Gorton Puts Authentic Interactions on the Page
Stephanie Gorton is a writer, editor, and journalist whose work has been published in a range of outlets including The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and Paris Review Daily. She has worked in editorial roles at several independent presses, and her first book came out in 2020, titled Citizen Reporters: S. S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine that Rewrote America. Her second book, which came out in November, is The Icon and the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry that Brought Birth Control to America. It’s a fascinating dual biography that brings to life two complicated leaders of the birth control movement in the early 1900s, and the lasting impact of their actions and interactions. We spoke early this year, and I loved getting to hear more about Stephanie’s research and writing process, especially how she thought about narrative structure and revising with feedback.
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Episode 66: Padraic Scanlan Makes the Medicine Go Down
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Padraic Scanlan. Padraic is an associate professor at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the history of labor in Britain and the British empire. He’s the author of three books, including Freedom’s Debtors: British Antislavery in Sierra Leone in the Age of Revolutions and Slave Empire: How Slavery Made Modern Britain. His newest book, out this year, is called Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish Famine, and it offers a reinterpretation of the Irish Great Famine of the mid-1800s that shows how massive income inequality, debt, housing prices, precarious employment and more contributed to the disaster. I spoke with Padraic about how he thinks about writing for a general audience, his work with a developmental editor and why he loves editors, and his writerly inspirations.
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Episode 65: Omar Valerio-Jiménez Puts in the Hours
Drafting the Past is a show about the craft of writing history, hosted by historian and writer Kate Carpenter. In this episode, Kate is joined by historian Dr. Omar Valerio-Jiménez. Omar is a professor of history at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he is also an associate dean for graduate studies. He originally worked as an engineer before going back to school to become a historian. His work focuses on histories of Mexican American civil rights, citizenship, education, and memory. His first book was called River of Hope: Forging Identity and Nation in the Rio Grande Borderlands, and his second book, which is the focus of this interview, is Remembering Conquest: Mexican Americans, Memory, and Citizenship. Remembering Conquest explores the collective memories of the U.S.-Mexico War and how those memories motivated civil rights campaigns among several generations of Mexican Americans. Omar is a pleasure to speak with, and his thoughtful approach to his work came through in our conversation. Keep an ear out especially for his work log system, which I might have to try out myself.
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Episode 64: Emily Herring Listens For the Rhythm
Welcome back to Drafting the Past, a podcast where we talk all about the craft of writing history. I’m Kate Carpenter and for this episode, I’m delighted to be joined on the podcast by Dr. Emily Herring. As you’ll hear, I’ve been following Emily’s career for a while now, and I was eager to ask about her first book and her shift from academia to full-time writing. Her book is called Herald of a Restless World: How Henri Bergson Brought Philosophy to the People. It’s an intellectual biography of philosopher Henri Bergson, who achieved remarkable fame in the early 1900s, and it’s a genuinely fascinating and pleasurable read. Let’s dig into it. Here’s my interview with Dr. Emily Herring. Buy Emily's book Find links and show notes at draftingthepast.com Support the show on Patreon Sign up for the free show newsletter
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Episode 63: Surekha Davies Has No Lack of Deadlines
Welcome back to Drafting the Past. I’m Kate Carpenter, and this is a podcast about the craft of writing history. In this episode, I’m joined by historian and writer Dr. Surekha Davies. Surekha is a former history professor who now writes full-time, and she can also be found speaking about history and consulting on monsters. In fact, monsters have played a major role in much of her research. Her first award-winning book was titled Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps, and Monsters. Her second book, which is aimed at a general audience, is out now; it’s called Humans: A Monstrous History. The book looks at, as she puts it, how people “have defined the human in relation to everything from apes to zombies, and how they invented race, gender, and nations along the way.” I spoke with Surekha about how she made the switch to full-time writing, her newsletter, Notes from an Everything Historian, and how she organized what could have been an unruly book. Enjoy my conversation with Dr. Surekha Davies.
Drafting the Past is a podcast devoted to the craft of writing history. Each episode features an interview with a historian about the joys and challenges of their work as a writer.
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