The People's Recorder

11/26/2025

Thanksgiving means kicking back and eating! Here's a taste of Florida with Zora Neale Hurston.

Learn more about Hurston’s work with the Writer’s Project to document African American culture and folklore in Florida in The People’s Recorder, wherever you listen to your podcasts or on YouTube at:

Episode 4: Who’s Recording Who? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2zCy6bHt0A

Episode 5: Deep in Turpentine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufoX9r0hkzw

These episodes were produced with support from Florida Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities and The Stetson Kennedy Foundation.

11/24/2025

“Yeah, we’ll leave after Thanksgiving…”

November is Native American Heritage Month! A perfect time to share this clip with Oneida comedian Charlie Hill from the Richard Pryor Show.

Charlie Hill challenged stereotypes with his groundbreaking comedy. But the origins of Hill’s story go back even further – to the Great Depression and the WPA Project to preserve the history and language of the Oneida people.

You can hear that full story in The People’s Recorder Episode 6: Native Historians Do Stand-Up wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXLQa7fb2yA

This was such a fun episode to work on, so check it out! If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe for new content!

This episode was produced with support from Wisconsin Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Kalihwisaks Oneida Nation

11/20/2025

NEW PODCAST EPISODE!! 🚨

Never before released, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley and director Andrea Kalin discuss the social and political landscape of 1930s America, the Great Depression, and how the New Deal employed writers to document that unique moment in U.S. history.

Now available wherever you get your podcasts! Please be sure to like, subscribe, or leave a review to help The People's Recorder keep growing:

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnsk-REgwQY

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-douglas-brinkley/id1693003215?i=1000737644674

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EAxJRuEes2p2WM4b04Fx3?si=2c893dbdb2b24e2f

Acast
https://shows.acast.com/peoples-recorder/episodes/interview-with-douglas-brinkley

For the full interview, join our Patreon community:
https://www.patreon.com/c/PeoplesRecorder

11/17/2025

Did you know that Chris Haley is not just the amazing host of The People’s Recorder podcast? He’s also an acclaimed poet and author!

He recently published “Why?” a poignant collection of poems that explore themes of loss, love and the enduring questions of life.

You can find Why? and Chris’ other books on Amazon.

Learn more about his work at https://www.chrishaleyspeaks.com/author.html

11/15/2025

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of David Weinstein. David was a remarkable colleague, someone who believed in us, challenged us, and expanded our sense of what was possible. His curiosity, his rigor, and his steady guidance shaped so much of what now carries forward.

We’ll keep telling the stories David cared about, and do our best to honor the standard of excellence he set for all his National Endowment for the Humanities grantees.

May his memory be a blessing and may it continue to be our inspiration.

Our deepest condolences to Rachel, Ellie, and Sara.

11/14/2025

Happy to share the news that a terrific new book edited by Curt Meine has recently been released by Ice Cube Press LLC Midwestern Independent Book Publisher. https://icecubepress.com/2025/02/12/we-can-do-better/

The book is called “We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation and Public Policy” about Paul W. Johnson. The Capital Times called the book an important work that is both “inspiring and unsettling.” https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-an-important-ecological-voice-youve-probably-never-heard-of/article_428f151c-cb0f-4524-b712-d00473dc7514.html

We had the pleasure of speaking with Curt Meine about conservationist Aldo Leopold for The People’s Recorder Ep. 7 “A Voice for the Land.” Check out that episode wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/5p-0jiq6sU4?si=VAxFldmnA3jOhBzE

That episode was produced with support from Wisconsin Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.

11/13/2025

November is Native American Heritage Month!

We wanted to share this clip with Oneida historian Loretta Metoxen. During the Great Depression, a dozen men and women from the Oneida Nation worked with the WPA to preserve the Oneida language and record stories that were in danger of being lost forever.

You can hear the full story in The People’s Recorder Episode 6: Native Historians Do Stand-Up wherever you listen to podcasts or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXLQa7fb2yA

If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe for new content!

This episode was produced with support from Wisconsin Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Oneida Nation Kalihwisaks

11/05/2025

Later this month, we’re excited to share an interview with presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.

Never before released, Brinkley and director Andrea Kalin discuss the social and political landscape of 1930s America, the Great Depression, and how the New Deal employed writers to document that unique moment in U.S. history.

The episode drops on November 20th, but you can hear an exclusive extended version of this interview right now. Just join our Patreon at www.Patreon.com/peoplesrecorder and get access to the Brinkley interview and more great content coming soon, including additional extended interviews, bonus episodes and Ask Me Anything events.

Thank you for your support! With your help, we can keep these stories coming and out in the world where they belong.

10/30/2025

Just announced! Inspired by the work of the Federal Writers’ Project, the The Writer's Center is organizing a free event called: “Researching for Creativity: Practical tips of DC Area writers, from the 1930s and Now.”

David A. Taylor, lead writer and one of the producers on The People’s Recorder joins writers Kim Roberts and David Nicholson in a discussion about how real-world research can foster your creative work.

Many young writers – such as Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Nelson Algren, Ralph Ellison, John Cheever, and many others – worked on the Writers’ Project and learned skills that helped shape their distinctive literary voices. This engaging conversation will focus on how research and interviews can feed your own creative work.

The event is free, but you should register. Learn more here:

The Writer’s Center welcomes Kim Roberts, David Nicholson, and David Taylor for a conversation and practical creative exercises on how to research in your writing. This event will also include examples of local resources. About the Event How can real-world research foster your creative work and th...

10/29/2025

The University of Richmond’s Bonnor Center for Civic Engagement recently honored Dr. Julian Hayter with the Community-Engaged Teaching Award at their annual Engage for Change Awards.

https://engage.richmond.edu/events/awards/awards2025.html

The award recognizes faculty members who “consistently demonstrated excellence in community-engaged teaching…in collaboration with community partners in order to further the learning of all involved and build the capacity of students and community members to effect positive change.”

Congrats, Dr. Hayter, on this well-deserved recognition!

It was an honor to interview Dr. Hayter for our episodes about the Writers’ Project in Virginia, which were produced with support from Virginia Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.

You can listen to those episodes wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube here:

Episode 2: A New Kind of History
https://youtu.be/IsAt73ozuak?si=i4eZrTReVSDUPv2c

Episode 3: A Lost Cause?
https://youtu.be/mxAK-FaqijU?si=6z3Pmj5Lr_y5keIl

Every year, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement celebrates and acknowledges students, faculty, staff, and community leaders working together to make an impact in our communities.Our eighth annual Engage for Change Awards on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 featured a keynote address by Taylor Scott...