This week, many Americans will be traveling to visit family and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving. To help make the miles a little easier, may I recommend a podcast or two?
Backstory, a podcast from the Virginia Humanities, stopped producing original episodes in the summer of 2020, but their archive of podcasts with historian hosts Ed Ayers, Brian Balogh, Nathan Connolly, Joanne Freeman, and Peter Onuf is a treasure trove of interesting perspectives on historical topics.
Only ten episodes long, Renegades: Born in the USA is a compelling series of conversations between President Barack Obama and rock musician Bruce Springsteen about their lives, music, and enduring love of America.
For those looking for a laugh in the midst of planetary crisis, Sustainababble is a UK-based, weekly podcast whose hosts offer a little humor alongside a serious exploration of how we can save the planet.
And, humbly, I can offer the National Humanities Center’s own Discovery & Inspiration podcast, which just completed its sixth season of conversations with scholars discussing the questions that intrigue and perplex them, the passion that drives them, and how their scholarship may change the ways we think about the world around us. Hosted by yours truly and some of my wonderful colleagues from the Center.