Best Deerfield Public Library Podcasts (2024)

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: p. hodges adams 2:32

18h ago2:32

2:32

Day 10: p. hodges adams reads their poem “pêche d'enfer,” originally published in the New Orleans Review, 2022. p. hodges adams is a michigander poet who received their MFA in creative writing from the university of virginia, where they currently teach as a lecturer. their work can be found in cutbank, fourteen poems, december magazine, and elsewhe…

1
Modern Black Ops Warfare Began with a British WW2 Operation to Steal Boats Off Africa’s Coast 52:46

8m ago52:46

52:46

When France fell to the Nazis in 1940, Churchill declared that Britain would resist the advance of the German army--alone if necessary. Churchill commanded the Special Operations Executive to secretly develop of a very special kind of military unit that would operate on their own initiative deep behind enemy lines. The units would be licensed to ki…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Jimin Seo 3:53

2d ago3:53

3:53

Day 9: Jimin Seo reads his poem “Richard Wakes Up in The Middle of The Night” forthcoming from his book OSSIA (Changes, 2024). Jimin Seo was born in Seoul, and immigrated to the US to join his family at the age of eight. He is the author of OSSIA, a winner of The Changes Book Prize. His poems can be found in Action Fokus, The Canary, annulet, Pleia…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Amelia Ada 4:47

4h ago4:47

4:47

Day 8: Amelia Ada reads an excerpt from her collection Hard and Glad, forthcoming from DOPAMINE/Semiotext(e) May 2026. Amelia Ada is a trans poet and essayist, and she is currently a doctoral candidate in literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California. Her writing has appeared widely in journals, and she is the co-creator …

1
The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World Were Colossal, Prone to Destruction, and Not All May Have Existed 46:45

22h ago46:45

46:45

For millennia, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have been known for their aesthetic sublimity, ingenious engineering, and sheer, audacious magnitude: The Great Pyramids of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse at Alexandria. E…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Mark Wunderlich 3:18

4h ago3:18

3:18

Day 7: Mark Wunderlich reads his poem “No Horse.” We are honored to be the first publisher of this poem. Mark Wunderlich is the author of four collections of poems, the most recent of which is God of Nothingness published by Graywolf Press. His other collections include The Earth Avails, winner of the Rilke Prize, Voluntary Servitude, and The Ancho…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Angel Nafis 3:15

2h ago3:15

3:15

Day 6: Angel Nafis reads her poem “Why R&B First Thing in the Morning, Why R&B Above All,” originally published on The Rumpus in 2015. Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Angel Nafis is a writer and the author of BlackGirl Mansion (Red Beard Press/ New School Poetics, 2012). She earned her BA at Hunter College and her MFA i…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Gabrielle Bates 3:45

9h ago3:45

3:45

Day 5: Gabrielle Bates reads her poem “Intro to Theater,” which appears in her collection Judas Goat (Tin House, 2023) [and an an earlier version of it appeared in Ploughshares]. Gabrielle Bates is the author of Judas Goat (Tin House, 2023), named Electric Lit's top poetry book of the year and an NPR Best Book of 2023. Originally from Birmingham, A…

1
Being the Ultimate Constitutional Originalist in 2024 Means Donning a Tricorn Hat and Applying to Practice Piracy 46:24

1d ago46:24

46:24

Many decisions impacting the lives of Americans today adhere to a set of rules established over 200 years ago. The Constitution is in the news more than ever as politicians and Supreme Court justices battle over how literally it should be taken. Did the framers intend for Americans to follow their instructions as written for eternity? Or did they w…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Richard Siken 4:53

1d ago4:53

4:53

Day 4: Richard Siken reads his new poem Cover Story, originally published in Pithead Chapel, which will appear in his forthcoming book I Do Know Some Things (Copper Canyon Press, 2025). Richard Siken is a poet, painter, and filmmaker. His book Crush won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, selected by Louise Glück, a Lambda Literary Award, …

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Leslie Sainz 4:15

4d ago4:15

4:15

Day 3: Leslie Sainz reads her poem “At the Center of the Story & Utterly Left Out”, originally published in The Common (2023). Leslie Sainz is the author of Have You Been Long Enough at Table (Tin House, 2023), a finalist for the 2024 Audre Lorde Award. The daughter of Cuban exiles, her work has appeared in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day…

1
The Last Time Humanity Believed in Unstoppable Progress: Paris in the Belle Époque (1871-1914) 46:46

3d ago46:46

46:46

Many of the specific features we associate with Paris today – impressive sites like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré Coeur, French cinemas, and even the distinguished Art Nouveau Metro entrances – were born out the period of the Belle Époque. This era, which lasted from the later 19th century up to the beginning of World War I, is oft characterized as on…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: Eduardo C. Corral 3:14

3d ago3:14

3:14

Day 2: Eduardo C. Corral read the title poem of his 2020 collection Guillotine (Graywolf Press). Eduardo C. Corral is the son of Mexican immigrants. He’s the author of Guillotine, published by Graywolf Press, and Slow Lightning, which won the 2011 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition. He’s the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Lannan Foun…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4: jason b. crawford 4:12

4d ago4:12

4:12

Day 1: jason b. crawford reads their poem “Untitled 1975-86.” We are honored to be the first publication of this poem. jason b. crawford is a writer born in Washington DC, raised in Lansing, MI. Their debut Full-Length Year of the Unicorn Kidz is out from Sundress Publications. They are a 2023 Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voices fellow. Their sec…

1
The Silk Road Travel Adventures of a 16th Century Mughal Princess and Her Massive Royal Retinue 41:35

8d ago41:35

41:35

To most Westerners, the Mughal Empire is a forgotten stepchild of world history. Even though it produced the Taj Mahal and controlled nearly all modern-day India, the Mughal Dynasty’s accomplishments are crowded out by those of the Romans, Chinese, and British. Nevertheless, it was a great Asian power from the 16th-19th centuries, comparable to the…

1
Queer Poem-a-Day, Year 4 Trailer 2:42

17d ago2:42

2:42

Queer Poem-a-Day is a unique podcast series for Pride Month, presenting a public archive of poems written and read by contemporary LGBTQIA+ poets. For this fourth year, we are sharing a poem each weekday in June on our podcast and on our website. Enjoy this audio trailer featuring a collage of some of our voices for 2024. Get episodes of poets read…

1
The Months Leading up to the Civil War That Inflamed North-South Tensions from Animosity to Murderous Hatred 36:37

10d ago36:37

36:37

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern radicals were moving ever closer to dividing the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focu…

1
LSD’s Origins in Nazi Germany Brain-Washing Experiments, the CIA’s MKUltra Program, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age 43:39

15d ago43:39

43:39

LSD has been banned in the United States for decades and became a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance in 1970, but it has experienced a resurgence among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to overcome mental roadblocks and psychiatrists running tests to use it as a treatment for addiction, PTSD, and other mental illnesses. But what few know is that LSD has it…

1
How Duke Ellington and Other Jazzmen Became America’s First Globally Famous Musicians 42:37

24d ago42:37

42:37

The first globally famous American musicians weren’t part of the 50s rock wave that included Elvis Pressly or Chuck Berry. They were three 3 jazzmen who orchestrated the chords that throb at the soul of twentieth-century America: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie. While their music is well-known, their background stories aren’t. Duke…

1
Why America Could Have a Presidential Succession Crisis 20:33

21d ago20:33

20:33

America has an unmatched record when it comes to the peaceful transfer of power. According to legal scholar Roy E. Brownell II, however, our country is not that far off from a presidential succession crisis. In this preview of an episode of "This American President," hosted by Richard Lim, Brownell covers the history of presidential succession and …

1
Dunkirk from the German Perspective 39:03

22d ago39:03

39:03

The British evacuation from the beaches of the small French port town of Dunkirk is one of the iconic moments of military history. The battle has captured the popular imagination through LIFE magazine photo spreads, the fiction of Ian McEwan and, of course, Christopher Nolan's hugely successful Hollywood blockbuster. But what is the German view of …

1
The Global Manhunt For The Confederate Ship That Sunk Union Supply Vessels, From the Caribbean to the South Pacific 39:10

30d ago39:10

39:10

Naval warfare is an overlooked factor of the Civil War, but it was a vitally important part of overall strategy for North and South, especially from the perspective of the Union, which used naval blockages from the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River to deny critical resources to the Confederacy, forcing them the ultimately surrender. But the nava…

1
Which Statues Should We Take Down? How To Fairly Judge Historical Figures by Today’s Standards 39:03

29d ago39:03

39:03

In the United States, questions of how we celebrate – or condemn – leaders in the past have never been more contentious. In 2017, a statue of Robert E. Lee was removed – leading to a race riot and terrorist attack. But in 2020, statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Columbus, and even Ulysses S. Grant were defaced or toppled. A…

1
The 160-Minute Race to Save the Titanic 49:04

1M ago49:04

49:04

One hundred and sixty minutes. That is all the time rescuers would have before the largest ship in the world slipped beneath the icy Atlantic. There was amazing heroism and astounding incompetence against the backdrop of the most advanced ship in history sinking by inches with luminaries from all over the world. It is a story of a network of wirele…

1
Vikings Went Everywhere in the Middle Ages, From Baghdad to Constantinople to….. Oklahoma? 42:48

1M ago42:48

42:48

Scandinavia has always been a world apart. For millennia Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Swedes lived a remote and rugged existence among the fjords and peaks of the land of the midnight sun. But when they finally left their homeland in search of opportunity, these wanderers—including the most famous, the Vikings—would reshape Europe and beyond. Thei…

1
The 15-Hour Work Week Was Standard For Nearly All of History. What Happened? 34:54

1M ago34:54

34:54

There’s nothing in human DNA that makes the 40-hour workweek a biological necessity. In fact, for much of human history, 15 hours of work a week was the standard, followed by leisure time with family and fellow tribe members, telling stories, painting, dancing, and everything else. Work was a means to an end, and nothing else. So what happened? Why…

1
Pancho Villa’s 1916 Raid on New Mexico: The Pearl Harbor Bombing of Its Time 51:04

1M ago51:04

51:04

Before 9/11, before Pearl Harbor, another unsuspected foreign attack on the United States shocked the nation and forever altered the course of history. In 1916, Pancho Villa, a guerrilla fighter who commanded an ever-changing force of conscripts in northern Mexico, attached a border town in New Mexico. It was a raid that angered Americans, and Pres…

1
A Radical Abolitionist Youth Movement Consumed America in 1860, Elected Lincoln, Then Disappeared Completely 43:49

2M ago43:49

43:49

At the start of the 1860 presidential campaign, a handful of fired-up young Northerners appeared as bodyguards to defend anti-slavery stump speakers from frequent attacks. The group called themselves the Wide Awakes. Soon, hundreds of thousands of young white and black men, and a number of women, were organizing boisterous, uniformed, torch-bearing…

1
Socrates May Have Been Executed For Revealing Secrets of Athens’ Religious Rituals 43:13

2M ago43:13

43:13

The influence of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates has been profound. Even today, over two thousand years after his death, he remains one of the most renowned humans to have ever lived—and his death remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries. There is another side to this story: impiety, lack of reverence for the gods, was a religious crim…

1
The Age of Discovery Through American-Indian Eyes 44:17

2M ago44:17

44:17

A millennium ago, North American cities rivaled urban centers around the world in size. So, when Europeans arrived in the sixteenth century, they encountered societies they did not understand, having developed differently from their own, and whose power they often underestimated. And no civilization came to a halt when a few wandering explorers arr…

1
A Short History of the Sioux Wars (1862-1890) 25:22

2M ago25:22

25:22

War, Conflict, Victory & Defeat. These are all aspects of life that some may have to face. This was true for the various groups of the Sioux Tribes. On today's bonus episode from "Key Battles of American History" join host James Early as he discusses the multiple wars that took place between 1862-1890, collectively known as "The Sioux Wars"…

1
The Deerfield Massacre: The Infamous 1704 Indian Raid That Left Hundreds Dead and More Captured 38:44

2M ago38:44

38:44

In an obscure village in western Massachusetts, there lies what once was the most revered but now totally forgotten relic from the history of early New England—the massive, tomahawk-scarred door that came to symbolize the notorious Deerfield Massacre. This impregnable barricade—known to early Americans as “The Old Indian Door”—constructed from doub…

1
The Dangerous and Thrilling Life of a 19th-Century Whaler 46:49

2M ago46:49

46:49

In mid-nineteenth century New England, Robert Armstrong was a young man with the world at his feet. His family was wealthy and gave him the opportunity to attend the nation’s first dental school. But Armstrong threw his future away, drinking himself into oblivion. Devoured by guilt and shame, in December 1849 he sold his dental instruments, his wat…

1
Fiorello LaGuardia: Immigrant Son and Ellis Island Interpreter Who Became America’s Mayor 41:02

2M ago41:02

41:02

Fiorello LaGuardia was one of the twentieth century’s most colorful politicians―a 5’2’’ ball of energy who led New York as major during the Depression and World War Two, charming the media during press conference and fighting the dirty machine politics of the city. He was also quintessentially American: the son of Italian immigrants, who rose in so…

1
How the West Tried and Failed to Stop the Russian Revolution 41:33

2M ago41:33

41:33

The Allied Intervention into the Russian Civil War remains one of the most ambitious yet least talked about military ventures of the 20th century. Coinciding with the end of the first World War, some 180,000 troops from several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Romania, among others…

1
Kings Were Inevitable and Untouchable Until They Suddenly Weren’t After a Few 1700s Revolutions 42:51

2M ago42:51

42:51

At the turn of the nineteenth century, two waves of revolutions swept the Atlantic world, disrupting the social order and ushering in a new democratic-republican experiment whose effects rippled across continents and centuries. The first wave of revolutions in the late 1700s (which included the much-celebrated American and French Revolutions and th…

1
The Fall Of Japanese-held Hong Kong in January 1945 38:56

3M ago38:56

38:56

Commander John Lamade started the war in 1941 a nervous pilot of an antiquated biplane. Just over three years later he was in the cockpit of a cutting-edge Hellcat about to lead a strike force of 80 aircraft through the turbulent skies above the South China Sea. His target: Hong Kong. As a storm of antiaircraft fire darkened the sky, watching from …

1
63: Bryan Simpson, Taylor Simpson & Marina Shifrin, Filmmakers 38:07

3M ago38:07

38:07

Marina Shifrin, writer of Pickled Herring, and Bryan Simpson and Taylor Simpson, creators of Creating Things. This conversation was recorded as part of a special live podcast and film screening event we held last month at the Library. The filmmakers—who grew up here in Deerfield—all traveled home to share their films and an illuminating panel discu…

1
WW1 German Spies Infiltrated America and Attempted to Start a Race War 34:34

3M ago34:34

34:34

On January 30, 1918, a young man “with the appearance of a well-educated, debonair foreigner” arrived at the U.S. customs station in Nogales, Arizona, located on the border with Mexico. After politely informing the customs inspector that he had come to complete his draft registration questionnaire and meet a friend in San Francisco, he was approved…

1
The Air Battles of the 1945 Eastern Front Forged Air Force Doctrines of the Cold War 38:10

3M ago38:10

38:10

The last months of World War II on the Eastern Front saw a ferocious fight between two very different air forces. Soviet Air Force (VVS) Commander-in-Chief Alexander Novikov assembled 7,500 aircraft in three powerful air armies to support the final assault on Berlin. The Luftwaffe employed some of its most advanced weapons including the Me 262 jet …

1
The First Pre-Columbian Explorers to Reach North America 10:52

3M ago10:52

10:52

Have you ever wondered if there was a group to reach North America before Christopher Columbus? Find out more in today's bonus episode from another Parthenon podcast "History of North America." Join host Mark Vinet as he discusses the search for the first non-indigenous explorers to reach the North American continent prior to Christopher Columbus’ …

1
A Classicist Believes that Homer Directly Dictated the Iliad, and Was Also an Excellent Horseman 53:18

3M ago53:18

53:18

The Iliad is the world’s greatest epic poem—heroic battle and divine fate set against the Trojan War. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving, but great questions remain: Where, how, and when was it composed and why does it endure? To explore these questions is today’s guest, Robin Lane Fox, a scholar and teacher of Homer for over 40…

1
In 1860, Damascus Nearly Committed Genocide Against Christians. How Did it Pull Back? 53:13

3M ago53:13

53:13

On July 9, 1860, a violent mob swept through the Christian quarters of Damascus. For eight days, violence raged, leaving 5,000 Christians dead, thousands of shops looted, and churches, houses, and monasteries razed. The sudden and ferocious outbreak shocked the world, leaving Syrian Christians vulnerable and fearing renewed violence. Rogan is today…

1
Silk: The History of a Fabric That Was Civilization’s First Burial Cloth, Body Armor, and Much More 41:46

3M ago41:46

41:46

Silk—prized for its lightness, luminosity, and beauty—is also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. More than a century ago, it was used to make the first bulletproof vest, and yet science has barely even begun to tap its potential. As the technologies it has inspired—from sutures to pharmaceuticals, replacement body parts to hologr…

1
Frank Lloyd Wrong – When America’s Greatest Architect Created His Masterpiece While Written-Off as a Has-Been 46:54

3M ago46:54

46:54

Nobody blossomed late in life like Frank Lloyd Wright. He was written off as a has-been by middle age after a promising start. Between 1909 and 1929, Wright’s career was marked by personal turmoil and a roller coaster of career-related ups and downs. In these years, before he completed the buildings, we know him for today, Wright’s career was so fa…

1
Frederick Rutland, Britain’s Most Beloved WW1 Pilot, Became a Spy for Imperial Japan 36:44

3M ago36:44

36:44

Frederick Rutland was an accomplished aviator, British WWI war hero, and real-life James Bond. He was the first pilot to take off and land a plane on a ship, a decorated warrior for his feats of bravery and rescue, was trusted by the admirals of the Royal Navy, had a succession of aeronautical inventions, and designed the first modern aircraft carr…

1
The Rise and Fall of the Global Age of Piracy (17-19th Centuries) 44:03

3M ago44:03

44:03

Piracy didn’t spring into existence in the 18th century Caribbean. It has existed as long as there has been commercial shipping and people to steal the goods. There were medieval pirates. Vikings loved robbing ships in the Baltic and North Seas. The Romans dealt with pirates in the Mediterranean, and the Greeks and Carthaginians before them. Pirate…

1
A WW2 Polish Diplomat Forged Thousands of Paraguayan Passports to Save Jews from the Holocaust 48:05

4M ago48:05

48:05

Between 1940 and 1943, Polish diplomats based in Bern, Switzerland, engaged in a remarkable – and until now, almost completely untold – humanitarian operation. This operation was one of the largest actions to aid Jews of the entire war and far eclipsed the better-known efforts of Oskar Schindler. In concert with two Jewish activists, these diplomat…

1
Stories From Captives on The Last Slave Ship to America 29:41

4M ago29:41

29:41

The Clotilda was the last slave ship to land on American soil, docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama, in July 1860—more than half a century after the passage of a federal law banning the importation of slaves, and nine months before the beginning of the Civil War. Five of its passengers, ranging in age from two to nineteen when kidnapped, died between 1922…

1
Was Union Support in the Confederacy Actually Widespread? The Alabamans Who Fought for Sherman Say 'Yes' 49:24

4M ago49:24

49:24

As the popular narrative goes, the Civil War was won when courageous Yankees triumphed over the South. But an aspect of the war that has remained little-known for 160 years is the Alabamian Union soldiers who played a decisive role in the Civil War, only to be scrubbed from the history books. One such group was the First Alabama Calvary, formed in …

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