If you grew up taping posters of your favorite celebrities on your wall or consider yourself a Swiftie, you can thank Vaudeville. Tune in this week as I explore the early quintessential American mass entertainment medium and its lasting impact on modern culture. Discover how vaudeville shaped celebrity culture, influenced entertainment accessibility, and laid the groundwork for future media. Support the show

Lillian Smith was a best-selling author whose courageous decision to stand for civil rights in the Jim Crow south led to her erasure from discussions about influential leaders of the movement. Join me as I sit down with historian Keri Leigh Merritt whose insightful biography seeks to pull Smith from the shadows and highlight the ways Smith challenged societal norms and contributed to the early fights against racism. To learn more about Dr. Merritt, visit her website: https://kerileighmerritt.co

Labor Day was first celebrated during the Gilded Age - amid a growing labor movement seeking recognition. Join me this week as I explore the origins, evolution, and current perceptions of Labor Day in the United States. Learn how Labor Day has transformed from a day of militant labor demonstrations to a more consumer-focused holiday, reflecting broader societal changes and the decline of organized labor's influence. Support the show

Join me as I sit down with author Stan Haynes to discuss his latest book And Slavery No More - a work of historical fiction that explores the mystery of General Lee's lost order and President Lincoln's evolution on slavery. Tune in to learn about how Haynes came to write historical fiction, the value to reading both fiction and nonfiction, and how he approaches blending creative elements grounded in historical events. To learn more about Stan and his books, visit his website: https://stanhaynes