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What happens when one forgotten diary, a trunk full of artifacts, and decades of research bring an erased woman’s story back into view?

In this episode of Armchair Historians, I’m joined by writer, teacher, and my former multimedia writing mentor, Sonja Mongar, to talk about her powerful work on Cora Paul — a real woman whose life unfolded between Victorian expectations and modern independence in the early American West.

Sonja shares how Cora’s 1907 diary, family photographs, postcards, and inherited objects helped her reconstruct a life that had long been reduced to family judgment and silence. We talk about erased history, women of the West, family archives, intergenerational trauma, creative nonfiction, and why telling these stories matters.

We also discuss multimedia storytelling, the power of preserving history outside traditional gatekeeping institutions, and how personal artifacts can open a window into the past.

If you love hidden women’s history, family stories, historical research, and the messy, human truth behind the archive, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Cora Paul and the idea of the “New Woman of the West”
• Erased and marginalized histories
• Diaries, postcards, photographs, and family archives
• Women’s lives in Montana in the early 20th century
• Multimedia storytelling as a form of historical preservation
• The tension between academic history and lived history
• How personal history can become public history

Links & Resources:

• Sonja Mongar’s website: sonjamongar.com
  
  
• Sonja Mongar on Facebook: facebook.com/sonja.mongar.96
  
  
• Missoula Public Library Family History Writing Contest: missoulapubliclibrary.org/family-history-writing-contest
  
  Sonja mentions that her Cora Paul piece is slated to appear through this program; the library says qualifying submissions are published online and uploaded to the Montana History Portal.
• StoryCorps: storycorps.org
  
  

Books Mentioned / Related Reading:

• Bone Deep in Landscape: Writing, Reading, and Place by Mary Clearman Blew — University of Oklahoma Press
  
  

About Cora Paul:
Cora Josephine Paul was born in 1893 and her life story, as reconstructed by Sonja, traces a path from Chicago to Montana ranch country and later to an indepe

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Armchair Historians Show Notes

Marcus James — Queer History of London / Molly Houses

Episode Summary

In this episode of Armchair Historians, Anne Marie Cannon talks with Marcus James, founder of Queer London Tours, about the hidden and deeply human history of queer London. Their conversation focuses especially on the world of Molly Houses in Georgian London—clandestine spaces where queer men found community, joy, ritual, performance, and belonging in a time of danger and repression.

Marcus shares how he came to this work, from acting and LGBTQ+ media to building a walking tour that brings London’s queer past to life through both research and personal storytelling. Along the way, Anne Marie and Marcus discuss Princess Seraphina, Mother Clap’s Molly House, Tyburn, Oscar Wilde, and why emotional truth matters just as much as dates and facts when we talk about history.

This is a conversation about hidden histories, resistance, identity, and the enduring truth that even in the darkest times, people still found ways to love, laugh, gather, and be themselves.

About Marcus James

Marcus James is the founder and guide behind Queer London Tours, a London walking tour experience dedicated to exploring the city’s rich LGBTQ+ history.

Find Marcus James

Website: https://queerlondontours.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queerlondontours/

Book a tour (OutSavvy): https://www.outsavvy.com/event/30385/queer-history-of-london-walking-tour

Places and History Mentioned

Old Bailey Proceedings Online: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

Tyburn Tree: https://www.tyburnconvent.org.uk/tyburn-tree

History of Tyburn Tree / Marble Arch: https://marble-arch.london/culture-blog/history-of-tyburn-tree/

Vauxhall Gardens — brief history: https://www.vauxhallgardens.com/vauxhall_gardens_briefhistory_page.html

Queer Britain: https://queerbritain.org.uk/

Queer Britain visitor info: https://queerbritain.org.uk/visit

Books Discussed

Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700–1830 — Rictor Norton

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Claps-Molly-House-Subculture/dp/0854491880

Mother Clap’s Molly House — Mark Ravenhill

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Claps-Molly-House-Modern/dp/0413769305

The Betrayal of Thomas True — A.J. West

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Thomas-True-J-West/dp/1916788599

Queer Georgians — Anthony Delaney

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Georgians/dp/1529927684

Closing Line

If you are heading to London and want to experience the city through a richer, more human, and ofte

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Author Gigi Berardi joins Anne Marie Cannon to discuss Bianca’s Cure, a historical novel inspired by Bianca Capello, Renaissance Florence, women’s hidden knowledge, and the search for a cure for malaria. Together, they explore alchemy, medicine, power, and the ways women carved out influence in a world designed to constrain them.

Learn more about Gigi Berardi:
https://gigiberardi.com/

Bianca’s Cure:
https://gigiberardi.com/biancas-cure/
https://shewritespress.com/product/biancas-cure/
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Biancas-Cure/Gigi-Berardi/9798896360704

Other book mentioned:
FoodWISE
https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/foodwise/
https://wp.wwu.edu/gigiberardi/foodwise/

Support the show

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Support Armchair Historians:
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In this episode of Armchair Historians, Anne-Marie Cannon talks with award-winning historical fiction author Janis Robinson Daly about her inspiring #31titleswomeninhistory initiative, a Women’s History Month project that spotlights historical fiction by women authors centered on women whose stories deserve more room in the historical record.

Janis shares how the project began as an act of literary citizenship: authors supporting authors while also helping readers discover powerful, under-told stories of women from across time, place, and culture. The conversation also touches on Janis’s own novels, The Unlocked Path and The Path Beneath Her Feet, both inspired by pioneering women in medicine and her genealogical discoveries.

If you love women’s history, historical fiction, and discovering new books for your TBR, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How #31titleswomeninhistory began
• Why historical fiction can bring overlooked women’s stories to life
• Janis’s selection criteria for the annual list
• Literary citizenship and supporting fellow authors
• Women in medicine, women in literature, and women whose contributions have been pushed to the margins
• How readers can follow along during Women’s History Month

About Janis Robinson Daly:
Janis Robinson Daly is a historical fiction author whose novels center on pioneering women in medicine and other overlooked stories from history. Her work is rooted in genealogy, research, and a passion for bringing hidden women’s stories into the light.

Links and Resources:
Janis Robinson Daly official website:
https://janisrdaly.com

Janis’s Women in History page:
https://janisrdaly.com/women-in-history/

Janis’s books:
https://janisrdaly.com/books/

Janis on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/janisrdaly_writer/

Janis on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JanisRobinsonDalyAuthor/

Janis events page:
https://janisrdaly.com/events/

Follow the project on social media:
Search the hashtag
#31titleswomeninhistory

Books mentioned or referenced:
The Unlocked Path by Janis Robinson Daly
The Path Beneath Her Feet by Janis Robinson Daly
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Madam President by Nicolle Evelina
The Personal Librarian by Marie Be

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Author Laurie Marr Wasmund returns to Armchair Historians to talk about her new historical novel Catching It Lovely, inspired by her great-great-grandmother Jane Morton Scott—a Scottish immigrant whose journey carried her from the textile towns of Scotland to Chicago, and finally to a homestead in Colorado Territory.
We explore how Laurie blends archival research with historical fiction, why the era surrounding World War I still shapes her worldview, and what she discovered about her family that changed everything.

In This Episode, We Discuss

• Laurie’s “favorite history”: 1900–1925, and why WWI-era America still echoes today
• Writing historical fiction from family records—without turning it into a lecture
• Immigration realities: Scotland → New York (Castle Garden era) → Chicago → Colorado
• The Great Chicago Fire as a turning point (and what didn’t burn)
• Homesteading in 1875 and how many settlers arrived by rail, not wagon train
• Research rabbit holes: newspapers, photographs, public archives, and local history collections
• The surprising mix of “Wild West” and sophistication in early Colorado (theaters, restaurants, society life)
• The “keeper of family history” role—and why some of us become the storytellers

About the Guest

Laurie Marr Wasmund is a Colorado author, presenter, and publisher (Lost Ranch Books). Her work often explores Colorado history, civic courage, and the lives of communities under pressure—now including her own ancestors’ story in Catching It Lovely.

Book Mentioned

Catching It Lovely by Laurie Marr Wasmund

Links & Resources

Laurie Marr Wasmund / Lost Ranch Books (author site)

Official author site and book pages.

Lost Ranch Books (imprint site)

Browse Laurie’s backlist and imprint info.

Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC)

Free, searchable primary sources for Colorado history.

Isabella Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (Project Gutenberg)

A vivid period account that helps capture the texture of early Colorado travel and frontier life.

Laurie’s earlier Armchair Historians episode (2020)

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In this episode of Armchair Historians, Anne-Marie Cannon sits down with Dr. Khama Ennis, emergency physician and creator of Faces of Medicine, a documentary and podcast that shares the powerful, candid stories of Black women physicians in the United States.

The conversation begins with Dr. Ennis’s favorite history: Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S., graduating in 1864 at the end of the Civil War. From there, we explore how that legacy echoes into the present—especially when only 2.8% of U.S. physicians are Black women.

Together, Anne-Marie and Dr. Ennis discuss:

• Why representation in medicine is directly connected to health equity
• The hidden labor of navigating bias in professional spaces
• “Baked-in” systemic gaps in healthcare algorithms
• The importance of storytelling in improving outcomes
• What it means to “always reach back and pull forward”

This episode is not about blame—it’s about humanity, curiosity, and expanding the stories we carry.

Learn More & Watch

🎥 Faces of Medicine (Official Website):
https://www.facesofmedicine.org/

🎙️ Faces of Medicine Podcast:
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms (search “Faces of Medicine”).

🎬 Host a Screening (via Kinema):
Information about hosting a community, school, or organizational screening can be found here:
https://kinema.com/films/faces-of-medicine

💛 Support the Project (Fiscal Sponsor – Fractured Atlas):
Donation information is available through the official website above.

If this episode resonated, consider watching the documentary, sharing the podcast, or bringing a screening to your community.

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Black History Month Rewind: Buffalo Soldiers (Fighting on Two Fronts) — with Nick Brooks

EPISODE SUMMARY
In honor of Black History Month, we’re rewinding some of Armchair Historians’ strongest episodes that spotlight Black history, Black voices, and stories that deserve more room in the public memory.

Today’s rewind revisits my conversation with Air Force veteran and Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle member Nick Brooks—an episode I think about often. Nick helps us move beyond the simplified version of the story and into the lived reality: Black soldiers who served with extraordinary skill and grit, even while fighting for a country that denied them full citizenship and dignity.

We also talk about the documentary Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts, the complicated legacy of westward expansion, and why telling the full story still matters.

CONTENT NOTE
This episode includes discussion of U.S. westward expansion and the displacement/violence experienced by Native communities, alongside racism faced by Black soldiers within U.S. institutions.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Who the Buffalo Soldiers were (9th & 10th Cavalry; 24th & 25th Infantry) and why the regiments were formed after the Civil War
• The “two fronts” they fought on: military conflict and the fight for recognition/civil rights
• The complicated legacy of serving the U.S. government during westward expansion
• Buffalo Soldiers as early protectors of what would become U.S. National Parks
• How living history work helps preserve legacy—and why it matters for community and veterans

GUEST
Nick Brooks — Air Force veteran and member of Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle (living historians preserving and teaching Buffalo Soldiers history).

LINKS & RESOURCES (as mentioned / helpful follow-up)

Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle:
• https://www.buffalosoldiersofseattle.org/

Documentary: Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts (Dru Holley)
• Official film site: https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/
• See the film / screenings page: https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/seethefilm
• Host a screening (includes contact email + toolkit info): https://buffalosoldiersmovie.com/hostascreening
• Stream via PBS (Local, USA): https://www.pbs.org/video/buffalo-soldiers-fighting-on-two-fronts-e3yici/

Film & community partners mentioned:
• Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF): https://www.siff.net/
• Path with Art:

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In this episode
Anne-Marie Cannon is joined by author Barbara Stark-Nemon, whose novels span centuries and borders. They dive into Barbara’s newest historical novel, Isabela’s Way, set in Inquisition-era Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany, and explore how history lives on through family memory, travel, and storytelling.

Topics we cover

• Isabela’s Way and the history behind it
• The Inquisition and why it’s still misunderstood
• Embroidery as coded communication and safe passage
• Refugee histories and inherited resilience
• “Unexpected allies” and resisting black-and-white narratives
• Emotional truth vs. historical accuracy
• How genealogy and DNA uncover hidden pasts
• Writing as an encore career and the path to publication

About Barbara Stark-Nemon
Barbara Stark-Nemon is the author of Isabela’s Way, Even in Darkness, and Hard Cider. A self-taught historian and traveler, her work explores resilience, identity, and survival across turbulent historical moments.

Connect with Barbara

• Website: https://www.barbarastarknemon.com
  
  
• Substack: https://barbarastarknemon.substack.com
  
  
• Barbara is also available for book clubs (via Zoom or in person when local).

More from Armchair Historians

• Show notes include links to everything discussed, ways to support the show, and a free short story downloadintroducing Bedlam, from Anne-Marie Cannon’s forthcoming historical fiction series.
• Website: https://www.amcannon.com
  
  

Support the show
Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. Ratings, reviews, and shares help more listeners discover Armchair Historians.

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Follow us on Social Media:
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