Episode Summary:

When we sat down with Pen/Faulkner Award-winning author David Bradley (The Chaneysville Incident), we knew we were in for an unforgettable conversation. Sharp, funny, and deeply thoughtful, he brought both wit and a grounded perspective to his take on the legacy of the Federal Writers’ Project. But what resonated the most about our conversation was his lasting belief in the power of stories to reveal what the official record often leaves out.

Now, that never-before-released conversation is now available for you to enjoy.

00:00 Introduction by Andrea Kalin

02:23 Interview Start - The Great Depression

05:10 Federal Writers Project

08:00 Why Guidebooks?

10:50 A Community of Writers

13:00 Did the Guides Help Shape American Identity?

To hear the full interview, consider joining our Patreon Community at www.patreon.com/PeoplesRecorder

Additional Links:

Learn more about David Bradley

"The Chaneysville Incident" by David Bradley

Credits:

Director and Interviewer: Andrea Kalin

Producers: Andrea Kalin, David A. Taylor, James Mirabello

Editor: Ethan Oser

Featuring Music by Pond5

For additional content, visit www.peoplesrecorder.info or follow us on social media: @peoplesrecorder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Summary:

Today, we are sharing our never-before-released conversation with award-winning author Dagoberto Gilb. We interviewed Dagoberto for our documentary Soul of a People and were immediately impressed with his way of cutting through pretense with a single line. When we asked him if we could quote him in the outreach for the film, his reply was swift and dry: “Yes, to whatever I said, so long as I look brilliant.” That’s Dagoberto – he disarms with wit, then follows with something unvarnished and true.

In our conversation, Dagoberto reminds us that literature, just like life, is at its best when it insists on being true. He isn’t interesting in polishing myths, and he has no patience for stereotypes and cliches. Instead, he’s here to tell us what’s raw, lived and true.

To hear the full interview, consider joining our Patreon Community at just $5/month:

www.patreon.com/PeoplesRecorder

Additional Links:

Learn more about Dagoberto Gilb

"A Passing West" by Dagoberto Gilb

"New Testaments" by Dagoberto Gilb

Credits:

Host: Chris Haley

Director and Interviewer: Andrea Kalin

Producers: Andrea Kalin, David A. Taylor, James Mirabello

Editor: Ethan Oser

Featuring Music from Matt Cartonis and Pond5

For additional content, visit www.peoplesrecorder.info or follow us on social media: @peoplesrecorder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for a special virtual discussion about the Federal Writers’ Project in Nebraska. Listen to a dynamic panel moderated by The People’s Recorder host and award-

winning historian and author Chris Haley.

EVENT LINK

The People’s Recorder launched in 2024 and won a 2025 Silver Signal Award for Best History Podcast. Using the 1930s Federal Writers’ Project as a lens to view our past, the podcast asks the questions: how does history get recorded and who gets to decide which history gets told?

This special virtual event will build on the discussion started in the podcast, and will further explore the work and literary and cultural legacy of the Federal Writers’ Project in Nebraska.

Part of the WPA, the Federal Writers’ Project provided work for unemployed writers, editors, and other white-collar workers during the height of the Great Depression. The Writers’ Project had a mandate to produce state and city travel guides, and interview everyday citizens.

It was perhaps the largest and most chaotic publishing venture in American history, and yet it produced over 200 publications, and its flagship travel guide series remains important for its firsthand views of life in America. The Nebraska guide was a notable success and state bestseller.

This moderated discussion will focus on the work of the Nebraska Writers’ Project and how that speaks to Nebraskans today. That includes the experiences of Rudolph Umland, a hardscrabble farmer turned editor, Weldon Kees, a hardware businessman’s son turned poet, and Ruby Wilson, a nurse who found a passion for recording first person history. We’ll also shine a light on acclaimed author of the Plains Mari Sandoz and University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor and founder of Prairie Schooner, Lowry Wimberly, whose influence was critical to the Project’s success.

This special event is produced with support from Humanities Nebraska in partnership with Prairie Schooner and Lincoln City Libraries.

Learn more at https://www.peoplesrecorder.info/humanities-ne

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Event Link - February 3rd at 1:30 pm EST/12:30 pm CST

Event Landing Page

The People's Recorder Episode 10: A Creative Incubator

Humanities Nebraska

Prairie Schooner

Lincoln City Libraries

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.