by Nancy Maliwesky
I'm ten years old, in the back seat of our family car with my older sister, and we're returning home from a long day in the City. The scenery isn't terribly compelling, and it's getting dark. I'm bored. My dad has the radio set to WOR, an early news/talk radio format whose target market is definitely NOT children! Then Jean Sheppard comes on (of Christmas Story fame) and I am enthralled. In a soft, slow, compelling voice, he unfolds a gentle story, and I am suddenly in that story, not in my parents’ car, and I am hooked. That hour is pure magic.
Fast forward six years to another trip home from the City, in my parents' car. I'm still in the backseat, now with my older sister and younger brother. The scenery hasn't gotten any prettier. I'm bored. My dad is, as usual, in charge of the radio. Then Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" comes on, and my dad doesn't change the station. Consider my teenaged mind blown. I am again transported and enthralled. As my grandnieces and nephews say, "Good times."
I am now considerably older. I have a computer, wifi in my house, a Kindle, an iPad, I manage a website and a few Facebook pages, I even have a ReverbNation site. I have a dumb phone. My cellular phone contract does not include a data plan. I can text, but I don't. I have a Twitter account, which I don't use. I consider myself tech savvy, but not tech centric. I had heard of podcasts, but considered them just another way to suck up my time, while connected to an electronic appliance. Hey, I'm middle aged! Then my cousin sends me a link to his podcast “Taking the Leap!” My cousin, Sean Howard, is a photographer with a great big heart, and he has been writing a book and has started this podcast to help others follow their creative callings. He has a wonderfully compelling voice, and you can hear his enthusiasm and love as he interviews fellow artists about their experiences. He also has great taste in music and I look forward to hearing the musicians he features on each podcast. I have now officially put my big toe in the podcast pool.
As with so many obsessions, my podcast obsession started innocently enough. I had just finished listening to the latest episode of “Taking the Leap!” and I wanted more, so I started poking around iTunes for something else to listen to. My first search was NPR (National Public Radio). NPR had turned a long drive from Key West to Syracuse into a treasured get away for my husband and me about a year ago. After listening and subscribing to a few of their podcasts (I highly recommend “Invisibilia”), I got to wondering whether there were any genealogy podcasts available.
My first find was “Fieldstone Commons, Northeast History and Genealogy Radio” by Marian Pierre-Louis. Each episode is about an hour long and focuses on Marian interviewing an author or expert on New England and New York history and/or genealogy. I have already downloaded and read three of the books she features on her podcast, and they were fantastic!
I then started listening to “The Forget-Me-Not Hour” by Jane E. Wilcox, which focuses on New York State history and genealogy. Jane interviews some top-notch genealogists and authors and is also a genealogy lecturer. In fact, she will be featured at the 2015 New York State Family History Conference this September in Syracuse, NY.
One note of warning, podcasts can vary widely in length. For instance, my latest podcast obsessions, “Stuff You Missed in History Class” brought to you by Holly and Tracy of HowStuffWorks.com, is a comfortable 30 minutes or so, while Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History” is a three to four hour commitment. So, if you like to listen while doing household chores, you may want to do some cleaning calisthenics before embarking on a “Hardcore History” housecleaning session!
I certainly hope you give one or more of these podcasts a listen and that you branch out and find others that interest you. The options are endless… kind of like our winter we’ve been having!
©2015 Nancy Maliwesky
Nancy Maliwesky, Central New York Genealogical Society Board Member and Chair of the New York State Family History Conference worked as a professional genealogist with the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Society for ten years. Recently retired, she continues to pursue her passion for genealogical research and writing. She is also a singer/songwriter (the self proclaimed "Singing Genealogist") and an artist.
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