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Favorite podcast!
I love this podcast, full of rich and interesting historical information that you can’t find anywhere else. The letters shared are invariably funny, dramatic, and surprisingly relevant. Do yourself a favor and listen!
A joy to listen to!
A refreshing take on history. I smile and laugh the whole time I listen to this podcast!
- Katekmhkmh
- July 28, 2023
A lovely show!
I always enjoy listening to this show. It's informative, it's relaxing, and it's interesting!
- MryTim
- May 16, 2023
I love this podcast!
I like the way Kathryn sets up each letter. She provides great background information. I can’t wait for more episodes.
- Dvdbssn
- Jan. 17, 2022
- 18Leigh18
- Dec. 1, 2021
Informative and Entertaining
The idea of just looking at some fantastic letters from women in history for their own sake and getting to know the people and their thoughts is so wonderful. It balances the letters own content with contextual information is perfect, especially remembering the biases and larger issues impacting the writers. I laughed out loud quite a few times while listening.
- Linearnah
- July 20, 2021
Kathryn can’t keep them coming fast enough!
Kathryn shares American history with us in a way rarely done before- through the eyes of women. She’s passionate about her subject and it’s completely contagious! Often she has highly knowledgeable guests on the podcast; both she and they inevitability have a great sense of humor and I find myself laughing with them. Such a fun podcast! I only wish she were turning them out faster!
- Grenpen
- June 23, 2021
Love it!
Love hearing about what the women were thinking and doing during the founding of our Nation. Love having you and the women of the 1700’s as companions during my long work travels. More please!
- Lezboluver
- May 16, 2021
Rekindled my interest in early American history
I thought I had lost my interest in early American history. It turns out, I lost interest in the hero-worship, myth making history writing of Esteemed White Male Historians. (I'm looking at you Joe Ellis and Ron Chernow.) I have grown quite fond of this new podcast: https://humservt.com, which reads and discusses a letter written by a woman in each episode. It is so much more human than what is written by what Alexis Coe calls "the thigh men of American history" (for their obsession with the "virility" of the founding fathers).
- MsArianna
- March 28, 2021
What a Gem of a Podcast this is!
A true joy to have stumbled across this podcast!! I wish there were more like this!! A glorious podcast of fascinating useless knowledge that i will carry with me always. Please keep them coming. 5 Stars!
- B-bop1010
- March 16, 2021
Interesting glimpse into every day life.
I love to learn about the everyday lives of people
In history. This podcast gives interesting and fun insight into the lives of women in history through their letters.
- ChristyEMD
- Feb. 10, 2021
New Subscriber!
It’s a pleasure to listen to Katherine and her guest discuss history with such knowledge and enthusiasm. I’m listening to the Hannah (at Monticello) episode and it’s great! Keep up the good work!
- @ordinaryletters
- Nov. 2, 2020
Wonderful, fun and educational!
I came across this podcast recently while listening to Conversations at the Washington Library. I really enjoyed that episode and decided to listen to a few more and I’m so glad that I did! Katherine is doing a phenomenal job with this podcast and I’m excited for more to come!
- Rach1791
- Oct. 18, 2020
Wonderful!
I absolutely love this podcast!! Katherine does an amazing job highlighting women’s words (which are all too often pushed to the side) and exploring 18th and 19th century letters in a super engaging way! I’m really looking forward to hearing more!
- tepayer
- Aug. 12, 2020
Fantastic!
This is a fascinating look at history through women’s eyes in their correspondence. Greatly enjoying this podcast and looking forward to more letters!
- Ambassador4Life
- Aug. 9, 2020
Fascinating and important
Kathryn is great at communicating history to people who aren’t historians. She has a great reading voice and her love for her work shines in every episode. I listen to every episode as soon as it comes out; they’re bite-sized and educational. I really hope that Kathryn continues to look for and share letters from a diverse population, especially Black women.
- annadomings
- Aug. 6, 2020
Making history fun and informative
Kathryn and her guests are experts in American History and do a great job explaining how and why women’s letters are important to better understanding the past! Each episode is fun and informative, and Kathryn handles difficult topics with a deft hand.
- Random_Nickname_4_Me
- Aug. 6, 2020
A human face on historical events
I really like hearing about history from the perspective of individuals from the time. Kathryn does an excellent job of contextualizing events and people mentioned in the letters, bringing in other experts to discuss with, and addressing the institution of slavery.
- probabilisticWorld
- Aug. 5, 2020
Charming and fascinating!
This podcast really indulges in my desire to learn about how people of other places and times lived their everyday lives. It really reminds me that people really are the same, no matter how much times passes. Katherine is delightful and funny, and does an incredible job of explaining the finer details that would otherwise be lost without context. I am a huge fan!
- King-Fool
- Aug. 4, 2020
Your most legitimate & dope women's history stories
Katherine is clearly an experienced and knowledgeable yet very modern historian. Many history podcasts discussing colonial USA adhere to tradition and do not necessarily question patriarchical structure/relationships, nor consider thoughtfully the full lives and experiences of enslaved people. This podcast gently and professionally pushes back against both using studiously direct sources and extrapolations, but with a modern, well humored, and thoughtful tone. Can't wait to listen to more! One day the book derived from this podcast will be a cornerstone example to students of how to approach original letters from this time period with a modern eye.
- mick chairon
- July 11, 2020
Unique and timely women’s history podcast
Love this podcast. Enjoy hearing about the lives of women in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Kathryn, a women’s historian, and her guests find interesting letters and then fill in gaps so we understand and feel even more connected to these women.
- Tut's Mom
- July 8, 2020