I have a soft spot for historians who follow their curiosity through a range of subjects that might, at first glance, seem unrelated. So I was especially delighted to get to interview this episode's guest, Dr. Amy Erdman Farrell. Amy is a professor and endowed chair of American Studies and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dickinson College. Her first book was Yours in Sisterhood: Ms. Magazine and the Promise of Popular Feminism. From there, she wrote a second book titled Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture, followed by an edited collection, The Contemporary Reader of Gender and Fat Studies. For her newest book, out earlier this year, she turned her focus to an American institution: the Girl Scouts. The book is called Intrepid Girls: The Complicated History of the Girl Scouts of the USA. I was eager to talk more with Amy about how she has come to each of her books, how her publishing career has unfolded, and especially her decision to sign with an agent to represent her most recent book.

A little extra note for this episode: Amy followed up after we spoke to tell me that she forgot to add an additional important note about her organization and research process. Here's what she had to say: "The key for me is: my paper notebook! For both Fat Shame and Intrepid Girls I have always carried a paper notebook (turned out to be two for Intrepid Girls) in which I would take notes along the way, jotting down the date, where I was doing research, and perhaps more detailed notes depending upon the archive and the context. It was really fundamental to my process. I carried it everywhere. I referred to it constantly in doing my writing, revising, thinking, confirming footnotes, following leads. It's so important I can't believe I didn't mention it." An excellent idea for research--a project notebook!

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For links to the books we talked about and a complete transcript, visit draftingthepast.com. Sign up for the Drafting the Past newsletter for updates on the show and more.

Welcome back to Drafting the Past, a podcast about the craft of writing history. For this one, I'm joined by historian of science Dr. Alex Wellerstein.

I've been a fan of Alex since at least his first book, Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States, which came out in 2021. But I was first introduced to Alex's work, like many people are, through his NUKEMAP project, which is a web-based nuclear weapons effects simulator. It's a great—and terrifying—teaching tool, and just one of many projects that Alex has worked on as not only a historian but also a computer programmer. Alex is an associate professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and he's currently also a visiting researcher at the Nuclear Knowledges program at the Center for International Studies in Paris. You can also find Alex's writing on his blog and his Substack newsletter, both of which I'll link in the show notes. He has also written extensively for popular publications. Today, we're talking about his brand-new book, The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic Age. This was a fascinating and wide-reaching conversation into how Alex researches and writes and how he sees his work. You'll hear about everything from why he does not recommend programming your own research database to why he has to talk himself out of italicizing every other word when he writes.

Note that bookshop.org links are affiliate links that generate a small commission to support the show if you purchase books using these links.

For links to the books we talked about and a complete transcript, visit draftingthepast.com. Sign up for the Drafting the Past newsletter for updates on the show and more.

Welcome back to Drafting the Past. For this episode, I'm thrilled to be joined in this episode by historian Dr. Edward Watts.

Ed is a professor of history at the University of California San Diego. He is the author of seven books, including Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny, and The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea. He has published extensively in academic journals and his work is regularly featured in the popular press. You can also check out his YouTube channel, Rome's Eternal Decline, where he shares bite-size facts about Roman history. Ed's newest book is The Romans: A 2,000-Year History, which came out earlier this year with Basic.

I was excited to talk with Ed about how he tackled such a vast subject. I was also eager to hear how he gets so much writing done. But above all, I really wanted to dig into his style and talk about what goes in to making such a huge history so enjoyable to read. Let me tell you, he did not disappoint. Even if you focus on history far removed from the Roman Empire, you're going to get a lot out of this one. Enjoy my conversation with Dr. Edward Watts.

P.S. This one was so much for that I even asked Ed a bonus question! You can hear that one (truffle hunter or parachutist, IYKYK) as an exclusive audio bonus for Patreon subscribers here. For as little as $2 month, you can help to keep the show going and get access to ad-free episodes, too.

Note that bookshop.org links are affiliate links that generate a small commission to support the show if you purchase books using these links.

For links to the books we talked about and a complete transcript, visit draftingthepast.com. Sign up for the Drafting the Past newsletter for updates on the show and more.