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.

Episode Summary:

One of our favorite episodes to work on was “Episode 6: Native Historians do Stand-up” about the WPA project to preserve the Oneida language and history. But that was not the first time we explored this story. We first traveled to Oneida, conducting interviews and digging into archives, when we produced our documentary Soul of a People. One of those interviews was with the remarkable Loretta Metoxen.

Until her death in 2021, Metoxen was the Tribal Historian for the Oneida Nation, a position she served in for over two decades. She was tasked with preserving, documenting and interpreting her people’s history, culture, and traditions. Having learned directly from the WPA’s Oscar Archiquette, Metoxen is clear in her reflections on the groundbreaking work of the Oneida writers during the Depression and its huge impact today.

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

Additional Links:

Learn more about Loretta Metoxen

Oneida Nation Cultural Heritage Website

Oneida Books Rediscovered

Credits:

Director: Andrea Kalin

Interviewer: Oliver Lukacs

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

Interview Re-record and Editor: Ethan Oser

Featuring Music from the Oneida Singers 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.

Episode Summary:

Studs Terkel was many things – a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, oral historian, radio legend, fiery populist, labor advocate and, above all, a master listener. For 45 years, his Chicago radio show invited everyday people to share their stories – the kind of history that often gets forgotten.

In 2006, we turned the tables and asked Studs to tell us his story. This never-before-released interview was one of his last before his death at age 96. Before we left, he signed our copy of his book about the Depression, Hard Times, with a simple message: “Keep up the good work.”

And that’s what we’re trying to do with The People’s Recorder – carry forward Studs’ legacy of person-first storytelling.

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

For just $5/month, you can have access to extended interviews, plus upcoming bonus episodes and AMA events. Support us on Patreon and keep these stories coming.

Additional Links:

Learn more about Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel Radio Archives

"Working" by Studs Terkel

Credits:

Host: Chris Haley

Director and Interviewer: Andrea Kalin

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

Editor: Ethan Oser

Featuring Music from 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.