Major funding for backstories provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

From Virginia Humanities, this is Backstory.

Welcome to Backstory, the show that explains the history behind today's headlines. I'm Brian Bello.

If you're new to the podcast, each week, along with my colleagues, Joanne Freeman, Nathan Connelly and Ed Ayers, we explore a different aspect of American history.

This week, we want to do something a little different. Since Backstory started some 12 years ago, there have been quite a few incredible podcasts that have come out, all centered around history.

We wanted to bring some of these podcasts to you to introduce you to some of the great work that folks are doing in the world of history podcasting.

So today, we're very excited to showcase the podcast American Historia, written and produced by Chelsea Weber-Smith.

The episode we're going to play for you is called The Gay Agenda. And I'm pleased to have Chelsea here with me to help set up this episode. Hey Chelsea, welcome to Backstory.

Thank you so much for having me.

We're delighted to have you here. Now, you were a poet before you became the host of American Historia. How did you get into podcasting?

And did your work as a poet influence your approach as a podcaster?

Well, you know, I don't know if you know this, but I was actually a UVA MFA student.

I did not know that.

Yeah, so out of Charlottesville, same place that you guys are making your show. So, you know, some of the best years of my life being there.

So in terms of how poetry informs American hysteria, I think that so much of the show is very deep research as factual as I can possibly be, which isn't always perfect.

But I find that using poetic language by which I sort of mean creating like visceral images is really important to balance out.

I think the amount of information the way the same way that have to show is comedy, I would say. And so I think matching, matching information with feeling is so important.

And of course, poetry is a very personal endeavor. And so each episode I try to open with a personal anecdote and also close sort of with the same, the same story extended on.

And what that does, I think, is invite other people into learning about these often really awful subjects that we cover and really difficult history for a lot of Americans to face.

And that kind of language can really invite people in and make it in addition to, you know, a learning experience, an experience that might actually spark some kind of internal change.

Now, American hysteria has a unique historical angle on the show explores moral panics, urban legends and conspiracy theories to uncover deeper social issues in American history.

I got to ask you what drew you to this approach.

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