The What and the How: Why I Created a Research Methods Podcast

Let me tell you a secret. I'm Edmonton's Historian Laureate, but I'm not an expert about all things “local history.” What I am is curious and not afraid to ask questions. With my new podcast Let's Find Out, I'm trying to turn that into a public good.If you follow this blog, you already know that the Edmonton Heritage Council launched an excellent local history series this year – the ECAMP Podcast. The producers behind that podcast have been finding great stories about local history. Who knew our city's trash history was so fascinating? So when I started brainstorming about the podcast I wanted to make as Historian Laureate, I didn't want to retread that ground.Instead, I started thinking about what my niche is in the city.Essentially, I think it's my job to nurture Edmontonians' little flames of passion for local history. To encourage the nerds who love looking at old pictures of the city (I'm one of them) and help other people discover how cool it is to learn about our past. So I started thinking about what tools I have to do that.I know lots of people with stories to tell – like birders, history professors, activists, artists. I like taking adventures into spaces I'm nervous about entering, like big political conventions, research labs, and quiet reading rooms in archives. I make radio. And I basically listen to podcasts every minute that I'm travelling or doing chores.Then I thought about a really intriguing project I'd heard of in Chicago: Curious City. The public radio station there, WBEZ, started the project to demystify journalism a bit, and get more folks participating in it. Locals ask questions they've always wondered about the city, and journalists try to find out the answer with them. It reminded me of the new podcast Mystery Show, whose host helps people find answers to questions about Britney Spears' reading habits and bespoke belt buckles. Neither of these have an explicit history angle, but I loved the general idea.