In this episode, we continue our story of California and the Civil War by introducing the major conflict in the southwestern theater: Union Forces and Indigenous Tribes. 

Today, we have Dr. Andrew Shanken. Dr. Shanken is an architectural and urban historian with an interest in how cultural constructions of memory shape the built environment (and vice versa). He also works on the unbuilt and paper architecture, themed landscapes, heritage and conservation planning; traditions of representation in twentieth-century architecture and planning; keywords in architecture and American culture; and consumer culture and architecture. He is interested in historiography,...

Today, we have Tom Moon on the show. Tom is the History and Culture Coordinator for In-N-Out and is known as In-N-Out Burger’s official historian. If you grew up in California like me, you likely have childhood memories of this California icon. This was such a fun conversation where we covered everything from the history, the birth of the secret menu, to employee development, the consistency of culture and branding and much more. Tom is such an amazing resource. Please enjoy our conversation.

We've taken a few weeks off and are returning with some updates and changes.

Today, we have author and historian Ann Vileisis on the show. Ann is the author of a number of books and the focus of our conversation today is on her latest book Abalone: The Remarkable History and Uncertain Future of California's Iconic Shellfish, which came out in May 2020. The book is a wonderful history of this amazing shelled creature and the human relationship to its flourishing and potential peril.

Today, we have Dr. Patrick Allitt on the show. Dr. Allitt is the Cahoon Family Professor of American History and the Undergraduate Honors Coordinator at Emory University. He has a PhD from UC Berkeley and is the author of seven books, most recently A Climate of Crisis: America in the Age of Environmentalism. He’s also the presenter of a number of lecture series through the Great Courses, one of which is titled The West, a focal point of this conversation. There’s a lot I’d admire in the work...

Today, we have two of the hosts of the amazing podcast Water Talk, one of my favorite podcasts on the internet that explores all things water, with emphasis on California Water issues, but also covering broader areas related to water.  The first is Dr. Mallika Nocco. Mallika is an Assistant Professor in Cooperative Extension specializing in soil-plant-water relations and irrigation management and director of the Conservation Irrigation Lab at the University of California, Davis. We also have...

We continue the story of California and the Civil War by discussing the fighting in the Southwest. 

Today we have Sherry Monohan on the show. Sherry is a culinary historian who has written a wide variety of books including work on historical recipes, the history of Madams and brothels in California, an elegiac book about Pike’s Peak, the history of wine in California, and more. This conversation was such a fun conversation and is chocked full of lots of fun food conversation leading up to Thanksgiving. Sherry's Website

In this episode, we continue our story of the Civil War and California. 

Today we have an interview with Eric Nusbaum. The former sports editor at Vice, Nusbaum is now the editor-in-chief of Seattle Met. He is the author of Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, which is the subject of our conversation. Please enjoy.

Today, we have Craig Walsh on the show. Walsh is the son of the legendary San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh and himself a former executive of the 49ers. He also co-authored the book The Score Takes Care of Itself, with his father and writer Steve Jamison,  which crystallizes Bill Walsh’s principles of leadership. This was a fascinating conversation. Please enjoy. 

In this episode, we begin our series on California and the Civil War. 

Today, we have an interview with Kolin Perry about the new exhibit at Nevada Museum of Art called End of the Range: Charlotte Skinner in the Eastern Sierra. Charlotte B. Skinner (1879-1963) was an artist and educator living in the Eastern Sierra of California from 1905 to 1933. Skinner counted herself among the artistic circles of renowned photographers and artists of the West. Her home became a retreat and a site of inspiration for these artists and others who were passing through Owens...

Today, we have Paul Carter on the show. Carter is an attorney with more than twenty years of experience in investigation and trial work and the author of the new biography Richard Nixon: California's Native Son. Please enjoy our conversation

In this episode, we conclude our three part episode series on the life and art of Chiura Obata.

Today, we have an interview with Malcolm Harris. Harris is a writer, critic and journalist and the author of, among other books, Palo Alto: ​​A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, which is the subject of today’s episode. Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation.

Today, we have Katherine Blunt on the program. Katherine is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and author of California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America’s Power Grid. The book, a national bestseller, won the 2022 Golden Poppy award for nonfiction. Her coverage of PG&E, a collaboration with two colleagues, was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and earned a Gerald Loeb award, the highest honor in business journalism.

Today we have Dr. James Zarsadiaz on the show. Dr Zarsadiaz is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program. He specializes in United States history, particularly urban and suburban history and Asian American history. Prof. Zarsadiaz was a fellow at both the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History and Asian Pacific American Center. The focus of our conversation is his new book Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and...

In this episode, we continue Obata's story as he journeys to Yosemite and ventures into the High Sierra. 

Today we have Dr. Mitchell Schwarzer on the show. Dr. Schwarzer is a Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Visual Culture at California College of the Arts, and a historian of architecture and urbanism. He has written books on architectural theory, visual perception, and the buildings of the San Francisco Bay Area. His most recent book and the subject of our conversation is Hella Town: Oakland’s History of Development and Disruption. In this podcast, we cover urban history and...

In today's episode, we meet Chiura Obata, learn about his early, his immigration to the United States, and set the stage for his career as one of the most famous artists in California History. 

Today, we have Dr. Virginia Scharff on the show. Dr. Scharff is an emeritus professor of History from the University of the New Mexico and has written and edited many books about women and the west and curated many museum exhibits at the Autry. This is a wide-ranging conversation where we touch on many of her intellectual projects that cover a breath of topics. Please enjoy.

In this episode, we look at the fascinating life of Mary Ellen Pleasant, an African American woman who blazed trails in Californian politics. 

Today, we have an interview with Dean King. King is an award-winning author of ten nonfiction books. Dean relishes the adventures involved in making history come to life while at the same time diligently searching out the truth and turning up new historical detail. The focus of our conversation is his newest book Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship That Saved Yosemite. Please enjoy this fascinating conversation.