Change Over Time

Part of the joy of oral history is talking with interesting people. This series, Geeking with…, features great conversations with fascinating folks. Edward Austin Hall is a perfect person for the first launch. Ed is a writer, editor, poet, and journalist living in Atlanta. He co-edited Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989141144/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0). I talked with Ed as part of an oral history project of authors of color of speculative fiction. In addition, Ed and I have recorded talks where we’ve discussed all manner of geekdom, but that’s for a different episode. This is part of Change Over Time, a history podcast where I historically think about things I geek. I’m Daniel Horowitz Garcia, the Alternative Historian. You can find more information at changeovertimepodcast.com. Music Credits: Dhalius, "Wonderful Canvas of Life” Sean Hayes, “Alabama Chicken” Dhalius, “Todos Somos Una Sola Vida Grandiosa” Art of Escapism, “Don’t Feel So Low”

The mid-term elections are days away, but what happens after? Actually, there are a lot of people who’ve been doing work for a long time. This episode of Change Over Time features two of them. Emery Wright and Stephanie Guilloud are co-directors of Project South, a national organization working to build social movement. Stephanie and Emery talk about the mission of Project South, what’s drives them, and the need to be one’s whole self. They also talk about the need for organization, vision, and hope. This episode launches the Feeling Political series on Change Over Time. Feeling Political explores the interaction between politics, emotions, and action. More information at changeovertimepodcast.com. Check out Project South at projectsouth.org. Also check out Rebel Diaz, they do the music at the end of the episode, at rebeldiaz.com.

In a small, non-descript strip mall in the middle of a university neighborhood in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico is a comic book shop. The shop is loud, the tables small. The owner, Gilberto Lopez-Arroyo is neither. His is a stocky man whose voice carries over the cacophony in the store, Capitan Granuja Comics & Games. For a few weeks last year Gilberto’s comic shop became a center of calm. Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico hard. College students were stranded, not knowing what happened to their families. They came to Capitan Granuja to charge their phones and play some games. Gilberto welcomed them all into his capsule of geekdom. This is Change Over Time and the latest installment of the Aftermath series, a look at Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria through the lens of my family. We talk about geeks, and how the community can help even when you don’t know it can.

On January 28, 2017 Donald Trump signed an executive order banning certain people from certain countries from coming into the US. Popularly called a Muslim Travel Ban, the order was met with immediate nationwide protests. This is a selection of interviews from the Atlanta airport protests held on January 29, 2017. As this episodes goes online the administration is preparing to define transgender people out of existence, the attack on immigrants continues, Flint, Michigan still doesn’t have clean water, and Puerto Rico and other hurricane impacted areas are on their own. There's a lot of political work to do, and Feeling Political takes a look at how to do it. This episode is part of the Feeling Political series, a collection that examines the intersection of feelings, politics, and action. Future episodes of Change Over Time in this series will talk about organizing strategies, visions for a new future, and maybe even hope. Stay tuned and check in regularly at changeovertimepodcast.com

When the Inauguration came I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I ran to my mommy. We will hear from Doña Edna, a retired RN, former union member, Independista, and my mom. Also, I interviewed Walda Katz-Fishman. Walda is a professor and one of the founders of Project South (www.projectsouth.org). She doesn’t pull any punches in this episode about what the political situation is going to be. But she also speaks plainly about what we need to do. This episode is another in the Feeling Political series, a collection that looks at the interaction of emotion, politics, and action. You can find out more about the series as well as this podcast, Change Over Time, at changeovertimepodcast.com. You can find me at alternativehistorian.com

Change Over Time is featuring another in the Feeling Political series, a collection about feelings, politics, and action. This episode features Rita Valenti and Bruce Dixon. Rita, a former board member of Project South and state legislator, thinks we should be asking better questions. Bruce, a writer and editor with Black Agenda Report as well as an activist with the Georgia Green Party, has thoughts on what we should fight for and how we should do it. Find out more at changeovertimepodcast.com.

Change Over Time hosts another episode in the Feeling Political series, a collection of interviews where I look at how feelings, politics, and action intersect. This episode is a speech by long-time organizer and musician Eric Ward. Given after the November 2016 election, but before Inauguration, Eric lays out what one can expect in the first days of the Trump administration and gives some advice about how to get prepared. Find out more at changeovertimepodcast.com.

This episode launches the Feeling Political series on Change Over Time. Feeling Political explores the interaction between politics, emotions, and action. The series is based on an old podcast of the same name. It features short interviews with various people. In this episode we hear from Abbie Illenberger and Rose Brewer, board members of Project South. I interviewed both women at the 30th anniversary celebration of Project South back in November 2016 just after the election. We also have some bonus content from George Ciccariello-Maher who points out some possible opportunities for organizing. Find out more at changeovertimepodcast.com.

I start with my mother, Doña Edna Garcia. I had visited Puerto Rico at Thanksgiving last year to see my family and I shoved a microphone in their faces. I talk with my mom about what it was like after Maria hit but mostly about how the politics of the island could change. Originally I aired this as two episodes, but I’ve combined them here. I also refer back to a conversation I had with Dr. Jacob Remes in Disasters, a bonus episode. If you haven’t heard that interview, don’t worry. This will make sense. But you should listen to it because it’s good. Jacob is really smart. 

Additional content about putting the aftermath of Hurricane Maria into historical context. This bonus of Change Over Time includes an interview with Vicki Daniel, a PhD candidate specializing in body identification in the wake of disasters. There are also interviews with volunteers at Buen Provecho, the Puerto Rican restaurant in Atlanta taking donations. If you are in Atlanta, you can donate to Buen Provecho. Check out their Facebook page to see what they need. For those outside of Atlanta, consider donating to the Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund at mariafund.org.

How do you make sense of a disaster? What should we be looking for? Where can I get good mofongo in Atlanta? I found the answers to these questions by going to Buen Provecho restaurant and talking with Jacob Remes, a disaster historian. Buen Provecho, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Atlanta suburbs, is one of two sites for donation drop off for the island. The owner Elmer Pasapera put out a call on social media and has been flooded with responses. I spent some time at the restaurant to get an idea of what people were doing and thinking. I then interview Dr. Jacob Remes, author of Disaster Citizenship: Survivors, Solidarity, and Power in the Progressive Era, to put this hurricane into historical context. I find out that disasters are socially constructed. This is hopeful news because it means people can organize to change relationships of power. It also turns out that the Taino people, the indigenous culture of Puerto Rico, knew this for thousands of years and created a myth about it. The Maria Fund - http://mariarfund.org Buen Provecho - http://www.buenprovechoatl.com/ Disaster Citizenship: Survivors, Solidarity, and Power in the Progressive Era - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019JHZHDO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

After taking a hiatus, the podcast is back. The schedule will be different. Instead of attempting to put out content biweekly, I will be dropping a bunch of episodes every few months. Each drop will be around a theme. Sometimes loosely tied to that theme. This episode also contains a replay of Waiting. One year ago Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. I was unable to contact my family for weeks. I'll be dropping replays from the Aftermath series, episodes where I look at the impact of the storm through the lens of my family. Aftermath will have replays as well as some content that hasn't been aired before. This will be coming out over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

The Aftermath series on Change Over Time continues with more from the conversation with my mother. Aftermath is a multi-part look at Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria through the lens of my family. My mother Doña Edna Garcia talks about the relationship of the US and Puerto Rico, plebiscites, and a bit of history on the Puerto Rican flag. You’ll also here about the move for sovereignty, a potential new political position. Gabriel Iglesias bit from Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution

This episode of Change Over Time is the first in the Aftermath series, a look at how Puerto Rico is dealing with the after effects of Hurricane Maria throu thegh lens of my family. I start with my mother, Dona Edna Garcia. I talk with my mom about what it was like after Maria hit but mostly about how the politics of the island could change. I also remember an earlier conversation I had with disaster historian Dr. Jacob Remes. My mom confirmed a lot of Dr. Remes talked about. Things may not look great, but there's hope.

Thank you for listening to Change Over Time in 2017. This episode gives a short preview of what's coming in 2018. There will be more episodes of speculative fiction authors as well reports from the field. Look for a history of the apocalypse as well as a report from a black speculative fiction convention. The big news is I am launching a multi-episode series called Aftermath that will show how Puerto Rico is recovering from Hurricane Maria by focusing on my family. Listen at changeovertimepodcast.com

Video games and the industry that make them change over time. That means they have a history. Dr. Kenneth Horowitz is a video game historian who spoke at Dragon Con 2017 about his efforts to preserve this history. Dr. Horowitz focuses on SEGA and has written two books on the company: Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games, available now, as well as The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games to be released in 2018. He also runs the sega-16.com website. Additionally, he’s my brother. You’ll be hearing from him again in future episodes. This is an edited version of Ken’s talk. You will be able to find the full version at his website.   Music and sounds from Alanmcki, SoundEffectsPodcast_com, and vicces1212 from freesound.org.

During the holiday season I’m going to visit my family in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria I’m feeling the need to make sure everyone is OK. I’ll also be taking the time to record interviews and get a sense of the aftermath. Look for future episodes soon. In the meantime, I’m pulling an episode from a different podcast, Feeling Political, where I interviewed my mom about politics. My mom, Doña Edna Garcia, is awesome and that comes through in the interview. This was done in Puerto Rico, in her kitchen, in January 2017. She will be appearing in future episodes, guaranteed.

Tabletop role-playing games are possibly more popular now than ever before. The first truly popular RPG was Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, and more than 20 million worldwide have played it. But D&D is not the only game. In fact, individuals and small companies are creating their own RPG systems and releasing for sale. Dave Lester is making his own game system. Dave’s been a player of RPGs for almost 30 years. This episode is an excerpt of an oral history interview with him. In it I try to understand what keeps people hooked. THACO: The Movie The Dungeon Master’s Lament  

Additional content about putting the aftermath of Hurricane Maria into historical context. This bonus of Change Over Time includes an interview with Dr. Vicki Daniel who specializes in body identification in the wake of disasters. There are also interviews with volunteers at Buen Provecho, the Puerto Rican restaurant in Atlanta taking donations. If you are in Atlanta, you can donate to Buen Provecho. Check out their Facebook page to see what they need. For those outside of Atlanta, consider donating to the Hurricane Maria Community Relief Fund. Music - "Boricua Como El Coquí"

How do you make sense of a disaster? What should we be looking for? Where can I get good mofongo in Atlanta? I found the answers to these questions by going to Buen Provecho restaurant and talking with Jacob Remes, a disaster historian. Buen Provecho, a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Atlanta suburbs, is one of two sites for donation drop off for the island. The owner Elmer Pasapera put out a call on social media and has been flooded with responses. I spent some time at the restaurant to get an idea of what people were doing and thinking. I then interview Dr. Jacob Remes, author of Disaster Citizenship: Survivors, Solidarity, and Power in the Progressive Era, to put this hurricane into historical context. I find out that disasters are socially constructed. This is hopeful news because it means people can organize to change relationships of power. It also turns out that the Taino people, the indigenous culture of Puerto Rico, knew this for thousands of years and created a myth about it. Hurricane Maria Community Relief Fund Buen Provecho Restaurant Disaster Citizenship: Survivors, Solidarity, and Power in the Progressive Era by Jacob Remes

A bonus episode of Change Over Time where I release my anxiety. I have family on Puerto Rico and haven't heard from them since Hurricane Maria hit. Because I'm freaking out, I've decided to do a podcast episode on it. Narciissistic? Maybe, but it helped. Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, D.C., is recommending that people call their hotline at 202-778-0710 Facebook Groups: Loved Ones in Puerto Rico - Check In Puerto Rico Maria Updates Audio used from: “The Great Hurricane of 1928” by The Weather Channel Hurricane Maria: Authorities Say Much of Puerto Rico Remains Unreachable | NBC Nightly News La Nueva 94 FM

Anyone can do history. And anyone who does has an obligation to do it well. This episode is about how in the US we do our best to avoid the history of slavery, and why we should never take that option. Find out more at changeovertimepodcast.com Atlanta History Center -www.atlantahistorycenter.com Music is John Brown’s Body by Leon Lishner and Friends Bryan Stevenson's (eji.org) talks can be found at: We Need to Talk About Injustice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tOp7OxyQ8) and Talking About History Honestly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCdh2yHmVwQ)

The Alternative Historian is geeking context, historical context. This episode of Change Over Time is a talk I gave to the Sunday Assembly Atlanta. It’s about digging deeper into not just what we do, but the stories of why we do it. Find out more at changeovertimepodcast.com. Sign up for the newsletter at alternativehistorian.com. Sunday Assembly Atlanta - https://sundayassemblyatlanta.org/ Fannie Lou Hamer's Powerful Testimony | Freedom Summer (by American Experience) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07PwNVCZCcY&t=4s  

Today on Change Over Time I’m geeking writers. I’m highlighting conversations I had with three writers at AnachroCon, an alternative history convention held annually in Atlanta. They are Leanna Renee Hieber, Cecilia Dominic, and Dacre Stoker. Leanna writes gothic gaslamp fantasy and Cecilia writes steampunk. Dacre is the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker. I talk with Leanna and Cecilia about their writing and aesthetic. My conversation with Dacre revolves around the historical interpretation of Dracula. The show mentions a lot of articles and books. Links to everything is below. You can also find information, as well as pictures of all the authors (and their cosplay) at alternativehistorian.com/anachrocon   Links: Leanna Renee Hieber - https://www.leannareneehieber.com/ Cecilia Dominic - http://www.ceciliadominic.com/ Dacre Stoker - http://bramstokerestate.com “Buffalo Bill Meets Dracula” - http://louiswarren.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Buffalo-Bill-Meets-Dracula.pdf The Shoulders of Shasta - http://www.bramstoker.org/pdf/novels/02shastahc.pdf

Steampunk is an aesthetic. Some folks embrace the aesthetic in their literature, some in costume, and, at least one person, in shaving. This episode is part of the Change Over Time AnachroCon series and features J. Michael Cobb, aka Dr. Mike, the owner of Dr. Mike’s Shaving Emporium. We’ll learn how to get a good, old time shave. A steampunk shave. For more information on Change Over Time, and to see Dr. Mike’s mustache, check out the Alternative Historian. Music by S.H. Dudley, “When Reuben Comes to Town.”

One thing you can do at a convention is buy stuff. Much of the stuff is created by people involved in a small cottage industry. Within alternative history and steampunk, the people who make things, either for cosplay or just to keep, are called makers. In this episode we meet three makers who were selling their wares at AnachroCon. For more information, to see pictures of the makers and their stuff, and for links to their websites check out the Alternative Historian.

In the first full episode of Change Over Time, I have a conversation with Sarah Avraham, the chair of AnachroCon. AnachroCon is an annual convention on alternative history held in Atlanta. This is the first in a series about AnachroCon. Expect episodes on makers, authors, cosplayers, and a shaving expert. This small flurry of activity will give you an idea of what to expect of podcast at least regarding reporting in the field. Find out more about AnachroCon, the article Sarah mentions, and Cosplay Is Not Consent. For more information on this podcast, check out the Alternative Historian.

This introduction explains the concept of Change Over Time. Learn what you should expect and hope for in the future. The basic premise of the show is that I historically think about subjects I geek. Although episodes will be about various topics, what will tie them together is history. I may be at a steampunk convention talking with someone selling safety razors. Or I’ll be sitting down with an actor portraying Benjamin Franklin. I may also be talking about different methods of oral history. I’ll be doing all of it as a historian. This episode also talks about the difference between history and the past as well as what it means to think historically. All that in under 5 minutes. Learn more about Change Over Time, and sign up for the newsletter, at alternativehistorian.com. Music is Dave Brubeck, "My Favorite Things."

This is a teaser to a full episode of Change Over Time. In 2014 my wife and I did an interview with StoryCorps about being foster parents. This selection is a short selection of that conversation. In a future episode I will use this selection to talk about facilitated participant interviews, a type of oral history model. Stay tuned for the podcast launch in April. For more information on Change Over Time, go to alternativehistorian.com/changeovertime.

This is an introductory episode to Change Over Time. This is a short description of the podcast, what kinds of things to expect, a selection from an oral history episode with Atlanta-based writer Edward Austin Hall. Edward wrote a micro-short story for the November 2016 election entitled “World Series Without End.” Look for more information about the podcast at alternativehistorian.com/changeovertime.