From the Archive: Isabela Morales Protects the Writer's Spirit
Drafting the Past
Note that bookshop.org links are affiliate links that generate a small commission to support the show if you purchase books using these links. Sign up for the for updates on the show and more. Hi everybody! I’m taking this week off to work on some things behind the scenes, so I wanted to talk this chance to replay an episode from early in the podcast that I love. I know many of you are devoted listeners who have listened to every episode of the show, but in case you’re newer to the podcast, here’s a chance to revisit an earlier interview. Back in August 2022, I first released my...
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Episode 86: Heather Ann Thompson Evokes the Moment
Drafting the Past
In this episode, host Kate Carpenter interviews historian Dr. Heather Ann Thompson. is the author of three books. The first was , which was first published in 2002. Her second book, published in 2016, was the astonishing . Blood in the Water won far more honors than I can list, most notably the Pulitzer Prize in History. And her newest book, which came out last week, is . It’s already drawing lots of well-deserved praise, and in this episode we’ll talk more about how Heather learned to bring gripping accounts of historical events to life. In case that wasn’t enough, Heather is a...
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Episode 85: Fahad Bishara Tells the Story of a World in Motion
Drafting the Past
In this episode of Drafting the Past, host Kate Carpenter is joined by Dr. Fahad Bishara. is an associate professor at the University of Virginia, but he is currently on leave and teaching at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. His first book, , won multiple awards. His second book, which came out in 2025, is . In it, he follows one year of the voyages of a single dhow, a type of sailing ship, and its captain and crew as it travels around the Persian Gulf and Western Indian Ocean. Working at multiple scales, from the details of daily ship life to the circulation of goods and ideas...
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Episode 84: Shaun Richman Wants to Know Who the Rats Were
Drafting the Past
In this episode, host Kate Carpenter interviews labor historian Dr. Shaun Richman. is a program director at SUNY Empire State College, and he recently completed his PhD in American Studies. But before that, he spent more than a decade as a union organizer and representative. That experience inspires much of his writing, including two books, magazine articles, and op-eds in numerous outlets. His first book was . His second book, which came out in 2025, is . In addition to being an enthusiastic labor historian, Shaun has a personal connection to this history, as a onetime member of one of...
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Episode 83: Renata Keller Makes Space for Herself Through Writing
Drafting the Past
In this episode of Drafting the Past, you’ll hear from a historian who had to figure out how to wrangle narratives from twenty different countries to tell a new history of the Cuban Missile Crisis. But keeping track of all those threads wasn’t her only formidable challenge. In this episode, host Kate Carpenter is joined by historian Dr. Renata Keller. Dr. Keller is a . She is the author of two books, , and . I was eager to talk with Renata about how she grappled with the wide-ranging source material for The Fate of the Americas, but I also wanted to talk with her about another challenge:...
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Episode 82: Jeff Roche Knows Exactly Who His Reader Is
Drafting the Past
This is the first episode of 2026, which means that we are at the beginning of the fifth season of this show. That’s a lot of great conversations about writing history, and I want to thank you for being here for them. There are many more to come this year! First up, in this episode I’m talking with Dr. Jeff Roche, author of the new book . at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Along with his new book, he is the author of and the editor of two additional books. I’ll confess to you that I wasn’t entirely sure about this book when the press first reached out to tell me about it, but it blew...
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Episode 81: The Best History Books You Read This Year
Drafting the Past
Welcome back to Drafting the Past, and to the final episode of 2025. This episode is all about you! I asked listeners to call in and share the best history books they read in 2025, and they delivered. We’ve got history books covering a huge range of subjects. Some were published recently, some as long as 90 years ago. Some are about huge subjects, others about tiny places. We even let one historical novel sneak into the mix. It’s a reminder that the Drafting the Past community is awesome, full of thoughtful, smart listeners who love talking about great history writing just as much as...
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Episode 80: Amy Erdman Farrell Leaps Into Something New
Drafting the Past
I have a soft spot for historians who follow their curiosity through a range of subjects that might, at first glance, seem unrelated. So I was especially delighted to get to interview this episode’s guest, Dr. Amy Erdman Farrell. Her first book was . From there, she wrote a second book titled , followed by an edited collection, . For her newest book, out earlier this year, she turned her focus to an American institution: the Girl Scouts. The book is called . I was eager to talk more with Amy about how she has come to each of her books, how her publishing career has unfolded, and especially...
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Episode 79: Alex Wellerstein Reminds Us That Writing Is a Skill to Hone
Drafting the Past
Welcome back to Drafting the Past, a podcast about the craft of writing history. For this one, I’m joined by . I’ve been a fan of Alex since at least his first book, , which came out in 2021. But I was first introduced to Alex’s work, like many people are, through his , which is a web-based nuclear weapons effects simulator. It’s a great—and terrifying—teaching tool, and just one of many projects that Alex has worked on as not only a historian but also a computer programmer. Alex is an associate professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and he’s currently also a...
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Episode 78: Edward Watts Looks to the Ancient Past for Writing Advice
Drafting the Past
Welcome back to Drafting the Past. For this episode, I’m thrilled to be joined in this episode by historian Dr. Edward Watts. Ed is a professor of history at the University of California San Diego. He is the author of seven books, including , and . He has published extensively in academic journals and his work is regularly featured in the popular press. You can also check out his , where he shares bite-size facts about Roman history. Ed’s newest book is , which came out earlier this year with Basic. I was excited to talk with Ed about how he tackled such a vast subject. I was also eager to...
info_outlineIn this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Padraic Scanlan. Padraic is an associate professor at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the history of labor in Britain and the British empire. He’s the author of three books, including Freedom’s Debtors: British Antislavery in Sierra Leone in the Age of Revolutions and Slave Empire: How Slavery Made Modern Britain. His newest book, out this year, is called Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish Famine, and it offers a reinterpretation of the Irish Great Famine of the mid-1800s that shows how massive income inequality, debt, housing prices, precarious employment and more contributed to the disaster. I spoke with Padraic about how he thinks about writing for a general audience, his work with a developmental editor and why he loves editors, and his writerly inspirations.