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Artwork for Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

Alycia Asai
Civil War
Reconstruction
Gilded Age
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
Andrew Johnson
Women's History
Women's Suffrage
American Revolution
Feminism
Great Railroad Strike Of 1877
Reconstruction Era
Modoc War
Yellow Fever Epidemic Of 1878
Ku Klux Klan
Nez Perce War
Women's Rights
U.S. Government
Memphis, Tennessee
California

Civics & Coffee delivers bite-sized U.S. history with clear, engaging storytelling — all in the time it takes to drink your morning cup of coffee. Host Alycia brings America’s past to life with well-researched episodes that are approachable, human, and impossible to forget.

In 2026, Civics & Coffee dives into the Gilded Age - a transformative era of booming industry, powerful presidents, labor up... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes348Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryGovernment

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Artwork for Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

Latest Episodes

American politics feels like it is increasingly polarized with no end in sight - how exactly did we get here, and is there a way out? Joining me this week is Dr. Maya Kornberg, author of Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congres... more

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This week's episode comes to you thanks to Jeremy, a longtime listener who wanted me to dive into the history of computers. Join me as I explore how the personal computer evolved from the oversized mega machines of the 1940s and 1950s to the handheld... more

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The largest and most influential union of the nineteenth century, the Knights of Labor began as a secret fraternal organization in Philadelphia in 1869. Responding to the ongoing labor unrest with events like the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, the Kn... more

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Join me as I welcome Dr. Gautham Rao to discuss the evolution of policing and its slave and white supremacy origins as expertly outlined in his book White Power: Policing American Slavery. Our conversation explores the legalization and deputization o... more

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Recent Guests

Dr. Maya Kornberg
Senior Research Fellow and Manager at NYU Law's Brennan Center for Justice
Brennan Center for Justice
Episode: Unsticking Congress: Stuck with Dr. Maya Kornberg
Gautham Rao
Legal historian and associate professor of history at American University in Washington, DC
American University
Episode: Fear-Based Law & Order: White Power with Dr. Gautham Rao
Leslie Kendrick
Interviewee referenced in closing remarks
Episode: Fear-Based Law & Order: White Power with Dr. Gautham Rao
Nancy Bernhard
Historian of journalism, author of The Double Standard Sporting House
Self-employed / Author
Episode: Women's Secrets: The Double Standard Sporting House with Dr. Nancy Bernhard
Dr. Robert May
Professor in the History of the American South, Purdue University
Purdue University
Episode: History Detective: Debunking the Yule Log Myth with Dr. Robert May
Dr. Austin McCoy
Assistant Professor of History at West Virginia University
West Virginia University
Episode: Revolutionary Sound: Dr. Austin McCoy on Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age
Shannon McKenna Schmidt
Author of You Can't Catch Us; journalist and historian
Author; National Geographic Traveler; history.com
Episode: The Whistle Stop: Shannon McKenna Schmidt on You Can't Catch Us
Elizabeth Block
Art and culture historian, senior editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Episode: The Power of the Dress: Dr. Elizabeth Block on Gilded Age Fashion
Heather Ann Thompson
Historian; Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize-winning author
University affiliations and History Studio; author of Fear and Fury
Episode: Misplaced Rage: Fear and Fury with Heather Ann Thompson

Host

Alycia
Host of Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 118 ratings
  • 10/10 pod

    I would give my right kidney to meet Alisha for coffee in real life (in my mind we are best friends). I love starting my morning with her and her little bits of history!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Lilly Zinnecker
    United States3 months ago
  • BEST history podcast out there!

    I totally get it if you dreaded going to social studies in high school— maybe it felt boring or you didn’t understand why you had to learn about the past. This podcast will CHANGE your mind about what you think you know about history.

    Alycia is an absolute master storyteller, & she has a special ability to cover difficult topics with enough detail to draw you in, but make you want more. I absolutely LOVE the small bite-sized episodes, as they’re so interesting without being overwhelming. Highl... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Zephoral
    United States6 months ago
  • Fantastic History Podcast!

    Alycia is such an engaging host and clearly passionate about what she talks about. I love how she brings history to life through her conversations. Her guests are always wonderful, and every episode leaves me learning something new!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    HistorywithHolley
    United States8 months ago
  • Dr Anita Chan on her book about predatory Eugenics

    Worst presentation of excellent information ever, I’m sorry to say. 4 stars for importance of work & 1 star for presentation quality. Dr. Chan’s rate of speech is horribly fast! Her over-use of academic or professional jargon, unwaveringly flat tone, and never stopping to take a breath or modulate left me with knots in my stomach. The interviewer asked only very few questions because the avalanche-sized quantity of verbiage that followed each question did not allow 2-way discussion. I didn’t kno... more

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    alcornell
    United Statesa year ago
  • Memphis Massacre

    Another event my history teacher failed to mentioned! Thank you Alycia for the work you do. It’s so important, especially today. As always, this one was again relevant to today!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jen Pennoyer
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Gorgeous production and strong guest choices; episodes feel like a PBS audio feature in miniaturized form.
Guests consistently bring valuable depth, making complex topics accessible and memorable.
Some feedback notes pacing or delivery when a guest speaks very quickly; overall quality remains high.
Listeners praise the host for engaging storytelling and concise, bite-sized history lessons.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Fear-Based Law & Order: White Power with Dr. Gautham Rao
Q: Why is Prigg v. Pennsylvania such a pivotal moment in this history?
It established that fugitive slave enforcement was a federal matter, undermining state-level obstacles and accelerating cross-state policing power that fed into later federal laws like the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, intensifying legal and physical coercion against runaways.
Fear-Based Law & Order: White Power with Dr. Gautham Rao
Q: How did you come to research American slave policing?
Rao explains that his interest grew from examining the coexistence of a strong state authority with a tradition of individualism, the impact of 9/11 on policing discourse, and the long development of legal doctrines that intertwined slavery with public force.
Unsticking Congress: Stuck with Dr. Maya Kornberg
Q: Can you give us a bit of background on how you came to your research and what prompted this study?
Kornberg explains that she studies Congress to understand how it became harder to enact change, arguing the institution is central to democracy and that her work looks backward to chart a course forward, with a focus on waves of reform and how new members shift power dynamics.
History Detective: Debunking the Yule Log Myth with Dr. Robert May
Q: What is the Yule Log Myth and what prompted you to investigate it?
It's a legend claiming enslaved people had a long Christmas holiday tied to a Yule log that burned for days or weeks; I investigated because I found the evidence for it before the Civil War to be sparse and poorly documented, and I wanted to test whether the story held up under careful scrutiny.
Women's Secrets: The Double Standard Sporting House with Dr. Nancy Bernhard
Q: How did you decide to write a fictional tale about greed, prostitution, and women in Gilded Age New York?
Bernhard describes a personal curiosity sparked by her grandmother's stories and years of research, leading to a historically grounded yet fictional narrative about a madam who uses her position to support a women's clinic, illustrating how poverty and gender norms pushed women into the sex trade and how journalism influenced public perception.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

What is Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Bite-sized history episodes centered on the Gilded Age, labor movements, immigration, and public memory. Listeners can expect accessible storytelling that connects presidential power, industrial titans, worker uprisings, and social reform to today's conversations about democracy and inequality. The show tends to feature historians and authors as guests, with a friendly, interview-driven format that makes complex topics understandable in short listening sessions. A notable strength is how it blends vivid narrative with archival context, often highlighting under-told events like Exoduster migration or the Great Railroad Strike to illuminate broader historical themes.

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Which podcasts are similar to Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast:

1. Civics 101
2. HISTORY This Week
3. American History Tellers
4. History Tea Time
5. Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More

How many episodes of Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast are there?

Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 348 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast?

Recent guests on Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast include:

1. Dr. Maya Kornberg
2. Gautham Rao
3. Leslie Kendrick
4. Nancy Bernhard
5. Dr. Robert May
6. Dr. Austin McCoy
7. Shannon McKenna Schmidt
8. Elizabeth Block

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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