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Artwork for Listening to America

Listening to America

Listening to America
Thomas Jefferson
John Steinbeck
Louisiana Purchase
Slavery
Native American Tribes
John Randolph Of Roanoke
Western Flyer
Lindsay Chervinsky
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Mississippi River
Napoleon Bonaparte
Christmas
Henry Wallace
Cold War
Virginia
Cannery Row
Sea Of Cortez
Haitian Revolution
Edward S. Curtis
College Football

Listening to America aims to "light out for the territories," traveling less visited byways and taking time to see this immense, extraordinary country with fresh eyes while listening to the many voices of America's past, present, and future. Led by noted historian and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson, Listening to America travels the country's less visited byways, from national parks and forests ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes539Founded19 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistorySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Listening to America

Latest Episodes

Clay's conversation with Char Miller, an endowed professor of environmental history at Pomona College and author of more than a dozen highly regarded books. How did America develop its public lands? Who were the key players in the formation of Nation... more

Clay's conversation with Erik and Christopher Ewers, the directors of the upcoming three-part documentary on the life and achievements of Henry David Thoreau, the New England radical and the author of Clay's favorite American book, Walden. Five years... more

Clay's conversation with historian Beau Breslin about the nuts and bolts of a constitutional convention in America. Neither Clay nor Beau thinks such a convention is likely, given the constitutional conservatism of the American people, but if America... more

Guest host Russ Eagle interviews Clay about his ambitious downsizing project. For several decades, Clay has explored the world of Thoreau's great book Walden, which calls on us to reduce the clutter of our material lives to open our spiritual arterie... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Erik Ewers
Director/Co-creator of Ken Burns–style Thoreau documentary
Florentine Films / Ken Burns shop
Episode: #1695 New Ken Burns Documentary on Henry David Thoreau
Christopher Ewers
Director/Co-creator of Ken Burns–style Thoreau documentary
Florentine Films / Ken Burns shop
Episode: #1695 New Ken Burns Documentary on Henry David Thoreau
Jonathan Thompson
Contributing editor to High Country News and author of "Sagebrush Empire".
High Country News
Episode: #1692 The Crisis of the Public Lands
Joseph Ellis
One of America's great historians and author of The Great Contradiction, The Tragic Side of the American Founding
Episode: #1691 Was it Shakespearean Tragedy or Greek Tragedy?
Matthew Davis
Author of 'Biography of a Mountain, The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore'
Episode: #1690 Mount Rushmore: Its Back Story and the Continuing Controversy
John Bacon
Author of The Gales of November, The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Self-published
Episode: #1687 The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 50 Years Later
Walter Borneman
Historian and author of numerous books on American history
Episode: #1684 America at 250: How Did We Get Here?
Paul Hutton
Eminent historian and executive director of the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum.
Buffalo Bill Cody Museum
Episode: #1683 Writing the American West in a Time of Disillusionment
Ellen Wohl
Professor of Geomorphology at Colorado State University, author of 'Following the Bend: How to Read a River and Understand Its Nature.'
Colorado State University
Episode: #1682 How Do Rivers Work?

Host

Clay Jenkinson
Host of Listening to America

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.3k ratings
  • Informative Interesting Show

    One of my favorite podcasts.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    vfaler
    United States5 months ago
  • Very enjoyable

    Just recently discovered this podcast. Started with episodes from late 2016. Intend to listen to them all. Recent reviews say this becomes more political. Time will tell. Understand also the change to listening to America emerges from the TJ Hour. Should be as interesting I guess expect.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cfeman
    United States6 months ago
  • Listening

    Thank you for seeking out these conversations.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    midway-through
    United States9 months ago
  • Trash

    This guy could be good if this guy and his guests would leave politics out of it.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    BMY11
    United Statesa year ago
  • brilliant re-make of the TJH

    While I truly miss the Thomas Jefferson hour, I quite understand that it had somewhat ran its course, and that the highly fascinating yet complex Mr. Jefferson can himself be a somewhat troublesome character at times. To this end, I think Clay has deftly kept the heart and soul of the original program in making LTA, re-casting it from its original mold into something equally brilliant. Clay is a superb interviewer and collaborator in a wide range of topics, providing us all with a clear tone a... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mharrisARCH
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Guests and topics are appreciated for depth and credibility, with strong interest from listeners who value scholarly insight.
A subset of reviews notes the host's interviewing style as strong, though a few fans miss the classic Jefferson-centric focus of earlier iterations.
Overall, the show is praised for informative, thoughtful historical discussions and a calm, reasoned tone.
Some listeners feel recent episodes have become more political or partisan, and there are complaints about format changes and audio quality.
Listeners consistently value the educational, civics-forward perspective and the unique travel-and-history format, even when opinions diverge about current events.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#1692 The Crisis of the Public Lands
Q: Is Glen Canyon Dam going to come down or be used as just a pass-through?
Jonathan suggests that in the long term, Glen Canyon Dam may not be viable as a storage facility and could potentially serve only as a pass-through, depending on future agreements regarding water management.
#1692 The Crisis of the Public Lands
Q: What do you think is going to happen to the Colorado River issue?
Jonathan explains that they must cut back on water usage for alfalfa farmers in Arizona and California, as most of the water is used for irrigation and there are urgent cuts needed to address the crisis.
#1692 The Crisis of the Public Lands
Q: What's the mood in Greece and Europe now about what's going on in the US?
Jonathan notes that Europeans are shocked by the state of American politics and see parallels with issues in their own countries, expressing both concern and bewilderment.
#1691 Was it Shakespearean Tragedy or Greek Tragedy?
Q: What would George Washington have done about Native Americans?
Washington aimed to maintain Creek control over their land and wanted to set a precedent of Native American states within the Union.
#1691 Was it Shakespearean Tragedy or Greek Tragedy?
Q: What do you mean that what we did with black people is Shakespearean tragedy and what we did to Native Americans was Greek tragedy?
A Shakespearean tragedy is a tragedy based on the moral failure of major figures which could have gone differently. A Greek tragedy is seen as inevitable and unchangeable, embedded in the actions of gods or fate.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Listening to America

What is Listening to America about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A history- and civics-forward series that blends deep dives into American historical narratives with contemporary cultural and political reflection. Across recent episodes, topics span public lands governance and water crises, the legacies of slavery and Native dispossession, monuments and memory (including Mount Rushmore and Western expansion), international affairs through a founding-era lens, and the evolving meaning of democracy in the United States. The show frequently features historians, authors, and academics who offer nuanced takes on difficult subjects, while maintaining a measured, dialog-driven tone that invites multiple viewpoints. Notable strengths include high-profile historical guests, a willingness to tackle thorny national... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Listening to America?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Listening to America:

1. Ben Franklin's World
2. The Bulwark Podcast
3. Fresh Air
4. History Unplugged Podcast
5. The New Yorker Radio Hour

How many episodes of Listening to America are there?

Listening to America launched 19 years ago and published 539 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 Listening to America?

Recent guests on Listening to America include:

1. Erik Ewers
2. Christopher Ewers
3. Jonathan Thompson
4. Joseph Ellis
5. Matthew Davis
6. John Bacon
7. Walter Borneman
8. Paul Hutton

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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