There's a lot happening right now, and my family has been struggling with an apparently endless cold. So while I haven't had time or energy to send a newsletter recently, I did want to make sure you knew about two most recent episodes of Drafting the Past:

• In Episode 83, Renata Keller joins me to talk about her new book, The Fate of the Americas: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Hemispheric Cold War, which tells the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the perspective of Latin America. This episode has lots of great details, including how she told a history covering just a few days and twenty countries! But I especially love this interview because Renata gets real about writing as a new mother, dealing with postpartum depression and academia-related isolation, and how her book served as a refuge. I'm grateful for her willingness to open up, because I think a lot of listeners will relate to her experience. I sure did.
• In Episode 84, Shaun Richman told me about his journey from union organizer to historian, a path that influences all of his work. That includes his new book, We Always Had a Union: The New York Hotel Workers’ Union, 1912-1953. We talked about the process of getting access to FBI files and archives in Moscow, and why he thinks it's so important the we tell great stories that focus on character, even for our most serious histories.

One other thing: science writer Jaime Green is teaching a class next Saturday, January 31, called Scrivener for Writers. I've wanted to take this class for ages and I'm signed up! I have no relationship to Jaime or the class, but since I know there are plenty of Scrivener-curious listeners out there, I thought I'd let you know about it, too. I think learning how to use Scrivener from someone who writes a lot of nonfiction may be especially helpful.

I hope your homes are toasty and warm, wherever you are, especially if you've been out marching in the streets.