Drafting the Past

Episode 42: Kimberly Harper Didn't Know She Could Be a Writer


Listen Later

In this episode, I was thrilled to welcome historian—and fellow Missourian—Kimberly Harper to the show. I am especially delighted by this episode because I get many requests to feature guests who have written history books while off of the tenure track or outside of academia, and Kim is a great example of that. I find guests for the show in a lot different ways – sometimes they are people I am a longtime fan of, other times I see books getting some press, or they pitch themselves for the show or other people suggest them. But I also scan catalogs of upcoming books to make sure I'm catching things that might otherwise get overlooked, and that's how I first learned about Kimberly Harper. I spotted her new book, Men of No Reputation: Robert Boatright, the Buckfoot Gang, and the Fleecing of Middle America in the University of Arkansas Press catalog, and got to read an early copy. I was so impressed by the research and storytelling that I knew I had to reach out right away, and lucky for us, Kim agreed to come on the show. Kimberly Harper earned a master's degree in history from the University of Arkansas, and she is an editor for the Missouri Historical Review. Her first book, White Man's Heaven: The Lynching and Expulsion of Blacks in the Southern Ozarks, 1894-1909, came out in 2010, and it received the Missouri Humanities Council's Distinguished Achievement in Literature award. Kim and I spoke about how some key mentors helped her find her way as a historian and writer, how she is learning to balance her day job, writing, and family life, and how you deal with sources for a book in which everyone is lying. Enjoy my conversation with Kimberly Harper.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Drafting the PastBy Kate Carpenter

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

52 ratings


More shows like Drafting the Past

View all
The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,740 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,873 Listeners

Book Riot - The Podcast by Book Riot

Book Riot - The Podcast

1,005 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,182 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,978 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,744 Listeners

Stay Tuned with Preet by Preet Bharara

Stay Tuned with Preet

32,374 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,051 Listeners

On the Nose by Jewish Currents

On the Nose

233 Listeners

On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

On with Kara Swisher

3,458 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

632 Listeners

Culture Study Podcast by Anne Helen Petersen

Culture Study Podcast

702 Listeners

History in Focus by American Historical Review

History in Focus

8 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

561 Listeners

Zero to Well-Read by Book Riot

Zero to Well-Read

140 Listeners