Gettysburg Connection Podcast

In a small building on N. Washington St. on the Gettysburg College Campus, Editor Mark Drew and his staff quietly and diligently work to select content for the college’s quarterly literary magazine The Gettysburg Review.

The Review, which was founded in 1988 and recognized as one of the country’s premier literary journals, publishes poetry, essays, fiction, and paintings for an international audience of readers.

In this episode Drew discusses the challenge of reading through the “slush pile” of over 6,000 submitted manuscripts every year, the dedication of the magazine to nurturing new writers, and the many awards that have been won by the authors who make it in.

On this page we’ve also published Drew’s poem, “My Father as Houdini,” that was accepted into the magazine in 1995.

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman.

My Father as Houdini

Mark Drew

1. The Car Wreck ChallengePinioned and fluttering,I breathe gasoline and antifreeze.I leak blood. My teeth are lostamong the cubes of safety glassspangling the dash. A crowd gathers.Where are my assistants? Slender vapor wispsfrom the buckled hood, accumulatesabout the car and Poof!I’m gone.2. The Death TrickI’m not supposed to die. No one is.Everyone wants me to come back;you want me to come back.I’m not promising anything,but think of my body full of preservatives,think of the shelf life of the soul.With the right audience, anything is possibleif you just know the trick.Watch me pull these words from your mouthlike a knotted skein of parti-colored hankiesmy mother, your mother, and her mother weep intoat my death.3. MetamorphosisLarval, straight-jacketed,my ankles bound and slung from a hook,I dangle over you like a nightmare and writhe.Encased in a coffin of water and glass, I squirm,mouthing secrets so you won’t turn away.I’m a ghost shackled in your mouth,I’m a face hung in a hallway.I insinuate myself into you.I’ve always known how to keep an audience.4. The Show Must Go OnKid, we livefrom deception to deception.You keep me on stage.My final trick?Look at me and I’ll live forever;turn away and we’ll both disappear.

Mark Drew received his MFA from the University of Alabama, where he edited the Black Warrior Review from 1993-95. Currently, he works as the assistant editor of the Gettysburg Review. This was his first publication.

“My Father as Houdini” appears in The Gettysburg Review's Summer 1995 issue.

This week's podcast is a reposting of an interview I did during the Fall of 2019.  It's relevant now as the spring begins.  Warmer weather brings more mosquitoes and more West Nile Virus.

Please stay safe and please enjoy the podcast.

Summers

In this episode I talk with Stephanie Summers who is Adams County’s Mosquito Borne Disease Control & Conservation Technician. Her job is to keep an eye on disease-causing insects in the county, including mosquitoes and ticks.

Stephanie talks about how to the county helps keep these insects under control and how you can stay safe from Lyme disease and West Nile Virus.

Here are some web links you may find useful:

Adams County Conservation District

PA Department of Environmental Protection

U.S. Center for Disease Control Information on Lyme Disease

U.S. Center for Disease Control Information on West Nile Virus

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Information on Choosing an Appropriate Insect Repellent

If you have lived or visited Gettysburg or Adams County over the past 15 or so years I’m sure you’ve noticed some major changes.

These developments, which have enriched the lives of thousands of people in the county, include the establishment of the Wills House, the remodeling and reopening of the Gettysburg Majestic Theater, revitalizations of Baltimore and Steinwehr Avenues, a successful 150th remembrance of the Civil War battle, and the establishment of the annual Gettysburg Christmas Festival.

Although hundreds of people have been involved in making these things happen, a common voice in all of these projects has been Deb Adamik, who has been president and chief executive officer, of Main Street Gettysburg since 2007.

Adamik is retiring in the next few weeks and it seemed an appropriate time to ask her to reflect on her 14 years making positive changes for the borough and the county.

I learned many new things about the development of our area in the podcast and I expect you will too.

Will you please leave a comment on this page to thank Deb for all she has done?

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman.

[THIS IS A REPOST OF A PODCAST 27 FROM MAY, 2020]

With spring coming and the COVID-19 crisis leading us toward outdoor activities, it may never be a better time to ride a bicycle in Adams County.

Eric Meyer

The local cycling experience has become even more pleasant with the addition of new bicycle trails that have been built in the past years with the support of the local nonprofit Healthy Adams Bicycle Pedestrian Inc (HABPI).

In this episode HABPI president Eric Meyer talks about his organization's past projects and future plans and about the many individual and community benefits of bicycling.

During the interview, Meyer mentions two local cycling clubs in the area: Franklin County Cyclists and Hanover Cyclers.

More information about Adams County area cycling groups can be found at Gettysburg Bicycle.

With the pandemic closing schools around the county and forcing teachers to adapt to new methods of teaching, at least some are finding the challenges can have some positive outcomes.

In this episode we talk with veteran 5th grade teacher Nicole King from the Upper Adams School District.

King talks about how she refined her teaching style to cope with the constraints of the pandemic, becoming more focused on individual students and more aware of her own approaches.

I think you’ll find the podcast a refreshing and rewarding take from a front line worker.

The interview is conducted by our media editor Peter Byhouwer.

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman.

As co-owner of GettysBike Tours and the producer of the Addressing Gettysburg Podcast, Matt Callery is one of the many Gettysburg residents who love sharing their knowledge, thoughts, and ideas about our community with others.

In this episode Callery explains how he ended up in Gettysburg and why he loves the borough.

I very much enjoyed our conversation and I think you will too. Callery shared many thoughts ranging from how to best experience the Gettysburg battlefield, the personalities of New Jersey residents, the sound quality in Ken Burns films, and how so many young people are starting businesses in Gettysburg.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few seconds to support us by signing up for our weekly mailing list.

The site is completely free of charge, but we do ask your help in sharing our content with other people in the community.

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman.

Meals delivered to senior citizens, tax preparation help, seminars on death and bereavement, and how to navigate Social Security and Medicare.  These are only a few of the many offerings from the Adams County Office for Aging that are making a difference for local seniors.

And the office has just rolled out a new Shared Housing And Resource Exchange (SHARE) program in which seniors who need housing are matched with people who have space to share in their homes.

Valery Adams

The cooperative arrangements benefit both the seniors who are renting and the homeowner who receives rental income and helps a senior in need..

Anyone over 18 years of age can offer a share to someone over 60 years old, after backgrounds are checked on both sides.

In this episode SHARE Housing Counselor Valery Adams explains the program and how you can get involved.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few seconds to support us by signing up for our weekly mailing list.

The site is completely free of charge, but we do ask your help in sharing our content with other people in the community.

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman

For the past 73 years, the United Way of Adams County has helped thousands of residents deal with challenges related to education, income, and food security, through its programs, collaborative projects, and community partnerships.

Laura Mcmahon

The organization’s new director, Laura Mcmahon, is continuing the mission with a focus on expanding programs and reaching out to new audiences.

In this podcast Mcmahon talks about her work at the United Way.  She reminds listeners that the organization offers free tax preparation for families with incomes of less than $57,000 and talks about plans to hold the annual “Give it up for good” sale at Gettysburg College.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few seconds to support us by signing up for our weekly mailing list.

The site is completely free of charge, but we do ask your help in sharing our content with other people in the community.

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Musical Introduction by Thane Pittman.

Although many students struggle with online learning, it very much suits others. Eighth Grader Ellen Cadigan found it so beneficial she wrote a letter to the Gettysburg Area School Board asking them to keep it in place even after the pandemic ends.

You can read her letter here.

Ellen Cadigan

In this podcast I talk with Ellen about her views and how she has thrived in a hybrid environment. She has some important and interesting ideas about student learning.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few seconds to support us by signing up for our weekly mailing list.

The site is completely free of charge, but we do ask your help in sharing our content with other people in the community.

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Musical Introduction by Daddy Long Legs.

After over a year of discussions, the Gettysburg Borough Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve an LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance.

Although the document bans discrimination based many social categories, the document significantly expands the definition of sex discrimination.

In addition to sex as defined at birth, the ordinance also protects people on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and gender transition and/or transgender.

In this podcast I talk with Gettysburg resident Chad-Alan Carr, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress Jason Landau Goodman, Borough Council Vice President Wesley Heyser, and council member Patricia Lawson, all of whom were instrumental in developing the ordinance.

The podcast answers many questions about the importance of the legislation and its meaning for LGBTQ residents in the borough.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few seconds to support us by signing up for our weekly mailing list.

The site is completely free of charge, but we do ask your help in sharing our content with other people in the community.

Please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Musical Introduction by Daddy Long Legs.