Speaking to the Dead

Will and Douglas are back with not just a new episode but the first Speaking to the Dead series. We look at the eventful life of Pu Yi the last Emperor of China. In this first episode, the background to his life and his selection as Emperor are discussed.

Welcome to a holiday special episode of Speaking to the Dead. In this episode, Doug tells Will and the liseners about 7 unusual Christmas's throughout history. What is the worst Christmas there ever was? What about the best present ever given? Find out here!

In this episode we run down ten modern pretenders to the throne. Originally recorded as a spare episode to release in case of emergency. We bring it to you now in time for the coronation of King Charles the third. Look out for a pretender to one of his thrones!

Welcome to the 18th episode of Speaking to the Dead. Where Doug Rooney and Will Stafford read historic texts and put them in conversation with the modern-day. The only rule: the author must be dead!

In this episode, we discuss the book of Mormon and the interesting story of it's author Joseph Smith.

How old is the worlds oldest story? Here we talk about the potentialy 30,000 year old creation story of Budj Bim. In this episode, we consider for the first time a work of oral history. If you would like to listen to a recent telling you can find Tim Church's version here: https://www.monash.edu/arts/monash-indigenous-studies/wunungu-awara/animations/budj-bim

In this holiday special we introduce 10 winter visitors from across Europe and the world.  Learn about witches who leave candy, Icelandic candle thieves, and how surprisingly common it is to be at risk of being eaten rather than getting coal if your naughty!

Welcome to the 16th episode of Speaking to the Dead. Where Doug Rooney and Will Stafford read historic texts and put them in conversation with the modern-day. The only rule: the author must be dead!

In this episode, we meet Robert Owen mostly remembered for his New Lanarkshire factory. We see what he has to say about the treatment of the poor in his time, his failure to speak to those in the working class as equals, and what if anything is his lasting legacy. 

Hrotsvitha was an amazing figure, the first recorded playwright of medieval Europe, one of the first Germanic historians, a poet, and writer. But she was also a great example of censoring media to meet the christian morals with a very medieval twist.

Welcome to the 14th episode of Speaking to the Dead. Where Doug Rooney and Will Stafford read historic texts and put them in conversation with the modern-day. The only rule: the author must be dead!

In this episode we consider the memoir of Mary Rowlandson and her experience after being taken captive by the Algonquin. We consider how her story is coloured by the Puritan world view, why captivity narratives were so successful, and what insights the book can give us into the unwritten history of the period.

Welcome to the eleventh episode of Speaking to the Dead. Where Doug Rooney and Will Stafford read historic texts and put them in conversation with the modern-day. The only rule: the author must be dead!

In this episode, we learn about the inventive textbook of Sundara Row, how it influences spread far and wide, and why the American editors removed reference to an Indian mathematician and added references to their own work.