The Wandering Pen: Writers, Historians, and Everyday Stories

The history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) remains one of the most painful chapters in Native American history. It continues to influence the well-being and cultural resilience of Native communities today.

Christine speaks with Dr. Amanda Cheromiah, Executive Director of the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples and a member of the Laguna Pueblo. Their conversation returns to the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and what it continues to mean today.

The Jim Thorpe Center at Dickinson College, supported by a $20 million gift from Samuel G. Rose, aims to promote Native voices and serve as a place for education and reflection. Also, the funds will support the Samuel G. Rose Art Gallery, celebrating Indigenous art and representing the largest single arts investment in Dickinson history."

The legacy of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School is still felt today, and it shapes how Native communities approach healing and education.

Dr. Cheromiah speaks about the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which operated from 1879 to 1918 on the grounds now occupied by the United States Army Carlisle Barracks. Richard Henry Pratt founded the school with the philosophy, “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

The school took children from their families and forced them to assimilate into white culture. Their languages and traditional dress were forbidden. Their long hair was cut, and their identities were suppressed. However, the impact of that history remains.

Dr. Cheromiah reflects on what it means for Native people to return to these grounds. They walk through spaces where their ancestors lived, studied, and endured. She speaks of the hope that understanding can help build bridges between communities.

This is not an easy conversation. But it is an important one.

This episode invites listeners to pause and consider what it means to remember. While changing the past is not possible, it is possible to learn from it and support Native-led efforts for healing and reconciliation. In doing so, it encourages a deeper awareness of how the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School continues to live in the present and shape the future.

Contact information for Dr. Cheromiah - [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @drcheromiah

Her podcast is Indigenous Revolt

Funding Information Website

            Season 2 closes with one of the most powerful conversations we've had.   

In Episode 38, I sit down with Jane Jacobs of the Skaroreh Katenuaka Nation in North Carolina — founder of Eastern Woodland Protectors, water protector, seedkeeper, and advocate for ancestral land.

This episode runs just over an hour. Part of that time includes a reflection on Season 2 — the growth, the numbers, and the voices shared — but the heart of this finale belongs to Jane and her story.

Jane speaks about the deep connection between land, water, language, and people — how they are not separate things, but one and the same. She shares the history of her Nation's presence in North Carolina, the legacy of Indian Woods, and the responsibility to protect the land for seven generations.

We talk about the Cape Fear River, once a traditional trade and fishing route for her people — now polluted with PFAS and GenX chemicals released by Chemours, a DuPont spin-off. Jane explains how these “forever chemicals” entered the waterway and what it means for elders who still rely on that river for food.

The story of corporate pollution in this region was portrayed in the film Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo.

Ruffalo also produced the documentary GenX, examining the ongoing contamination of the Cape Fear River and the human cost of industrial waste:

The conversation then turns to the 2024 confrontation at the Cedar Point / Bridge View archaeological site, one of the most significant Native archaeological discoveries in North Carolina in over 30 years. Jane and others gathered in ceremony to honor ancestral remains uncovered during construction. What followed was a violent assault and a legal battle that is still unfolding.

She shares what happened that day, the trauma that followed, and the strength it takes to forgive.

This episode is not just about activism.

If you want to reach Jane Jacobs or support her work, you can contact her at:    [email protected]   

Across Pennsylvania, and especially here in Cumberland County, conversations about data centers are no longer abstract or far-off. They're showing up on township agendas, zoning maps, and sometimes—quietly—right in our own backyards. These decisions, often made in small rooms on weeknights, have enormous consequences for our water, our land, our energy grid, and the character of our communities.

Today's conversation with Ginny Marcille-Kerslake of Food and Water Watch breaks down what data centers really are, what's at stake for Cumberland County, how quickly these proposals can move, and how residents can use their rights under the Sunshine Act and the Municipal Planning Code (documents) to stay informed and take action. It's a lot to take in, but knowledge is power—and being aware of what's happening at your local meetings and in the state legislature is the first step in protecting our land, our water, and our future. 

Ginny Marcille - Kerslake email [email protected]

Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania

Protect Cumberland County, PA

#DataCenters, #AIDataCenters, #CumberlandCountyPA, #PennsylvaniaNews, #PAZoning, #LocalGovernment, #TownshipMeetings, #CommunityRights, #EnvironmentalProtection, #WaterResources, #FoodAndWaterWatch, #SunshineAct, #MunicipalPlanningCode, #TheWanderingPen

  Names of the men 

It's been fifty years since the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was lost in Lake Superior during   a snow squall. Gordon Lightfoot's song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" made the ship infamous. Lightfoot wrote the song because he felt the boat and its crew were not being honored the way they should have been. 

My guest on this episode is Executive Director Bruce Lynn of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society & Museum. The Historical Society & Museum is located at Whitefish Point, approximately seventeen miles from where the "Fitz" went down. Bruce shares other  stories, too, about ships that have been lost on the Great Lakes, but the focus is on the Edmund Fitzgerald and those lost. What is most important here is - it's more than just a song - more than just a shipwreck story. Twenty-nine lives that were lost on November 9, 1975, for a routine trip across Lake Superior never thought they said "good-bye" to the ones they loved for the last time. Please tune in and learn about the story and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Please share and follow The Wandering Pen Podcast so you don't miss a story. 

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum FaceBook Page 

For the live memorial service either click on the link website link or the FB link for access to watch it live online. The service begins at 7 p.m. (est) on November 10. 

The following link will take you to a video shared by the Upper Pennicila, Michigan Supply Company. It's a compelling short that is set to Lightfoots song. In it you will see footage of the "Fitz" being loaded with taconite pellets (iron ore), sailing Lake Superior and the crew on the ship.  Watching the video and listening to the song is powerful. 

https://upsupply.co/journal/the-wreck-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald

From the Appalachian Trail to the African savanna, this episode explores what it means to live between two wild worlds. Each year, military veteran, Brian N. Johnson leaves his home in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and travels to Kenya to lead safaris, capture wildlife through his lens, and share the powerful rhythm of life where lions hunt, zebras run, and elephants roam free.

Brian is currently developing his own tour guide business, Alpine and Savanna Adventures, LLC, which he plans to kickoff in 2026.  His mission is to invite others to experience the wonder of the wild — and to see how adventure, purpose, and conservation connect across continents. 

Follow the link to hear Brian's 2015 experience climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with friends Dave & Kris Gilbert to bring awareness to the "Save the Elephants" organization. All photos are courtesy of Brian N. Johnson. 

Climbing Mt Kilimajaro to Save the Elephants in Africa

Zoning might seem like a bureaucratic afterthought—but in truth, it's one of the most powerful forces shaping our daily lives. In this episode, we explore how zoning determines where and how we live, work, and gather. My guest is the author of Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World and the founder of the National Zoning Atlas, a groundbreaking tool that brings clarity to the often-invisible rules governing land use across the country.

  Together, we talk about:

How zoning impacts housing affordability, neighborhood          design, and equit

The environmental concerns around new development,  including data centers           

How the National Zoning Atlas is helping communities understand

               From local ordinances to national patterns, this conversation sheds light on the code behind the curtain—and why it's time we all paid attention. National Atlas Website

You can get her book at

Whistlestop Book Shop

https://www.whistlestoppers.com/

Why does autumn feel like a story we're living inside? In What Remains: Autumn, Memory, and Meaning, Christine weaves poetry (Keats, George Eliot), paintings (Van Gogh, Millais), and music (Neil Diamond's "September Morn," Mumford & Sons' "October Skies") with the psychology of nostalgia—how scent, colder air, and seasonal change stir memory, belonging, and meaning. A short, reflective listen about beauty and loss, and what lingers when the leaves fall.

#Autumn, #Storytelling, #Nostalgia, #Psychology, #Keats, #GeorgeEliot, #VanGogh, #Millais, #NeilDiamond, #Mumford&Sons, #Memory, #Poetry, #Art , Music #Grief, #Identity

What happens when a box of forgotten World War I love letters sparks a story too powerful to stay hidden? In this episode, author Patti Stockdale shares her twenty-year journey of transforming family history into historical fiction, marked by hope, faith, and perseverance. From balancing romance and history on the page to overcoming rejection and finding resilience in the writing life, this conversation will inspire writers, readers, and anyone who loves stories that prove love and determination never go out of style.

#HistoricalFiction #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #PodcastPromo #ReadersOfInstagram #Storytelling #HopeAndHistory #AuthorInterview #WanderingPenPodcast #Perseverance

Before Washington crossed the Delaware… before the victory at Yorktown… there was William Thompson

 In June 1775, this frontier fighter from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, became the very first colonel of the United States Army—leading an elite Rifle Battalion whose skill, precision, and daring helped shape America's fight for independence.

This story is more than a forgotten chapter of the Revolutionary War. It's a story about leadership, resilience, and the birth of the U.S. Army, which celebrated its 250th birthday this past June.  If you love American history, military history, or storytelling that brings the past to life, you'll want to hear this. And afterwards, please share with a friend, on social media, or in an email, so we can give Thompson the recognition he deserves. 

Dr. John Bonin's book can be downloaded from the Department of Defense website.  Thompson’s Rifle Battalion:  The Original Unit of the Army of the United Colonies 

Contact at - [email protected]

Becoming America - William Thompson, Story of the first colonel of the United States Army commissioned in June 1775 - This video was filmed at the restored William Thompson's house,  "Soldier's Retreat", Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. 

#AmericanHistory #MilitaryHistory #RevolutionaryWar #USArmy #HistoryPodcast #WilliamThompson #StorytellingPodcast #ThompsonsRifleBattalion #ForgottenHistory #TheWanderingPen