The Huntington Library has partnered with USC’s Dornsife College of Arts, Letters and Sciences to create The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West (ICW), and the Institute is launching a new podcast series.
Called “Western Edition,” the podcast is hosted by ICW’s director, William Deverell, a historian of the American West. The first season, “The West On Fire,” premieres Tuesday, September 7.
“Western Edition” seeks to engage Angelenos, Californians, and Westerners as critical thinkers, conscious consumers, and informed community members, according to a statement by its producers.
As planned the podcast will tell the fascinating stories of the people and communities of the West, connecting the past to the present, and demonstrating the tightly woven fabric of history.
“The West on Fire” explores the West’s relationship with fire, and how it has shaped the region’s past and present. Deverell writes that the season is wrapped around a series of episodes related to The West on Fire project, one of the thematic investigations the ICW has undertaken.
“In it, we take up such topics as the history and culture of Smokey Bear; post-wildfire debris flow events; the effects of wildfire smoke on vulnerable people and populations; prescribed and cultural burning practices as a way to mitigate catastrophic wildfire events; incarceration and firefighting, and race and firefighting across greater Los Angeles,” Deverell wrote.
“Western Edition” is produced by Avishay Artsy, Katie Dunham, Jessica Kim, and Elizabeth Logan, with music written and recorded by I See Hawks in LA.
To learn more about “Western Edition,” visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/icw. You can listen to the trailer and the prologue through links on the page.
For more information, call (626) 405-2100.
