Unsinkable: The Titanic Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Book Club--Erik Larson's Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania May 12, 2022

Show notes

Lusitania's legacy is also absolutely unsinkable. To buy Larson's book or any books I have featured, visit my Bookshop affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
For a general look at World War One, see the modern classic by John Keegan, The First World War or David Stevenson's 1914-1918: The History of the First World War
Listener Dan (thank you, Dan!) recommends, in the podcast realm: The Old Front Line (https://oldfrontline.co.uk/) and Footsteps of the Fallen (https://footstepsofthefallen.buzzsprout.com/)
My dear friend Shirley recommends Vera Brittain's memoir Testament of Youth
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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‘Still the sea seems strewn’: The Mackay-Bennett and Titanic’s Bodies Apr 30, 2022

Show notes

I began researching this episode uneasy about what I might find, nervous; and while it is an incredibly somber and sobering part of the Titanic story, I was also shocked at how exhilarated I felt uncovering it, shedding light on the stories of the bodies found, what we can learn from them. Join me as I look at the story of the recovery ship the Mackay Bennett and the process of bringing some Titanic victims back ashore. The Mackay Bennett's fate is tied to Titanic's forever. Halifax's story is as well. In the rows of graves there we find our grief, their grief, a part of the Titanic narrative that is too often ignored.
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
For a list of sources, see my blog: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog
To purchase any of the books I mentioned in this episode and others, see my Bookshop lists: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

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Finding Margaret Brown, with Museum Director Andrea Malcomb Apr 20, 2022

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Join me as I knock down with gusto some of the long-standing myths about Denver socialite/activist/philanthropist Margaret Brown (decidedly not Molly!), one of Titanic's most famed passengers. Her real life bears very little resemblance to the whiskey-driven rabble-rousing of the musical that bore her name. To help me uncover some truths about this absolute FEMINIST of a woman I'm joined by Director of the Molly Brown House Museum, Andrea Malcomb.
Visit the museum's website to learn more about Margaret's life and of course for info on ongoing exhibits (including one on Titanic, running through September 2022): https://mollybrown.org
And follow the museum on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollybrownhouse/
To. purchase Kristen Iverson's book about Margaret and support the pod, visit Bookshop here: https://bookshop.org/lists/episodes-miscellany
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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April 14th, 1912/April 14th, 2022 Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

This is a special episode in honor of the 110th anniversary of the night Titanic sank; I hesitate, always, to use the word "anniversary" here because it seems a bit crass, but we must commemorate every person aboard that ship, every person lost on that ship, every person who lost someone on that ship, every way in which human lives were affected by the unimaginable loss. And because we always, always look to Titanic for metaphors and analogies and lessons and evidence of this thing we call humanity, I also dig into what I think are the relevant ties to our 2022 questions. I also take some time to mention and thank not only other podcasters and writers working in this space but also some of you listeners.
The podcasts I mention should be easily searchable on all pod apps. Here are the Insta accounts I mention:
Chelsea Pinkard: https://www.instagram.com/chelseapinkardtitanic/
Titanic Memorial Lighthouse: https://www.instagram.com/savetitaniclighthouse/
Simon Medhurst: https://www.instagram.com/titanic_memorabilia/
Gareth Russell: https://www.instagram.com/_garethrussell/
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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Book Club: The Last Slave Ship Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

This is a companion to my episode on the Clotilda; join me as I discuss Ben Raines' stunning The Last Slave Ship, which recounts the ship's entire history as well as how he himself found it under just 20 feet of water at Twelve Mile Island, near Mobile, Alabama. I discuss all the ways in which the issues and debates surrounding Clotilda are insanely relevant to our everyday lives, American history, southern history, African American history. The ship may be raised. Museums are in the works. Descendants of the ship's survivors are on the ground working to commemorate the journey of their ancestors. The story of Clotilda is BEING WRITTEN still.
Please visit the Clotilda Descendants' website for updates (and consider donating if you're able): https://theclotildastory.com
Follow the Descendants' Association on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/clotildadescendantsassociation/
And follow author Ben Raines as well: https://www.instagram.com/brraines/
To purchase The Last Slave Ship or any book mentioned, consider supporting the pod and independent bookstores through this link: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod
And to support the pod on Patreon (thank you!): https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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Unsinkable: The Clotilda Apr 05, 2022

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Join me in this, my very first side project episode, a look at the overwhelmingly important historical, cultural, and political impact of Clotilda, the last known American ship to bring slaves from Africa as part of the Atlantic slave trade. The shipwreck was located just a few years ago and its future raises some important questions. Clotilda is an American story, a global story, that you absolutely must know. I was amazed too, despite what a different era I obviously researched here, how many both thematic and physical links there are in this story to Titanic. I want to thank Ben Raines for his work in the new book The Last Slave Ship, which is stunning and helped me solidify and amplify all my research. This book will be the subject of an upcoming April Book Club episode. You can buy it here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-last-slave-ship-the-true-story-of-how-clotilda-was-found-her-descendants-and-an-extraordinary-reckoning-9781982136048/9781982136048?aid=80949&listref=the-unsinkable-book-club
Follow the Clotilda Descendants' Association: https://www.instagram.com/clotildadescendantsassociation/
For a list of my sources for this episode please see my blog: https://www.unsinkablepod.com/blog
Here is the Family Ghosts Podcast series on the Clotilda: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-clotilda-legacy-part-1-the-descendants/id1217657323?i=1000458619235
And the African History Network episode as well: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-african-history-network-sh-39194/episodes/redoshi-was-the-last-known-sla-38915547
To support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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Unlocked Bonus Episode: The Cooks Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

While I'm traveling/on a pod break for just a few weeks, I thought I'd offer a sneak peek into the Patreon bonus episodes. This was the first one I ever did, so forgive any sound issues or rambling. I only scratched the surface, but in it I explore a few stories of Titanic's chefs and cooks. The stories of crew are rich and complex, and I wish we knew even more.
If you're on the fence about becoming an Unsinkable patron, perhaps this might give you a sense of what the bonus episodes offer.
See you in a couple of weeks for a fresh, exciting slate of regular episodes!
Support the pod on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod

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Boarding Pass: An Interview with Jim Myers, Education Executive of the Titanic Museum Attractions Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

I'm excited to bring you an interview with Jim Myers, who is the Education Executive for both Titanic Museum Attractions (Branson, Missouri, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee). We speak about the museum's goals of memorializing both the survivors and the victims of Titanic, its role as an interactive attraction, its efforts to broaden educational programs around the ship, and also just some of Titanic's achingly human stories. I managed to only mention James Cameron's Titanic ONCE...can you believe it?
For March, the museums have a special exhibit honoring Irish passengers, and we speak a bit about it.
To plan your visit to one of the ships (for the museum buildings are half-scale ships!) or to contact Jim about an educational program for your class/school, see the museum's great website: https://titanicbranson.com for Branson and https://titanicpigeonforge.com for Pigeon Forge.
As always, contact me anytime--unsinkablepod@gmail.com
Support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepod
On Insta: https://www.instagram.com/unsinkablepod/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/unsinkablepod
On Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepod

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Book Club: The Girl Who Came Home, with Author Hazel Gaynor Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

Join me as I chat with author Hazel Gaynor, who has SUCH a refreshing take on Titanic's legacy; her book, The Girl Who Came Home, is a peek into some of the smaller, gorgeously human moments aboard the ship, and specifically those of the Irish immigrants she focuses on. This book is a fictionalization of the ship's real Irish passengers know as the Addergoole 14, who we talk a bit about in terms of collective grief and their legacy. We touch on the role of historical fiction in helping us all to process the tragedy, as well as just historical fiction's value more generally. This was a delight, and I congratulate Hazel on 10 years with this compelling novel of the Titanic!
Buy the book here: https://bookshop.org/books/the-girl-who-came-home-a-novel-of-the-titanic/9780062316868?aid=80949&listref=the-unsinkable-book-club
Find Hazel's website here: https://www.hazelgaynor.com
As always, email me anytime: unsinkablepod@gmail.com//or find me on Insta and Twitter @UnsinkablePod

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Titanic's Ukrainian Passengers + How to Help Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

This episode is dedicated to every man/woman/child suffering and in fear in Ukraine right now.
To help, donate:
To UNICEF, which helps children in urgent need of help, and right now you can flag your donation for Ukraine: https://www.unicefusa.org
To World Central Kitchen, which works to FEED people in conflict zones, disaster zones, and they're in Ukraine and on the borders right now: https://donate.wck.org/give/393234#!/donation/checkout
For a brief recent history of Ukraine: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/12/1080205477/history-ukraine-russia
Sending love to you all.

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