Honoring D-Day’s 75th Anniversary
On the morning of June 6, 1944 American soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy to retake Europe, unsure of what lay ahead. Angelo DiCara,… Read More »Honoring D-Day’s 75th Anniversary
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Cork Wars in BookStory
One of my favorite history podcasts, BackStory, selected my book Cork Wars for its monthly book club, BookStory. So the other day I joined the… Read More »Cork Wars in BookStory
Q&A: History, Cork Wars, and How Stories Sometimes Find Me
Not long ago I had the pleasure of talking with the fine writer Cathy Alter for the Washington Independent Review of Books.
Uncovering the Secret History of a Brooklyn Businessman
My essay on Literary Hub explores how writing about families can lead you down twisting paths.
WW2 Podcast – Cork Wars and the Arsenal of Democracy
In a new episode, Angus and I discuss Cork Wars and the circumstances that set up one small industry’s unexpectedly critical importance during the war.
BackStory podcast: 20th-century Industrial Disasters Still Affect Us
Our conversation ranged across the fears of sabotage in America, the role of cork in American industry, innovation, and wartime intelligence.
Commonplace to Critical: Cork and Soy – podcast
At the Virginia Festival of the Book’s panel “Commonplace to Critical” Matthew Roth and I spoke with moderator Nina Earnest about everyday items that became sensations. They either went big overnight in wartime, or over the course of a century. Who gets caught in the middle?
Dawn of the Age of Plastics
In the closing months of World War II, Americans talked about how and when the war would end, and about how life was about to… Read More »Dawn of the Age of Plastics
From Microalgae, These Mardi Gras Beads Are Biodegradable
Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a famously unholy mess. After the 2018 celebration, some wondered if it had gone too far. Apart from bacchanalian… Read More »From Microalgae, These Mardi Gras Beads Are Biodegradable
Porto’s Unexpected Cork Country
When we arrived in Porto in December 2016, one of the first things I did was try a port wine tasting near the banks of… Read More »Porto’s Unexpected Cork Country