Can you believe it's been 25 episodes since August? I've recorded almost eleven hours worth of podcast history and I have no intention of slowing down. It's been so much fun making the show and finding my voice in it. Maybe one day I'll go back and rerecord some of the earlier episodes, but I might just leave them there as a reminder of what it used to be. We still have fun, right? Just with a lot fewer sound effects...
Ok, so every now and then I check the iTunes comments just to see what people are saying about the show. If you don't like it, well I can't really help you on that! But a concern/criticism I tend to see a lot of, is that the show is fixated on the near east, and yes, if you just look at the playlist so far, this podcast has only covered that area of history. Except you've got to trust in my vision for the show! In the first episode I outlined how I plan on taking things - a linear story of mankind's history. We start at the beginning and work our way to modern times. Along the way we will get to every major chunk of human history and hopefully many detours as well. That's the goal! But consider the difference and limitations between a history book and a history podcast. With a book the author has the freedom to move around from topic to topic and still keep it all very organized. The superb author Susan Wise Bauer does this, and she's fantastic at it! For a purely audio learning experience, however, it can become very disorienting spending one episode in Persia, and the next in Mexico, and the next in Britain...all those names to remember...all those dates...oh god I'm having flashbacks to my history courses now...
My point is that this podcast is supposed to be a history podcast for those who didn't like history, or found it too confusing. That's not to say I'm skimping on the educational content here, but I believe the story is best accomplished by sticking to one subject at a time. I know some of my listeners might be frustrated with the pace or the topic we're covering but I do believe this is the best way to do it.
.......alright, if this will help a bit, and I don't want to reveal much more than this
BUT here is the shortened near term plan of the show. Just to show all my doubters out there that there is a plan!
Persia ---> Greece ---> Wars ---> Greece x2 ---> Macedonia ---> India ---> Diadochi ---> and I was thinking of starting Rome at that point but I'm now leaning towards China.
And for the future!
*** Mesoamerica will be covered when the Old World makes contact (better for flow)
*** Subsaharan Africa will be touched on probably closer to the Middle Ages...likewise I'll be covering the Kingdom of Axum and Ethiopian history too!
*** I'm trying to see about including some Korean history!
I hope this helps clear up some things! Thank you to all my supporters and listeners for sharing this podcast with the world! You have all helped make this bigger than I ever expected, and I am so sincerely grateful for your help. If you ever have a question about the show or want to talk history, I can always be reached on my email address. I may not be able to get to you right away but I promise - I will respond!
