Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
"Flower in the River" podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland Disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well, and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery.
Podcasting since 2023 • 152 episodes
Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
Latest Episodes
From Page to Stage: A Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author, an Actor, and the Eastland Disaster
A single newspaper review from 1938 turned this story on its head.Digging through Chronicling America, I stumbled upon a mention of Cornelia Otis Skinner's one-woman show—a performance inspired by Margaret Ayer Barnes's novel Edna, His Wife...
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Season 4
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Episode 151
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1:06:21
“Catastrophe on the Chicago River” - the Cermak Connection
In this episode, I finish reading “Catastrophe on the Chicago River,” a Czech-language article by Josef Mach Sr. from 1916. The piece delivers a searing, firsthand account of the Eastland Disaster’s impact on Chicago’s Czech community: families...
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Season 4
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Episode 150
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30:13
Catastrophe on the Chicago River — Part 2: The Archive Finds Keep Coming
We journey deeper into "Catastrophe on the Chicago River," a century-old chronicle of the Eastland Disaster as seen through the eyes of Chicago's Czech community. Josef Mach Sr. crafts a living, breathing account of the capsized excursion ship,...
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Season 4
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Episode 149
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37:01
When Research Starts Talking Back
When Research Starts Talking BackWhat happens when your research doesn’t just sit there quietly… but starts nudging you, whispering, insisting you dig deeper?In this episode, I try something a little different. After sharin...
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Season 4
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Episode 148
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21:42
The Search Goes On — Coincidence. Clarity. Resolve.
A single number can shape how we remember—until new evidence asks us to look again. This episode takes you inside another year of research on the people of the Eastland disaster, where a repeated death toll gives way to an evolving, documented ...
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Season 4
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Episode 147
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30:45
