C19 Podcast: Call for Proposals

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The C19 Podcast invites proposals from individuals and collaborators of all ranks for single podcast episodes that offer creative, story-driven analysis of topical events that spark connections to nineteenth-century America. We are especially interested in episodes that help make both the nineteenth-century and the specific disciplinary knowledge of our scholarly community legible and exciting to a wide audience.  As our podcast grows, we seek to expand its potential to engage diverse publics in the civic and cultural life of the past.

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Have you thought about how you might showcase your scholarly work in this medium? This podcast exists for and because of people like you—and we need your pitches as we move into our ninth season! For inspiration or examples of the range of projects we are interested in highlighting, please listen to our previous seasons. 

 

We accept proposals year-round! 

​Proposal review for Season 11 is underway!
Season 11 proposals are DUE by April 3, 2026

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No previous experience with podcasting? No problem! We have a team of producers who are ready and excited to provide pre-production support to help you develop and structure your podcast, as well as help finetune the audio in post-production.

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Potential podcast subjects include, but are certainly not limited to: public history projects, archival discoveries, commentaries on scholarly trends, introduction to ‘x’ studies, features of interdisciplinary collaboration/projects, pedagogy, pop culture reception and adaptation, story-driven analysis of historical texts, events, and figures, conversational interviews, personal narratives, original review essays adapted for an audio format, discussions & analysis of contemporary events that resonate with nineteenth-century debates, discoveries, aesthetics, or events, etc. We’re an international team and eager to collaborate with scholars around the world working on the American nineteenth century.

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Strong proposals will feature a compelling narrative arc so as to appeal to both scholarly and public audiences, and demonstrate consideration of podcast genre in relation to the episode's central argument, query, or focus.For inspiration and examples of the range of projects we are interested in highlighting, please listen to our previous seasons. 

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Again, no previous experience with podcasting is required. However, contributors will be expected to record and produce their own audio files with high-quality microphones, revise recordings in conversation with our team,  and to supply a transcript. The C19 Podcast Subcommittee will assign you a team of producers to help guide the creative and technical development of your episode. No prior experience is required.

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Proposals should include (1) a proposal (max 500 words), (2) CV(s), and (3) an outline defining the proposed structure of the episode. Successful proposals will address the following: the episode’s topic and relevance; the plan for adapting the topic to the podcast medium (approximately 30-45 minute episode); the episode genre format (interview, panel discussion, story-driven analysis of text/figure/site/archival discovery, personal narrative, review essay, feature of [x] studies/sites/collections, etc.) with a general overview of the structure; and relevant scholarly and technical qualifications related to the subject. The outline (1 page) should demonstrate the genre and  structure of the proposed episode and may include sample questions for interviews, a preliminary script, additional participants (if applicable), and pertinent logistics. Please note any relevant information about access to resources, equipment, timetables, or technical help you anticipate needing in this process.

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Please submit your proposal via email at c19podcast@gmail.com.

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