Hi Reader!
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Last week, we launched Curiosity Meets the Past - a video podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. To answer the question in this email's title, “Can a podcast make you curious about the past?” - I sure hope so! We also want to reach folx who might not consider themselves as "a history person."
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I know there are a ton of podcasts (that's partly why I was hesitant to start one). However, I wanted to collaborate with people more regularly, and podcasting turned out to be a great fit! (More on that in a video later this month!)
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​This month is all about the podcast on YouTube. I’m releasing an episode every week in July, and then going to an every-other-week-ish schedule.
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Our monthly deep-dive is postponed to August, since the research took a little longer. If you’re curious what’s coming up on the channel, I posted an update in my YouTube community post. Here’s a short excerpt below.
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🌟 Trivia Shorts Glow Up: Our trivia shorts will have the same format, but a new design is coming in late July/early August.
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👩🏽 Series Re-Launch: I'm reviving my reflective series on life as an archaeologist. Although it doesn’t receive a lot of views, it’s important to me. A new video is coming in July.
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🏺 New Bite-Sized Series: For months, we've been developing archaeology videos (4-8 minutes) that are longer than a short, but shorter than our typical deeper dives. We're aiming to launch in September. Stay tuned!

Fresh from the Field 🗺️

A quick round-up of my latest videos, podcasts, and features
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So our podcast is live! Here are the most recent episodes:
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🎙️ Episode 1: Welcome to Curiosity Meets the Past

A brief intro to the podcast letting you know what to expect.

→ YouTube | Spotify | More Options​
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🎙️ Episode 2: How an Archaeology Project Actually Begins

Digital landscape archaeologist, Dr. Ioana Dumitru, and I talk about how archaeology projects actually get started and how her work on the Swahili coast began in a completely unexpected way.

→ YouTube | Spotify | More Options
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🎙️ Episode 3: Uncovering Today’s Hidden Foodways Through Archaeology
​Food archaeologist, Dr. Katie Chiou, shares how she uses archaeological methods to uncover hidden foodways shaping life in the American South.
→ YouTube | Spotify | More Options​
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🌟 Thanks to the Independent Media Initiative for featuring our podcast in their monthly bulletin board.

Small Finds 👝

Sharing things that sparked my curiosity recently
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​🥗 Food Insecurity on Campus - Patricia Mathu​

This 3-minute video details some of the findings about food insecurity at the University of Alabama (Katie talked about this in her episode). I appreciated seeing these results in a short and accessible way.
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⛽ Food in Gas Stations: Big Episode​

This video ethnography was done by a student group that Katie mentioned in her episode. I loved the interviews and how the students experimented with videography.
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🐦 The Ruby Throated Hummingbird’s Amazing Migration - Esther Ikoro​

This 3-minute-ish video highlights the ruby-throated hummingbird’s migration. I love Esther’s storytelling and her animations.
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⛏️ The Archaeology Podcast Network​
If you're looking for more archaeology-related podcasts, definitely check out the shows on the Archaeology Podcast Network.

Dig Back In ⛏️

Revisiting something curious from the archive
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​If you asked me what one of my favorite podcasts is, ​Voices in the River​ is definitely on the list. It’s hosted by Rebecca Auman (created by Theo Balcomb with help from Sara McCrea), and it features conversations with women discussing reclaiming power through intuition and magick.
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I was honored to be asked on the show late last year, and here is my episode: Excavating Intuition with Archaeologist Dr. Smiti Nathan​

Thank you so much for reading. I know there was a lot in this one!
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We’re also brainstorming some of our fall content, particularly our more in-depth archaeology videos. If there's a topic you'd love to see us cover, hit reply and let me know.
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Until next time,
Smiti