Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters

About Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters

Tim Merriman talks story with heritage interpretation professionals from all over the world. In his 50+ year career as a heritage interpreter, Tim has been a park ranger, nature center director, and national recreation area research manager. From 1995 to 2012, he was Executive Director of National Association for Interpretation, the professional organization for guides and interpreters in the United States. He has been a motivational speaker, trainer, and planner in 26 countries and all 50 states in the US, sharing his love for communicating with the public about valued places, people and stories in natural and cultural heritage settings.

Publisher

timfmerriman

Category

science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Apr 2023

Latest episode

17 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

103 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Oct 2026

   Marta Cruz Kelly, NPS Leader and Storyteller, Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman

   Marta Cruz Kelly spent nearly 40 years as a steward of America's stories. A Senior Executive Service leader at the National Park Service, she held management roles in interpretation, information technology, and training, and she was the first person of color to lead interpretation and education agency-wide. She also spent years in nonprofits advancing natural and cultural resource education and preparing the next generation of leaders. Today, as a certified mindfulness educator, she brings those threads together to teach responsible storytelling: telling the truth with care, humility, and accountability. She is the founder of Griots Sanctuary and the author of Truth Requires Practice: Becoming a Griot, coming in February 2027. #timmerriman  #InterpretationMatters  #HEARTApproach  #NPSInterpretation #InterpretiveConnections #VoicesOfInterpretation #nps #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkservice

2. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Jeffrey Aarnio, ABMC Superintendent Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman

   A native of southern California, Jeffrey grew up near the Oregon coast among the Douglas Fir trees along the banks of the Columbia River. He is a former superintendent with the American Battle Monuments Commission for nearly 14 years in France and the Philippines, as well as an agency trainer of cultural heritage interpretation.Past experiences which have shaped the lenses through which he sees the world include wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army as an infantry paratrooper stationed in Vicenza, Italy, and working at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. Jeffrey studied European History at the University of San Francisco, International Policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, as well as study abroad programs in Mexico, Morocco, Spain and France. He moved to San Diego in 2018 after walking the Camino de Santiago for the second time. Jeffrey has edited numerous books including the amazing story of WWI Choctaw code-talker soldiers in France and most recently a book about Holistic Inspirational Interpretation. Prior to joining NPS, Jeffrey was the Office Manager for the 2020 Decennial Census count for San Diego operations. Since April 2021, Jeffrey worked at the Cabrillo National Monument as the Administrative Officer until retirement from federal service in June 2025. Travel, exploration of music in indigenous cultures, and volunteering as a sound healer are some of the many projects Jeffrey explores.https://timfmerriman.podbean.com/

3. 

   11 Sept 2026

   Michael Twitty, Cultural Food Interpreter and Author, Talks Story with Bill Gwaltney and Tim Merriman

   Michael W. Twitty is and has been a guide, interpreter, culinary historian, author, and food writer who has spent his career tracing the deep connections between food, ancestry, and identity. He's the creator of Afroculinaria, the first blog dedicated to African American historic foodways, and the author of several acclaimed books, including The Cooking Gene, which won the 2018 James Beard Award for Book of the Year and Best Writing, making him the first Black author to receive that honor. He followed it with Rice, KosherSoul (winner of the National Jewish Book Award), and his newest release, Recipes from the American South. Twitty's work has taken him from the Smithsonian to Yale to the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, and he's shared his research on NPR's The Splendid Table, in the Washington Post, and across numerous television appearances, including High on the Hog, Taste the Nation, and Bizarre Foods America. He's a National Geographic Explorer, a TED Fellow, and was named to the TIME 100 Next list. He also teaches Judaic studies and writes widely on Jewish cultural identity, weaving together the African American and Jewish threads of his own heritage in everything he does.

Who has been a guest on Reflections on Interpretation: Talking Story with Guides and Interpreters

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Toby Merriman
• Matt Villamaino
• Marc Blackburn

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

25

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68