Upstart Crow

About Upstart Crow

Dedicated to promoting books and culture through engaging and informative podcasts. Our mission is to inspire our listeners to explore the literary arts and appreciate the diversity of ideas within our amazing world. We invite a diverse range of writers, historians, and cultural influences to share their expertise. From established artists to up-and-coming creatives, our guests provide unique perspectives on writing, the literary arts, and culture. Hosted by Ken Budd, Jennifer Disano, and William Miller.

Publisher

Upstart Crow Podcast

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Oct 2024

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

50 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Lois Romano – Mary Todd Lincoln: An Inconvenient Widow

   Lois Romano – Mary Todd Lincoln: An Inconvenient Widow This is the first of four interviews in the Upstart Crow–Fairfax County Public Library Interview Series, presented as part of the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Details about the remaining three interviews appear below. “Tell people you’re reading a book about Mary Todd Lincoln, and they might well say something like, ‘Oh, wasn’t she crazy?’” When Abraham Lincoln met Mary Todd at a soiree, she was a young, intelligent, well-educated, and stylish woman from an affluent family. He was a country lawyer of humble origins. Both had big-time aspirations, and both were whip-smart. Together, they helped engineer his election to the highest office in the land. Lincoln became one of the most pivotal presidents in American history, taking office at a time when the presidency and the role of the first lady were under intense public scrutiny. Neither Abraham nor Mary was quite prepared for the unprecedented pressures that came with those positions. But crazy? Far from it. Mary had lost three sons and was sitting beside her husband when an assassin entered the room and fired a single shot into the back of his head. Lincoln died hours later. During those hours, Mary was unable to be alone with her husband because so many others wanted to be in the room. Men—all of them men. In the months that followed, Mary struggled to access money to support herself, despite her husband having left a substantial estate. The man responsible for managing that estate refused to release the funds to her. Her son Robert eventually brought her before a court, where testimony about her ability to care for herself and manage her finances led a jury to determine that she should be placed in a treatment facility. A few months later, Mary managed to secure her release. Lois Romano is a veteran national journalist who has worked as a reporter, editor, and columnist for The Washington Post and Politico. A keen observer of the relationship between politics and human nature, Romano brought her insights and extensive research to An Inconvenient Widow, telling Mary Lincoln’s story from beginning to end in a way that has rarely been explored before. In this episode of Upstart Crow, Romano joins host William Miller to discuss the research behind the book, the truth about Mary Todd Lincoln, and how she began a project that consumed more than five years. The conversation concludes with a live-stream audience Q&A, in which Romano answers questions about Mary Lincoln’s life, legacy, and treatment by history. Topics Discussed Lois Romano’s research and the writing of An Inconvenient Widow Mary Todd Lincoln’s childhood, family background, and relationship with Abraham Lincoln Mary’s political ambitions and influence on Lincoln’s career How nineteenth-century media coverage shaped Mary Lincoln’s public reputation The myths and historical assumptions surrounding Mary’s mental health Mary’s charitable work and support for formerly enslaved people The financial struggles and public scrutiny she faced after Lincoln’s assassination Her relationship with her son Robert and her confinement in a mental institution How Mary Lincoln’s story challenges traditional views of first ladies and women in American political history Key Takeaways Mary Todd Lincoln’s reputation was shaped by bias as much as by history. Romano explains how inaccurate reporting, political hostility, and repeated stories helped establish a negative image of Mary that persisted for generations. Her research revisits the historical record to distinguish documented facts from long-standing assumptions. Mary Lincoln was a politically astute partner, not simply a burden to her husband. Mary was ambitious, intelligent, and deeply interested in politics. Romano argues that she and Abraham Lincoln shared a meaningful partnership and that Mary played a more consequential role in his rise than many accounts have acknowledged. The media scrutiny Mary faced was extraordinary for a first lady of her era. Unlike many women who had occupied the role before her, Mary was extensively covered in newspapers. Digitized historical reporting allowed Romano to compare contemporary accusations with the evidence and uncover how sensational coverage affected Mary’s legacy. Mary’s private struggles were compounded by the expectations placed on women. In a time when women could not vote and were expected to remain within the domestic sphere, Mary navigated political life, family responsibilities, public criticism, and financial uncertainty with limited control over her own circumstances. Mary’s efforts to survive were often portrayed as personal failings. After Lincoln’s death, Mary struggled to access her husband’s estate and fought for a pension. Her attempt to sell clothing to support herself became a public scandal, illustrating how harshly she was judged even when trying to secure her financial independence. Revisiting the evidence can change how we understand historical figures. Romano’s work demonstrates the value of returning to original documents, letters, and contemporary newspapers rather than accepting a familiar historical narrative at face value. “I think if she had been born one hundred years later, Mary Lincoln would have been everybody’s adored feminist.” “I think they truly had a very good partnership.” “She was very independent. I mean, she was very independent about her life, about her travel, about her money.” Upcoming FCPL Interviews Shubha Sunder — Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m. Author Shubha Sunder joins Upstart Crow to discuss Optional Practical Training and the immigrant experiences that inspired her novel. The episode will be available November 3. Valerie Tripp — Tuesday, November 10, at 6:30 p.m. Author Valerie Tripp talks with host Jennifer Disano about writing historical fiction for young readers and why these stories still matter. The episode will be available November 17. Jane Kamensky — Wednesday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m. Jane Kamensky, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, joins host Ken Budd to discuss her book Declare: A Civil Gospel, the founding generation, and civic discourse. The episode will be available November 25. All three interviews are part of the Upstart Crow–Fairfax County Public Library series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Registration: https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov (https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/) Registration for the Valerie Tripp event opens October 20 at 6:30 p.m. Registration for the Jane Kamensky event opens October 28 at 6:30 p.m. Registration for the Shubha Sunder event is open now. Lois Romano, Mary Todd Lincoln, An Inconvenient Widow, Abraham Lincoln, first ladies in American history, Mary Lincoln biography, Civil War history, women in politics, American history books, historical research, Upstart Crow, Fairfax County Public Library, America’s 250th anniversary #LoisRomano #MaryToddLincoln #AnInconvenientWidow #AbrahamLincoln #AmericanHistory #UpstartCrow For more information about our guests, hosts, upcoming events, and ways you can support the show, be sure to visit our website (https://upstartcrow.org). Like and subscribe to our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583417271723) page. Recorded and produced by Jon D PodCom, a production brand of Old Hundred Productions LLC (https://oldhundredproductions.com). Upstart Crow is part of Watershed Lit Radio. © 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast. All rights reserved.

2. 

   8 Sept 2026

   Ilan Stavans – A Nation Wrestles with God

   Internationally known, award-winning writer and editor Ilan Stavans sees an anthology as something akin to a library where the books come down from the shelves at night and fly around, mixing and mingling and enriching each other in a great time of sharing. So it makes perfectly good sense that Stavans would mark the 250th birthday of his adopted country by editing a book of more than 100 works spanning four centuries—all connected by a shared theme: How Americans have grappled with God. The anthology includes fiction, essays, political pieces, songs, poems, speeches, sermons, comic strips, and even a photograph of a TIME magazine cover. Together, they explore a country founded on the principle that its people were “endowed by their Creator” with certain rights; a country that, a little more than 200 years later, put “In God We Trust” on its money and “One Nation, Under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance. Yet America is also a country where record numbers of people identify as religiously unaffiliated, while roughly 90 percent still profess to believe in a higher power. In this episode of Upstart Crow, Ilan Stavans talks with William Miller about the idea behind his anthology, the works he chose and why, and some of the nearly 100 pieces he removed from an early draft. They explore what Americans have done with the idea of God—and what that idea has done to the people of America. About Ilan Stavans Ilan Stavans has published more than 30 books and is well known for his investigations of language and culture, as well as his work in anthologies. Born in Mexico in 1961 to a Jewish family with roots in Eastern Europe, Stavans was raised in a multilingual environment. His autobiography, On Borrowed Words, appeared in 2001. He is known for his research on English, Spanish, Yiddish, Ladino, and, in particular, Spanglish. In 2003, he published Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language, which includes a lexicon of approximately 6,000 terms and a Spanglish translation of the first chapter of Don Quixote. He subsequently completed a Spanglish translation of the entire novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Stavans is the author of several award-winning short-story collections. The internationally released, award-winning feature film My Mexican Shivah, co-produced by John Sayles, was based on his story “Morirse está en hebreo.” His story The Disappearance, adapted for the stage by the experimental theater troupe DoubleEdge, has toured the world. His one-man show The Oven has been seen in cities across the United States. Stavans is also the author of Resurrecting Hebrew, books on love and the Bible, Dictionary Days: A Defining Passion, Quixote: The Novel and the World, and a biography of Gabriel García Márquez's career through the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude. His work has been translated into fifteen languages. His lectures on Don Quixote and on visions of the divine across cultures are available from Recorded Books. Stavans is also editor-in-chief of Oxford Bibliography: Latino Studies. KEY TAKEAWAYS • America’s relationship with God is complicated. Ilan Stavans explores how Americans have questioned, negotiated, embraced, and sometimes weaponized religion throughout the country’s history. • Religion can be both medicine and illness. It can provide morality, community, and structure while also becoming a source of division, violence, and destruction. • Doubt is essential to being human. Stavans argues that questioning—not certainty—is at the heart of intelligence, belief, and personal growth. • An anthology is a conversation across time. A Nation Wrestles with God brings together more than 100 voices and perspectives, allowing writers from vastly different eras and backgrounds to “speak” to one another. • Literature gives us access to interior life. The conversation explores how writers such as Flannery O’Connor and Mark Twain reveal the complexity of what happens inside a character’s mind. • Language matters. Stavans discusses the importance of allowing dialects, slang, Spanglish, Yiddish, and other forms of language to retain their complexity rather than being “streamlined.” • America is shaped by perception. The discussion moves from Walter Lippmann and Rashomon to the question of whether there is a single reality—or simply the realities we perceive. • Technology and AI may threaten our interior voices. Stavans worries that increasingly powerful technology could diminish the space we have for uncertainty, reflection, and internal dialogue. • America’s religious identity is changing, but religion isn’t disappearing. Even as traditional religious participation declines, belief in some form of God remains widespread. • Outsiders can help us understand ourselves. Stavans sees the immigrant and outsider perspective as a valuable way of challenging assumptions held by people immersed in their own culture. “Doubt is the mother of intelligence. Doubt is the mother of belief.” - Ilan Stavans Purchase a copy of the anthology, A Nation Wrestles with God, here (https://restlessbooks.org/bookstore/p/a-nation-wrestles-with-god). Visit the Upstart Crow website (https://upstartcrow.org). You can watch this full interview on our YouTube (https://youtube.com/@upstartcrowpodcast?si=vp1-1wLrNzi6Uevh) channel. Thank you for listening to the Upstart Crow Podcast, a part of Watershed Lit Radio Produced by Upstart Crow Podcast Recording and Audio Production by Jon D PodCom Copyright © 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast - All Rights Reserved #IlanStavans #AmericanLiterature #ReligionInAmerica

3. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders – Ortiz’s War

   From 1932 until the end of World War II, Peter J. Ortiz was almost constantly involved in international warfare—13 years of it—either fighting or gathering intelligence about fighting. He started in the French Foreign Legion, moved to the U.S. Marines when the United States entered the war, and was one of the first people to serve in America’s fledgling spy network, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). He was invaluable. He had grown up spending a lot of time in Europe and spoke at least five languages; some reports put the number as high as 10. By the end of the war, he had been decorated with two dozen medals from three countries. The subtitle to the book offers some insight as to why he was so acclaimed: "The Allies’ Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France." Nicholas Reynolds graduated from Oxford University with a Ph.D. in modern history. Having grown up in the shadow of World War II and developing an interest in history and military history especially, he immediately joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as an infantry officer and then as an historian. He later served as a CIA officer, ending with a years-long stint as CIA Museum historian. He now teaches and writes. His books include Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence, which was designated a best book of 2022 by The New Yorker. He also wrote Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy (2017), which looks at the life and work of Ernest Hemingway and, in a way, links back to this book about Ortiz. In it, Nick looks at the OSS and Hemingway’s involvement with it in the closing days of World War II in Europe. Katie S. Sanders is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and an award-winning journalist who has written for National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post Magazine, New World, Time, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, Insider, Glamour, and Marie Claire. Her reporting brought her to the CIA and the White House, and into the homes of many World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors. Her late grandfather, a Jewish-American bomber pilot who was shot down over France while dropping supplies behind enemy lines, was among those rescued by Peter Ortiz and the resistance fighters he led. It was this connection that brought her to team with Nick to write the story of Ortiz’s War. Buy Ortiz’s War wherever books are sold, including Amazon (https://amzn.to/4x6GDZl). Find out more about our guests on their websites: Nicholas Reynolds (https://www.nicholasreynoldsauthor.com) Katie S. Sanders (https://www.katiessanders.com/about) Follow and tag @ortizswarbook. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Peter J. Ortiz was an extraordinary World War II warrior who served in the French Foreign Legion, U.S. Marine Corps, OSS, and British Special Operations Executive. • The OSS was essentially built from scratch during World War II, growing from virtually no organization into a major American intelligence operation. • Ortiz operated far beyond the traditional role of an intelligence officer, gathering intelligence, working with the French Resistance, recruiting couriers, conducting raids, and even stealing Gestapo staff cars. • His fluency in French, familiarity with France, and experience in the French Foreign Legion made him uniquely effective behind enemy lines. • Ortiz's leadership was defined as much by restraint as by courage. His decision to surrender to a vastly larger German force in order to protect a French village and give his men a chance to escape became one of the defining moments of his story. • Nick Reynolds and Katie Sanders explore what made extraordinary battlefield leaders like Ortiz and Wild Bill Donovan different, including their tolerance for risk, discomfort, and uncertainty. • Katie Sanders' connection to Ortiz is deeply personal: Ortiz helped save the life of her grandfather, a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot whose B-24 was shot down over France. • The authors combine military records, oral histories, contemporary accounts, and other archival material to separate the documented history of Ortiz from the many legendary stories that grew up around him. • At its heart, Ortiz's War is a story about courage, sacrifice, duty, leadership, and the extraordinary individuals who operated outside conventional molds during World War II. "There's something extra in their makeup that is a tolerance for risk that a lot of us don't have." - Nick Reynolds "It's not only tolerance for risk, but it's tolerance for discomfort." - Katie Sanders You can also watch the full interview (https://www.youtube.com/@upstartcrowpodcast) on our YouTube channel. Be sure to visit our website (https://upstartcrow.org) Thank you for listening to the Upstart Crow Podcast, a part of Watershed Lit Radio Produced by Upstart Crow Podcast Recording and Audio Production by Jon D PodCom Copyright © 2026 Upstart Crow Podcast - All Rights Reserved #WorldWarII #MilitaryHistory #OSS

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 25 / 100

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

Quality

38

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32