Essay Americana

Stephen Ludwig: Writer, speaker, and podcaster•essayamericana.libsyn.com

Essay Americana provides insight into American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries covering work, relationships, history, leadership, self-identity, philosophy, politics, and psychology.

Last refreshed: July 11th, 2025 at 8:24 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Silent Bronze

What do we learn from our grandparents that we didn't get to know? This essay explores those questions of what we get when we ask if they would be proud of how we turned out.

Feb 12, 2025•11 min

Hero?

This essay is part of the series, "Asphalt Blackboard: Life Lessons from America's Highways." It examines how we are socially programed to respond to a crisis and what it means to be a hero.

Nov 10, 2021•13 min

Season 2, Ep. 1 Stranger Relief at Thanksgiving

In this time of COVID-19, social distancing, and sheltering in place, why not look at family dynamics in the form of a major holiday?

Mar 22, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 1

Art, pop culture, comic books, movies, tv, and compulsive behavior. This episode deals with all that, as well as taking a hard look at when we cut out parts of ourselves in order to "fit in" and what it means to reclaim parts of our personality we should have never let go.

Oct 01, 2019•29 min

What's a Life Worth?

This month's essay looks at the fundamental question--how we determine the value of a life.

Jul 26, 2019•17 min

Hallowed Ground

What do we hold sacred? What is truly hallowed ground? A massive church that's been turned into a disco and two battlefields are the backdrop for this interesting essay about what we value and why.

Jun 06, 2019•13 min

Nurse Logs

What do we owe the past? This essay, the third from “Asphalt Blackboard: Life Lessons form America’s Highways” series, explores that question from the only temperate rain forest in the world.

May 05, 2019•13 min

Follow the Leader

Leadership. It's the Holy Grail of the business world. It took a cold day in whitewater to teach how Americans' view leadership and a possible new approach.

Mar 23, 2019•15 min

Unplugged

Changes to rural Montana, the Great American Road Trip, and becoming unmoored from you daily life all teach something about modern American life.

Mar 05, 2019•13 min

Memorial Service

A memorial service serves as the backdrop for a reflection on church culture and who gets to stand behind the alter.

Feb 21, 2019•13 min

Holding onto Humanity

We see the end results on the television, but what's it like to cover a major tragedy?

Feb 07, 2019•9 min

Walking on Sunshine

iTunes and Spotify have robbed us of something, but have they given us something in return? This essay explores the power of music, nostalgia, and technology and how each impacts the other and what it might mean to you.

Jan 29, 2019•10 min

Hush

An evening at a nightclub with a journal ends up providing insight into what night clubs teach us about ourselves—the good, the bad, and our society as a whole.

Jan 15, 2019•10 min

Essay Americana Episode 1

Essay Americana captures snapshots of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Topics covered include work, relationships, history, leadership, self-identity, and others. This episode looks at the positive consequences of unlearning a well intentioned lie all mothers tell their children.

Jan 05, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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