Speak Your Piece: a podcast about Utah's history - podcast cover

Speak Your Piece: a podcast about Utah's history

Brad Westwood, Senior Public Historian, Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagementcommunity.utah.gov
The past is never truly “in the past.” It’s all around us, it informs us. It speaks to our shared and to our separate identities. “Speak Your Piece” is a podcast where contributors share their insights and discoveries about Utah's 12,000 year (plus) human story. Hosted by Brad Westwood, Senior Public Historian (Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement), and co produced by Chelsey Zamir, a new episode is released every other week, sometimes more, sometimes less. SYP explores the key arguments with new and worthwhile older publications, articles or websites; or delves into a notable museum, archival collection, archaeological report; or allows a respected writer, curator or historian to speak freely, sometimes about difficult history. SYP seeks to tell a history of Utah in a way you might not heard it before., told by the people who know it best: historians, writers, curators, archaeologists, rare book dealers, archivists, librarians and more. Speak Your Piece is recorded and engineered at the Utah State Library in Salt Lake City. Jason Powers is the sound and post-production engineer. The SYP logo is a photograph entitled "Canyonlands," taken by Utah outdoor photographer Al W. Morton, circa 1955, within the Canyonlands National Park (NPS). The lone man in the image is Kent Frost, looking over a series of needle rock formations located in San Juan County, Utah. The image and rights are owned by the Utah State Historical Society.
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Episodes

Constance Lieber on Martha Hughes Cannon (1857-1932) the First Female State Senator (Utah) in the USA (S5, E12)

Date: April 17, 2023 (Season 5, Episode 12: 1 hour, 7 minutes long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood, Chelsey Zamir, and Dr. Katherine Kitterman, with sound engineering and post-production editing from Jason T. Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. In this Speak Your Piece episode, we hear f...

Oct 26, 20231 hr 8 minSeason 5Ep. 12

SLC's Pioneer Museum and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers: A Conversation with Megan Weiss (S5, E13)

Date: May 30, 2023 (Season 5, Episode 13: 54 minutes and 21 seconds long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. Speak Your Piece Host Brad Westwood hosts Megan Weiss, a Ph....

Jul 21, 202354 minSeason 5Ep. 13

Reissued: Rick Turley, 35 Years of LDS Church History (S1, E4 - Part 2)

Date: December 2, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 4 - Part 2: 20 minutes long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson (Studio Underground) and Jason Powers (Utah State Library Recording Studio). This two-part episode serie...

May 01, 202320 minSeason 1Ep. 4

Reissued: Rick Turley, 35 Years of LDS Church History (S1, E4 - Part 1)

Date: December 2, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 4 - Part 1: 31 min. & 18 sec. long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson (Studio Underground) and Jason Powers (Utah State Library Recording Studio). This two-part ep...

May 01, 202331 minSeason 1Ep. 4

Gary Bergera on his Life’s Work as an Author and Publisher of History (S5, E10)

Date: March 10, 2023 (Season 5, Episode 10: 53 minutes long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with sound engineering and post-production editing by Jason T. Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This episode is a conversation with Speak Your Piece host Brad Westwood and Gary Bergera, Mormon and W...

Apr 20, 202353 minSeason 5Ep. 10

Reissued: “Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room”: Utah Politics from 1890s-1970s with Rod Decker (S1, E6 - Part 2)

Date: December 16, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 6 – Part 2: 17 min. & 26 sec. long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is an interview with Rodney Decker, former reporter ...

Apr 17, 202317 minSeason 1Ep. 6

Reissued: “Utah Politics: The Elephant in the Room”: Utah Politics from 1890s-1970s with Rod Decker (S1, E6 - Part 1)

Date: December 16, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 6 – Part 1: 30 min. long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is an interview with Rodney Decker, former reporter on KUTV Channe...

Apr 17, 202330 minSeason 1Ep. 6

Reissued: Amy Barry, Stories from Utah’s Cemeteries Database (S1, E7 - Part 2)

Date: December 23, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 7 - Part 2: 26 min. & 1 sec. long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is an interview with Amy Barry, the program manager f...

Apr 03, 202326 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Reissued: Amy Barry, Stories from Utah’s Cemeteries Database (S1, E7 - Part 1)

Date: December 23, 2019 (Season 1, Episode 7 - Part 1: 25 min. & 3 sec. long). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture and Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is an interview with Amy Barry, the program manager f...

Apr 03, 202325 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Todd Compton on “A Frontier Life: Jacob Hamblin, Explorer and Indian Missionary” (published 2013)

Date: February 3, 2023 (Season 5, Episode 8: 62 minutes long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with sound engineering and post-production editing by Jason T. Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. Host Brad Westwood interviews Dr. Todd M. Compton regarding his award-winning book: A Frontier Life: ...

Mar 24, 20231 hr 2 minSeason 5Ep. 8

Growing Up Latinx in Utah: A Conversation with Lee Martinez and Maria Garciaz (S5, E9)

Date: February 6, 2023 (Season 5, Episode 9: 40 minutes long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with sound engineering and post-production editing by Jason T. Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. In this episode, we talk about growing up Hispanic in Utah. Maria Garciaz (chief executive officer of...

Mar 20, 202341 minSeason 5Ep. 9

Reissued: “Intermountain Histories,” the Podcast “Writing Westward” and More: A Conversation with Brenden Rensink (S1, E9 - Part 2)

Date: January 13, 2020 (Season 1, Episode 9 — Part 2: 23 minutes long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is a conversation with Brigham Young University historian Brenden Rensink with SYP host Br...

Mar 09, 202323 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Reissued: “Intermountain Histories,” the Podcast “Writing Westward” and More: A Conversation with Brenden Rensink (S1, E9 - Part 1)

Date: January 13, 2020 (Season 1, Episode 9 — Part 1: 26 min. and 39 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Conner Sorenson of Studio Underground. This SYP episode is a conversation with Brigham Young University historian Brenden Rensink with SY...

Mar 09, 202327 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Rick Turley and Barbara Jones Brown on “Vengeance is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath” (2023) (S5 E7)

Date: July 7, 2022 (Season 5, Episode 7: 75 minutes long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . The episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with sound engineering and post-production editing by Jason T. Powers, from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This episode of Speak Your Piece is an interview with Barbara Jones Brown, director of Signature Books, a...

Feb 27, 20231 hr 15 minSeason 5Ep. 7

Murals of Four Remarkable Black Women in Utah’s History, Installed in SLC’s Richmond Park by Sema Hadithi & Better Days (S4 E15)

Date: July 7, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 15: 63 min. & 52 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here . This episode was co-produced by Cassandra Clark, Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir. Post-production editing was completed by Cassandra Clark and Kennedy Oringdulph. This SYP episode is part of an ongoing series about women’s history in Utah . It involves a discussion with SYP ...

Feb 13, 20231 hr 4 minSeason 4Ep. 15

Reissued: W. Paul Reeve, "Century of Black Mormons" (S1 E3 - Part 2)

Date: November 25, 2019 (S1 E3 - Part 2: 21 min. & 23 seconds). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. In Part 2 of this episode, Reeve begins by telling listeners of SYP about some surprises he...

Feb 01, 202321 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Reissued: W. Paul Reeve, "Century of Black Mormons" (S1 E3 - Part 1)

Date: November 25, 2019 (S1 E3 - Part 1: 23 min. & 44 seconds). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode, click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This SYP episode is an interview with W. Paul Reeve, University of Utah professor of Histor...

Feb 01, 202324 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Greg Smoak on His Book “Western Lands, Western Voices: Essays on Public History in the American West” (S4 E14)

Date: June 27, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 14: 59 minutes & 21 seconds long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click Here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. Dr. Gregory E. Smoak, longtime director of the American West Center (Univ. of Utah...

Jan 16, 202359 minSeason 4Ep. 14

Brent Ashworth’s Personal Experiences with Mark Hofmann: Counterfeiter, Forger & Convicted Murderer (S4 E13)

Date: June 15, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 13: 1 hour, 11 min. & 50 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This episode is with Brent F. Ashworth, someone who knew Mark W. Hofmann, well, ...

Jan 04, 20231 hr 12 minSeason 4Ep. 13

Brandon Plewe on the 1900 Utah Census (S4 E7)

Date: March 7, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 7: 59 min. & 28 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This episode is an interview with Dr. Brandon Plewe, BYU geographer and cartographer, wit...

Dec 19, 202259 minSeason 4Ep. 7

Utah & America’s “Downwinders” History with Mary Dickson (S4 E12)

Date: April 11, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 12: 55 min. & 40 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood and Chelsey Zamir , with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This SYP episode is an interview with Mary Dickson, a Downwinder and thyroid cancer sur...

Dec 14, 202256 minSeason 4Ep. 12

Historian John Sillito on the Irrepressible B. H. Roberts –Orator, Church Leader, Politician, Journalist, Public Intellectual and Mormon Historian (S4 E11)

Date: April 27, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 11: 1 hour, 12 minutes & 49 seconds long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click Here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was produced by Brad Westwood with help (sound engineering and post-production editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. Utah and Western historian John Sillito, saw many things to admire in his subject B. H. (Brigham...

Dec 07, 20221 hr 13 minSeason 4Ep. 11

Utah Women in World War I from the UHQ (S4 E10)

Date: March 28, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 10: 52 min. & 8 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click Here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here. This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood , Chelsey Zamir , and Cassandra Clark , with help (sound engineering and postproduction editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This SYP episode is part of an ongoing series about women’s history i...

Dec 06, 202252 minSeason 4Ep. 10

Women Inventors in Utah Territory from the UHQ (S4 E6)

Date: Feb. 27, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 6: 50 min. & 56 sec. long). For the entire show notes and additional resources for this episode Click Here . Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here . This episode was co-produced by Brad Westwood , Chelsey Zamir , and Cassandra Clark , with help (sound engineering and postproduction editing) from Jason Powers from the Utah State Library Recording Studio. This SYP episode is part of an ongoing series about women’s history i...

Dec 02, 202251 minSeason 4Ep. 6

Historical Struggles for Water: Westwater (Navajo) and the Uinta Reservation (Ute) - Join us @ the Annual History Conference: "Water at the Confluence Past and Present" (S5 E3)

Date: September 19, 2022 (Season 5, Episode 3 - 35 minutes long). Click Here for the Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement version of this Speak Your Piece episode. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click Here . Here are two audio samples from the October 26, 2022 state history conference "WATER AT THE CONFLUENCE OF PAST & FUTURE'' (Provo Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, 101 West 100 North, Provo, Utah). To join Utah's annual history fest click here...

Oct 10, 202234 minSeason 5Ep. 3

Utah’s Timpanogos Cave & the National Monument’s Centennial Year (1922-2022) (S5 E2)

Date: September 8, 2022 (Season 5, Episode 2: 58 minutes long). Click here to see the SYP webpage which includes historical photographs and recommended readings. Caption for the above photograph: early explorers peering out from within a cave formation in American Fork Canyon's Timpanogos Cave. Courtesy of the Timpanogos Cave National Monument (NPS). Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . Next month on October 14, 2022 Utah’s Timpanogos Cave–which actually includ...

Sep 18, 202258 minSeason 5Ep. 2

Returning Home: Diné Poetry, Essays, Art & Journalism from Utah's Intermountain Indian School (1950-1983, Brigham City, UT) (S3 E14)

Date: November 29, 2021 (Season 3, Episode 14: 102 minutes long). Click Here to see the SYP webpage page which includes art from the book, photos of the co-authors, recommended readings and a site plan for Intermountain Indian School, circa 1980s. Are you interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece ? Click here . Podcast Content: This episode is about literary and creative expressions--works of poetry, essays, art and journalism--produced by Diné or Navajo junior high and high school studen...

Aug 26, 20221 hr 43 minSeason 3Ep. 14

“Soul of God” – the Life & Works of Utah Raised Mexican Muralist Pablo O’Higgins – A Conversation with Susan Vogel, Fanny Guadalupe Blauer and Catherine Aviles (Season 4, Ep. 5)

Date: Feb. 28, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 5: 73 minutes). Click here for the Utah Dept of Culture & Community Engagement shownotes for this episode. Click here for more SYP episodes . The episode’s focus is on Paul Higgins, a 20th century artist, Utah born and bred (middle class, Presbyterian, his father a mining attorney), who became "Pablo Esteban O'Higgins," a beloved Mexican muralist. His devotees thought of his work as expressing the "Soul of God," through his empathic capturing of everyda...

Jul 20, 20221 hr 13 minSeason 4Ep. 5

Utah & the Mormons First Fifty Years Together: A Conversation with LDS Church Historians Matt Grow and Scott Hales (Season 4, Ep. 3)

January 24, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 3; 75 minutes). Click here for the Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement's versions of this episode. Are you interested in other episodes of SYP? Click here . Just in time for Utah’s July 24th Pioneer Day celebrations , this episode of Speak Your Piece (SYP) offers new research and new approaches, regarding the first forty-seven years (1846-1893) of a 175 year relationship between Utah and the Mormons. Before you celebrate Utah's 24th of July, load-...

Jul 12, 20221 hr 15 minSeason 4Ep. 3

The New Juneteenth Holiday & Utah's Laws on Interracial Marriage (1888-1963) (Season 4, Ep. 9)

June 2, 2022 (Season 4, Episode 9, episode length: 61 minutes) Click here to read the larger Speak Your Piece shownotes . Women, Race and Marriage: This Speak Your Piece episode involves: (a) Women’s history–this is the 2nd in a series about Utah Women’s History, (b) Utah’s new Juneteenth holiday, and (c) a seminar-like discussion on Patrick Mason’s Utah Historical Quarterly article, entitled: “The Prohibition of Interracial Marriage in Utah, 1888-1963 (V. 76, No. 2). This excellent UHQ article,...

Jun 20, 20221 hr 4 min
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