Hello, Reader!
I wanted to take a moment to share where my work is headed, and why I’ll be taking a short pause from our History Behind the Headlines newsletter this end-of-year season.
Like you, I believe history helps us make sense of our world, especially when we can trust our sources and see ourselves in the stories. Together, through Ben Franklin’s World and History Behind the Headlines, we’ve built a community of curious people who love exploring the everyday lives, ideas, and hopes of early Americans.
This spring, Ben Franklin’s World became an independent production of Clio Digital Media. Independence gives Karin, Joe, and me full editorial freedom to tell the diverse, human stories of early America—stories that matter. But independence also means I’ve had to rethink how to sustain this work so it remains free and accessible for everyone.
Each episode you hear takes about 55–65 hours of research, writing, recording, and editing. Thanks to your donations and ad support, the show now largely pays for itself, but not yet for my time or for help behind the scenes.
To keep the podcast thriving and to better serve you, I’m developing new ways to explore history together:
- A Short Media Literacy Workshop: The workshop needs a title, but I’m building it based on your requests and feedback for an easy way to learn how to spot factual information from misinformation and truthful images from AI-generated “history.”
- Online Courses about Everyday Life: When I asked you what you were most interested in learning more about, you overwhelmingly responded with “how everyday people lived in early America.” I’ve been studying how to create online courses that we can offer on demand and in a live class, so I can offer a few of these courses. It will have to be a few courses because we cover the period from 1450-1820, and what everyday life looked like changed over time and depended on who you were.
- A Place to Connect With Other History Lovers: Earlier this year, I launched the History Explorers Club, an online community where you can connect with fellow history lovers and historians in a welcoming, conversational space. Your feedback was key to launching this community. Next year, you will see a continued growth of the History Explorers Club, with more members, events, and opportunities to speak with historians in live conversations.
These new offerings take time to build well. Right now, most of my hours go into podcast production and one day a week into writing this newsletter. That leaves little space to create the programs many of you have asked for.
So, beginning in November, I’ll be taking a short pause from History Behind the Headlines—returning in late January. During this time, I’ll catch up on podcast work, build the next phase of our community, and spend some much-needed time with my family over the holidays.
This isn’t goodbye; it’s a pause so I can create more meaningful ways for us to learn, connect, and explore together. When the newsletter returns, you can expect new tools, stories, and opportunities that make early American history even more vivid and relevant to your life today.
If you’d like to help sustain this independent work and support what’s next, you can donate 👉benfranklinsworld.com/donate. Every contribution—large or small—directly funds the research, editing, and new programs we’re building for you at Clio Digital Media.
Thank you for your curiosity, generosity, and encouragement. Ben Franklin’s World exists because of listeners and readers like you. I can’t wait to share what’s coming next.
And if you have ideas for what's next, please hit reply and let me know about them.
With gratitude,
Liz
P.S.
You’ll still hear from me through the podcast this end-of-year period— and look for some exciting bonus episodes this fall, including a conversation with the team behind Ken Burns’ The American Revolution.
