On this episode of Our American Stories in this dramatic reading American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized Old North Church and Paul Revere in American folklore and cemented their place in American history Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

In his poem ldquo The Witnesses rdquo Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ndash described a sunken slave ship As he wrote of ldquo skeletons in chains rdquo Longfellow mourned slavery rsquo s countless nameless victims The concluding stanza reads ldquo These are the woes of Slaves They glare from the abyss They cry from unknown graves We are the Witnesses rdquo But who do these witnesses speak to Isn rsquo t such silent testimony futile There is a Witness who sees it all When Cain murdered Abel he pretended nothing had happened ldquo Am I my brother rsquo s keeper rdquo he [... more]

ldquo I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day rdquo based on an poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a truly unusual Christmas song Instead of the expected Christmas joy and mirth the lyric forms a lament crying out ldquo And in despair I bowed my head There is no peace on earth I said For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth good will to men rdquo This lament however moves forward into hope reassuring us that ldquo God is not dead nor does he sleep The wrong shall fail the right prevail nbsp With peace [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Edgar Allen Poe is known for his scary short stories and poems and when we look at his life early tragedies explain a lot of his stories but what we don't often think of when we consider Poe are his comedic writings his detective stories and even a bit of early Science Fiction Chris Semtner Curator at the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia pulls back the curtain on Poe Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Support the show [... more]

Support the show [... more]