Colin E. Woodward's Official Site

Phil Mark has worked at Stratford Hall for nine years as the Director of Preservation. He talks with Colin about growing up outside of Flint, Michigan, raising three kids, and an unpleasant encounter with a Georgia hillbilly. Also, Colin talks about his Labor Day Sunday watching Kashmir, a Led Zeppelin…

In this episode, Colin uses the Netflix drama Narcos as a jumping off point for talking about his fascination with the deep, deep South: the Caribbean and South America. Along the way, he discusses his trips to the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, bossa nova, and a cranky Massachusetts tour guide…

Colin talks about his mixed feelings when getting a new computer. Also, he spent the anniversary of the battle of Second Bull Run at the site, which provides lessons for even the most hardened Civil War scholar. And attending a showing of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the…

James Kelly has worked in museums for his whole career, and he and Colin used to work together at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. On this episode, Jim talks about growing up near Philadelphia, his years in Nashville as a grad student, and his childhood obsession with Captain Hook.

Music fans love lists. Don’t believe me? Watch High Fidelity, the best movie about music fans, which even includes a “Top Five Songs about Death.” So, here it is, my favorite compilation albums of all time. The Beatles. Past Masters, Volume II. The Beatles were a great album band as…

Chip Jones works at Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee and the home of two signers of the Declaration of Independence. He’s also a Hokie, football fan, and veteran of the Iraq War. He talks with Colin about growing up in Virginia, college, and his experiences in the…

Todd Schall-Vess has been manager of the Byrd Theatre for almost 20 years. The Byrd was built in 1928 and is a historic landmark. It’s also one of Colin’s own 7 Wonders of the World. In this episode, Colin talks with him about trying to make money in the movie…

It’s been hot, baby, and it’s that time of year when people start acting especially crazy. So why not talk politics? A recent, not-for-the-first-time watching of Dirty Harry leads to a discussion of how fascism continues to be a major trope in American politics.

In this episode, Colin talks about his earliest obsession: baseball. He explores why he’s a devoted Red Sox fan, how the game has changed (and how not so much), and why 1994 was when baseball started to go bad, got better, got worse, and will always endure.

            Ed Ayers and Gary Gallagher are two of the best southern historians working today. Ed Ayers is from Tennessee, taught at UVA, and is now president emeritus and professor at the University of Richmond. Gary Gallagher came to UVA by way of Penn State,…