Friend of East End: Dr. Ryan Smith

My first semester of graduate school at Brandeis University was Fall 2020. While my expectation was to go up to Waltham, Massachusettes the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. Starting my joint master’s degree in anthropology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies in my childhood home made me reconnect with my hometown of Richmond Virginia in a way I have not done since high school. During this time I also started an internship with the podcast This Anthro Life with Adam Gamwell through Brandeis.

With This Anthro Life I learned the ins and outs of podcast production and social media management. We discussed narrative arcs, interviewing skills, and how to figure out your target audience. My final project for the official internship was an interview with Dr. Ryan Smith on his latest book Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond’s Historic Cemeteries.

Dr. Ryan Smith is a professor of US history, material culture, and historic preservation at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and a Friend of East End. We met through mutual work with the Friends of East End and at the time of the interview there were multiple issues with Enrichmond blocking the Friends of East End from being able to do their work. Enrichmond wanted the friends, specifically Brian Palmer, to turn over all of their work without getting any credit.

My interview with Dr. Ryan Smith was my first major interview and the first officially public podcast. While it was nerve wrecking thinking about how many people could listen to my podcast it was well received. I currently still run the Instagram for This Anthro Life and make some of the episode art.

Dr. Ryan Smith