Episode Details

It's not very often that a historian interviews a poet for a history podcast, but in this episode state historian Walt Woodward interviews award-winning poet, novelist, essayist, environmentalist, and former Deputy Commission of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection David K. Leff about his   new verse novel, The Breach: Voices Haunting a New England Mill Town (Homebound Books, 2019). The Breach is a fascinating study of decline in  a New England factory village  caught in the throes of both an economic and an environmental crisis. And - plus, plus, plus - it's a story  told mostly by historical objects. Leff talks about his book,  the reasons he lets objects tell the story, and reads some of the entries, too.   Warning: Leff's readings contain a bit of profanity, one violent episode, and a hint of sex.