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Conversations with writers and authors, historians, and everyday voices about history, craft, resilience, and place
The Wandering Pen is an eclectic podcast about history, writing, resilience, and the places and stories that matter. Each week, Christine Musser speaks with writers and authors, historians, and everyday voices who share journeys of creativity, struggle, and discovery. Together, we explore how books, personal stories, and history shape the way we understand our world—and ourselves.
Episode examples:
Between Verses and Translations: Nancy Jean Ross on Crafting Literary Bridges
Writer and translator Nancy Jean Ross shares how poems cross borders—and what gets lost or found along the way. A practical talk on voice, revision, and choosing what to keep.
Description:
Nancy Jean Ross—writer, translator, and editor—walks through her approach to translation as creative writing: reading for music, carrying tone across languages, and shaping drafts for clarity without flattening meaning. We talk daily practice, revision tools, and how translators become co-authors in the best sense.
Suggested chapter markers:
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00:00 Why translation is writing
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08:40 Finding voice across languages
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20:10 Revision tools & workflow
The Peebles' Homestead: A Piece of Pennsylvania’s Past Worth Saving
A Pennsylvania homestead with stories in every beam. Why places like this matter—and how ordinary people can help save them.
Description:
We explore the history and preservation of the Peebles’ Homestead—architectural details, family records, and the community ties that make a site worth protecting. Practical steps for partnering with local historians, documenting a property, and telling a place’s story so others care, too.
Suggested chapter markers:
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00:00 The Peebles story & timeline
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10:15 What “worth saving” really means
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22:30 How to start a preservation effort
Walking It Off: Grief, Faith, and Self on the Camino de Santiago
A pilgrimage for a broken heart. What the Camino teaches about loss, endurance, and coming home to yourself.
Description:
A candid conversation about grief, resilience, and walking the Camino de Santiago—from blisters and solitude to small encounters that changed the journey. We talk journaling on the trail, the role of place in healing, and how storytelling turns pain into meaning.
Suggested chapter markers:
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00:00 Why the Camino, why now
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12:05 Journaling and memory on the move
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25:30 What healing looked like afterward
Episodes
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
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Exploring Pine Grove Furnace State Park: Its History, Industry, and Natural Beauty with Andre Weltman
What hidden history lies beneath Pine Grove Furnace State Park’s trails and lakes? In this episode of The Wandering Pen Podcast, I sit down with Andre Weltman, local historian, and chair of the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, to uncover the park’s fascinating past and vibrant present.
Once a bustling iron-making site, this South Mountain treasure has become a valued destination for hikers, campers, anglers, aqua adventurers, and history enthusiasts. Andre provides insights into the park’s iron industry origins, its role as the Appalachian Trail midpoint, and the rich cultural heritage preserved within its museums and historic sites. We also discuss the vital work of the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace in maintaining and improving the park through facility upkeep, fundraising, volunteer efforts, and community events such as the Fall Furnace Fest.
Andre shares information on his living history presentations, where he dons period attire to bring the past to life! If you’re curious about Pennsylvania’s industrial heritage, the intersection of history and nature, or just looking for your next outdoor adventure, this episode is a valuable source of information and enlightenment for you.
📍 Pine Grove Furnace State Park Contact Info:
🌐 Friends of Pine Grove Furnace
📧 Email: pinegrovefriends@gmail.com
📍 Visit the park office for more details!
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🎧 Tune in now, and don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with fellow history buffs and nature lovers!
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