Heather Cox Richardson: How Writing About History Made a College Professor a Social Media Superstar

                        

  

Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of 19th Century American History at Boston College and author of several acclaimed books, including How the South Won the Civil War.

I first discovered her after reading her immensely popular and lucrative Substack newsletter, "Letters from An American," which chronicles the day’s news events in historial context.

On the pod, Heather talks about how she built up over 1.5 million followers on Facebook, why she chose Substack as her writing medium, how she chooses her topics.

She also shares what history can teach us about the present, and how understanding what happened in 1850s can help us navigate today's news. Heather also gives us permission to take a break from social media and the news to connect with literature and the arts, suggesting that our society may be better off for it. Finally, she talks about how she works with her six closest friends to decide what she will print.