We want history to be relatable with our main character, Sierra, a high school newspaper reporter who can see and talk to spirits and is not afraid to ask historical figures tough questions. We’re pairing each episode with worksheets, activities, and quizzes so teachers, homeschoolers, and families can explore history in a fun and engaging way. Alongside The Spectral Summit, our sister series The Literary Summit will pair famous poems and short stories that were popular during those historic periods. You have the option of listening to the audio portion or watching the video of the episodes which includes historic photos of the figures and events we reference. 

Our vision is to offer these podcasts/videos and materials through a low-cost subscription — starting at just $10/month for one historical and one literary podcast/video each month, complete with classroom-ready materials. You can pick a monthly subscription on Teachable.  We also have discounted yearly subscriptions as well as subscriptions for classrooms and schools. 

Click to go to Teachable

Spectral Summit Episodes: 
Episode 1 - Harding: Legacy in Limbo – Sierra, a school newspaper editor and her friends meet the spirits of Warren and Florence Harding at a train museum and discuss his history as a journalist, POTUS and his scandalous legacy.  The President and the First Lady offer guidance after Sierra’s story on mill workers is sacked by the high school administration. 

Episode 2 - Eleanor and FDR – When Darcy, a school reporter, is having trouble writing an article about a disabled student at their school, the three teen journalists go to the train museum and tour FDR’s train car where Sierra sees the spirits of the President and Eleanor Roosevelt. Sierra gets her mill worker article published in a regional publication much to the chagrin of her principal.

Episode 3 - Harding & FDR: Normalcy vs. Progress – Sierra summons the ghosts of Harding, FDR, Eleanor, and Florence for a debate on leadership, inspiring her friend and follow journalist Robbie to overcome her fear of public speaking and encourage her classmates to share their own truths.

Episode 4 - The First Ladies Spill the Tea - In this episode, Sierra, Darcy and Robbie discuss with Edith Wilson, Florence Harding and Eleanor Roosevelt how they handled their husbands' health issues and when it's appropriate to share information, especially as Edith, became the "steward" for President Wilson and made crucial decisions while they dealt with this stroke in 1919. 

Literary Summit Episodes: 
Tell Tale Poe – Join us as we discuss the influence of Edgar Allen Poe on horror, romantic and gothic literature. This episode includes Max Grimm reading Poe classics The Raven, Tale Tell Heart and Annabel Lee. 

The Ransom of Red Chief - Check out a fun episode we look at the influence of O. Henry and how his talent for plot twists and surprise endings shine as we read about a pair of bumbling kidnappers who abduct the son of a wealthy man only to find out that they picked on the wrong captive. 

The Federalist Paper 70 - In Federalist No. 70,  Alexander Hamilton argues for a strong, energetic, and single executive (unitary executive) to lead the U.S. government, rather than a council. He asserts that a single president provides necessary accountability, quick decision-making, and secrecy, ensuring effective governance, protecting national security, and upholding the rule of law.  

Ben Franklin's Silence Dogood Essays - Take a mischievous 16-year-old founding teen in 1722 and have him prank his older brother who runs a newspaper but won't print his writings and you get the essays which young Ben wrote to satirize New England Society through the eyes of a well-heeled middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. Franklin even changed his handwriting so that his brother wouldn't know he wrote them. Here's the link to the free podcasts on Buzzsprout. 
 
Upcoming Episodes: 
A President's Son and the House of Booth -  both upcoming episodes take place at the Lincoln Library and Museum in Harrogate, Tennessee as Sierra, our high school newspaper editor Sierra, Darcy and Robbie visit the museum and find Robert Todd Lincoln and Edwin Booth discussing how John Wilkes Booth changed both their lives and that of the country with his selfish act. 

Abraham, Mary, and Robert: What We Carry Forward - In this episode, Sierra, her mother Julia, Darcy and Robbie make their way back to the museum after Julia’s work conference has concluded. Julia talks about how she would sometimes talk to the President through a puppet of him that she made as a child navigating the loss of a grandparent and how the Robert and Mary managed to find a way forward after their tragedies.