Popaganda: Speaking to Specters

Whether they expose past tragedies or family tragedies, ghosts reveal what is hidden away, under the layers of social etiquette, historical revisionism, and taboo. A poltergeist may expose unethical building practices as a ghost on videotape may reveal an unsolved murder.

In that way, the monster is really a messenger: of a past that won’t stay buried, of feelings that haven’t been acknowledged, of a heartache that still stings. On this episode, we’ll be talking about the storytelling potential of ghosts and the truths that emerge when they appear. First, Stu Maddux, the independent filmmaker behind the web series Queer Ghost Hunters, will speak on the task of unearthing hidden queer histories. Then you’ll hear from Margaret “Maggsâ€� Williams of the Bench Breaking Broads, an all-woman ghost hunting-crew that operate in the American South.

SHOUT-OUTS

• Here’s more info about the Mansfield Reformatory, where the Queer Ghost Hunters communicated with a queer phantom.
• Want to know more about Nguyen Qui Duc and the Vietnam War? Check out the PRI coverage of the Tet Offensive’s 50th anniversary.
• Read “Toni Morrison and the Queer Pleasure of Ghosts.â€�