The first episode in Series 2 of the Newcastle Oral History Podcast features a conversation between Graham Smith and Wendy Rickard. Wendy is a renowned oral historian who has worked on a number of ‘taboo’ and difficult subjects, including sex working and the ongoing relationships between interviewer and interviewees. She has experience of working with medical researchers on the impact and experience of HIV/AIDS and pandemics such as Ebola and SARS. Throughout the episode, Graham and Wendy discuss the ethics of researching pandemic illness, the ‘new normal’ in the age of Covid-19, and the pros and cons of using videoconferencing tools in oral history interviews.
More ways to listen:
- Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/newcastle-oral-history-unit-podca-8QojZr
- Podbean: https://nohuc.podbean.com/
- Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/n3pe9ooa
Wendy Rickard Podcast: Accompanying Reading List
Rickard, W. (2003) ‘Collaborating with Sex Workers in Oral History’. The Oral History Review Vol. 30, No. 1
Rickard, W. and Storr, M. (2001) ‘Editorial: Sex Work Reassessed’. Feminist Review No. 67, Sex Work Reassessed.
Rickard, W. (1998) Oral History- ‘More Dangerous than Therapy’?: Interviewees’ Reflections on Recording Traumatic or Taboo Issues. Oral History, Vol. 26, No. 2.
Creature Comforts: