Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards

Whisks and witches. Bristles and Shakers. Potions and prisons. From making brooms to jumping them, teacher, author, broomsquire, and Broomologist Cate O'Connell Richards gives us the overlooked history of how that broom got in your garage. So light a candle and tuck in for fibers, harvests, how-tos, angel wings, hawktails, besoms, labor laws, Broomcorn Johnnies, utopic communes, wedding traditions, oral histories, care tips and how everything is more interesting with context. Even brooms. Content warning as requested by the guest: when we talk about history, especially witches, there may be mentions of violence, death or sexuality.
Visit Cate’s website (cateoconnellrichards.com) and store (cateoconnellrichards.bigcartel.com) and follow them on Instagram (instagram.com/broomcast)
A donation went to Prison Arts Collective (prisonartscollective.com)
More episode sources and links (alieward.com/ologies/broomology)
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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions (maitlandaudio.com) and Jake Chaffee (jecmusic.com)
Managing Director: Susan Hale
Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth
Transcripts by Aveline Malek
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer (kellyrdwyer.com/photo)
Theme song by Nick Thorburn

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