I’m the podcast’s creator and host, Lesley-Anne Beadles (but call me L.A.)—a writer, a historian, a storyteller. I’m obsessed with the micro and the macro of Titanic, with every person that boarded her in 1912, and what we make of her legacy to this day.

I have a PhD in American History from the University of Georgia, with a specialization in the U.S. South. Before Titanic pulled me in, I wrote and taught on the history of slavery, the Civil War, civil rights and industrialization. Podcasting has allowed me to use my academic skills in ways I never imagined, and I am so grateful to have a voice via it.

I live on the side of a mountain just outside Asheville, North Carolina, with my husband, our two frenetic children, a chihuahua named Rose (Dewitt-Pawkater) and one very grumpy cat. I really do talk about Titanic 24/7. I also talk a lot about film, literature, and food. Oh, and Outlander.

I am in the process of developing a sister podcast + historical project, Mythic Americana, which will take me back to my 19th century historical roots to trace the ways by which we mythologize (for better or worse) our past as well as the stories that have gone untold because of their grimness. There is hope in the truth.

A huge thank you to family and friends who have tirelessly supported this endeavor—you know who you are!