Heather Cox Richardson—HCR to her devotees—is a Mainer who lives by the ocean. Her husband is a lobsterman. She knows “the chop”; she was speaking and writing about it long before I borrowed the phrase.
And in navigating this current turbulence—both national, and, more recently in my case, personal—she’s also my North Star. (Here I confess I don’t actually know if Polaris forms part of what mariners look to…but I know the North Star led folks out of slavery, and that’s the choppiest chop there is. So: let’s roll with it.)
Reading and listening to HCR (especially listening; her voice is so calm) has been keeping my keel evened since the 2024 debacle election. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the HCR choir so I should quit preaching. But just in case you’re not…
Through her Letters From an American series, HCR puts the daily outrages of the current regime into perspective. Yes, this is horrible…but it also looks a lot like the 1850s. The 1890s. The 1920s. Etc.
Through her Politics Chats, (on YouTube, Substack and Facebook) HCR draws a line through the chaos, connecting dots, allowing us to see patterns, to understand. What do all these awful news stories have in common? Grift. Corruption. White supremacy. Etc.
(Plus she has an adorable habit of reading aloud all the towns and countries people beam in from to listen to her livestream.)
Through her current 250 to 250 series—which should seriously win some kind of media prize—HCR reminds us what it means to have pride and joy in our own country, its government, lands, history. Want to celebrate America’s 250th more meaningfully than watching a cage fight? Here are 250 1-minute snippets on everything that makes us US.
(Most of the 250 are narrated by other people, some famous, some just appropriate. Heather herself only narrates two…but it’s telling which two she chose.)
HCR is also fun and funny. My favorite podcasts are her weekly(ish) chats with fellow American historian Joanne Freeman, “What the Heck Just Happened.” There, serious unpacking of the week’s stuff comes with healthy discussion of M ‘n’ Ms, cleaning your bathroom, and Gary the Apple Guy, and they end each session telling each other “I love you.” Can’t begin to express what a balm this is.
If you’ve clicked on some of the above links, you’ve now found your way into HCR World, but just to be clear: look for Heather Cox Richardson on YouTube, on Substack, or just Google her and see what pops up.
I guarantee you will feel heartened, bolstered, and…guided. Sail on!