“Middle America” is a podcast and radio show using history, storytelling, and music to discuss the world that surrounds us. Narrated by the fictional protagonist Wendell Bauer, episodes give both true history of the Central Illinois area and fictional memoir of a resident. Locally created music complements the stories to provide further emotional impact and insight.Topics discussed by “Middle America” thus far have included Illinois abolitionists, the French origins of the Midwest, philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley, Chicago’s earliest settlers, Prohibition-era gangsters, and comedian Richard Pryor, among others. Along the way there are outlaws, adventure, murder, mutiny, loss, charity, love, and finally progress. www.patreon.com/midamericapod www.facebook.com/midamericapod www.instagram.com/midamericapod www.twitter.com/midamericapod midamericapod.bandcamp.com middleamericapod@gmail.com
14. Wendell details some artists and venues from the history of the Peoria, Illinois underground punk music scene including Bloody F. Mess."Middle Ame...
13. Wendell remembers the man who pioneered whiskey distilling in Peoria, starting the trend that would create "The Whiskey Capital of the World" in t...
12. Wendell discusses the woman who sparked the second wave of American feminism, Betty Friedan along with his own domestic depression during a pandem...
10. Wendell discusses the life of the first non-indigenous permanent resident of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, as well as the events leading...
9. Wendell recounts his life events on September 11, 2001 while also discussing the destruction of French Peoria (La Ville de Maillet) during the War ...
8. Wendell discusses winter holidays as humanist and atheist while reading pieces by famous 19th century orator Robert Ingersoll."Middle America" is a...
6. Wendell tells the story of how Lydia Moss Bradley built monuments to her lost loved ones, providing Peoria with a park system, a university, a hosp...
5. The narrator, Wendell Bauer, continues the story of the early French in Illinois, picking up from episode 1. He also discusses how the names we giv...