“This is Her Place”: Sharing the stories of Utah women past and present

“This is Her Place” is a new podcast from Utah State University’s Patrick Mason blending the stories of contemporary and historic Utah women. 

“There’s a real hunger right now to diversify the voices and experiences of those who are represented in our narratives about history and current events,” Mason said in a press release. “Women have always played a huge role in Utah, but their voices often aren’t heard or known, and people don’t know where to go to get those stories. I really want everyone to know that Utah is ‘her place’ too.”

Early on in 2020, Mason, who serves as the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture as well as a professor at USU, approached Naomi Watkins, a women’s advocate and educator, about the idea of creating a podcast about the history of Utah women. Watkins countered with an idea to include the stories of contemporary women as well.

“Women are doing really cool things now,” said Watkins, who, along with USU professor Tom Williams, hosts the show. 

Watkins wanted to make sure their listeners would understand the work women in Utah are doing now as well as work in the past. But due to impacting events such as the coronavirus and the death of George Floyd, the episodes became more relevant than their team bargained for. The first two episodes, which were written before these events and cover topics such as law enforcement and public health, had to be rewritten.

“I foresee us, yes, being cognizant of what’s happening in our contemporary conversations,” Watkins said of the podcast’s future. “In many ways, these are stories— for better or worse— of the human experience.”

Their narrative-based podcast quickly joined national and global conversations on these important conversations, while also sharing the experiences of Utah women.

“It is important to know the stories of all people,” said Jann Haworth, a British-American artist, Utah resident and interviewee for the podcast. “This year being a focal point for women, the spotlight turned in that direction.”

Haworth referred to 2020 being the 150th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Utah and the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. According to Mason, “This is Her Place” was inspired by these important anniversaries and by USU naming 2019-2020 the “Year of the Woman.”

“Women are most certainly a part of history. They might just have to work twice as hard to be appreciated,” Haworth said. “The contributions are there — the credit is lacking.”

Haworth added the podcast is helping “sing the song of the unsung.”

Watkins said although their first season will only contain one or two more episodes, they plan on releasing future seasons. She is excited about finding material for future episodes. 

“There are so many really cool stories we could feature,” Watkins said. “It’s just trying to find the best ones.”

For now, Watkins said their goal as a team is to increase their audience past just adults and women. As an educator herself, she said she hopes the podcast finds its way into the classroom and to a younger audience.

Debuting on June 24, “This is Her Place” now features three episodes, with a fourth being released soon. It is available on all platforms for podcasts including at thisisherplace.org/episodes.

William Bultez is a broadcast journalism major from Idaho. He is a film fanatic, dog lover and music enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors.

@willistheginger

—william.bultez@aggiemail.usu.edu