On 10 June 2025, the PHA NSW-ACT hosted a panel discussion about how to get your history heard. Three expert historians shared their experiences crafting histories for radio and podcasts, including:
- How do I come up with a good idea?
- How do you pitch your idea, and who do you pitch it to?
- How is writing history for audio different? What do you need to think about?
- What are some of the considerations you need to think about when writing for a wide audience?
- What is it like to be in the recording studio?
The session was chaired by PHA NSW-ACT President Dr Naomi Parry Duncan.
Panel members:
Minna Muhlen-Schulte
Minna Muhlen-Schulte is a professional historian and project manager with over a decade’s experience managing complex, publicly-funded projects, authoring thematic histories and collaborating with First Nations communities to deliver heritage interpretation outcomes. Minna has researched and written documentaries for ABC Radio National and developed radio content for the Dictionary of Sydney and 2SER. Currently Minna is the project manager of the Australian Creative Histories and Future project at UNSW. Previously Minna worked at GML Heritage and Create NSW in the Arts and Cultural Development funding program.
Meg Foster
Dr Meg Foster (FRHistS) is an award-winning historian of banditry, settler colonial and public history who specialises in Australian bushranging. Meg received a prestigious ABC Top 5 Humanities Media Residency to develop her media skills with Australia’s national public broadcaster, and created a podcast for ABC Radio National’s Rewind program as a result. Combined with tv, radio and podcast appearances, reviews, newspaper articles, blog posts, and artistic collaborations, Meg has a breadth of experience engaging academic and public audiences, and a passion for making connections between history and the contemporary world.
Kathy Prokhovnik
Kathy Prokhovnik’s day job is as a technical writer, project manager and editor. She also writes fiction (long form, short stories, microfiction) and creative nonfiction. Her podcast series, Seeking Sydney, started life as a social history of Sydney, travelling from east to west. It asks, ‘Where did Sydney come from, and why?’ Kathy is currently finalising her second novel, Safety in the Home. She has been awarded a fellowship at the Perth KSP Writers’ Centre and a Newcastle Lighthouse Arts residency. Her short stories have had some wins, some shortlists, some publications. She blogs at http://kathyprokhovnik.com/