“Route 30: Stories from Westmoreland County” podcast launches

On April 2, Pitt-Greensburg hosted a launch party for the “Route 30: Stories from Westmoreland County, a Pitt-Greensburg Production” podcast series. This release includes two episodes titled “Politics of the Past: Teaching History in Western PA” and “Get Lit Westmoreland: Building Poetry Bridges”. One more episode titled “The Spirit of Greensburg: Where Community Meets Commerce” will be released soon. 

This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Digital Studies at Pitt-Greensburg and allows students to tell stories about Westmoreland County and beyond. 

“Politics of the Past: Teaching History in Western PA” was written, recorded, and produced by senior political science majors Isaac Stephens and Zakery Wiles. These students were advised by Dr. Adam Cilli. Stephens and Wiles interviewed people of many backgrounds, including Tom Pratt, a high school history teacher in Latrobe, Trenton Wood, the president of the history club at Pitt-Greensburg, Abby Graham-Paradus, the head of a local grassroots organization, and Rob Walker, the president of the college Republicans at Pitt-Greensburg.

“We were treading very murky waters,” Stephens said. “We didn’t want this to be some incendiary piece of political media. We wanted it to be a reflection of the national issues and how they affect local school systems.”

“Get Lit Westmoreland: Building Poetry Bridges” was written, recorded, and produced by senior creative and professional writing majors Ali Brown and Shannon Grace. These students were advised by Professor Lori Jakiela. Grace and Brown interviewed local poets and writers, including Joy Katz, Dave Newman, and Richard Gegick. 

“There’s a lot of local talent that isn’t acknowledged or appreciated as much as it would be if it was in a big city,” Grace said. “It’s nice to shed light on these writers and artists.”

Grace and Brown aimed to showcase local poetry. Often, local artists and writers are overlooked in suburban areas, so they wanted to highlight these people and show the importance of their work. 

“I really enjoyed working on this podcast because it was a very rewarding experience. I learned so much about the importance of showcasing local poetry,” Brown said.

Brown and Grace enjoyed this opportunity and hope their podcast is informative and inspiring. They hope their episode shows that there are writers all around and anyone can become a writer.

“The Spirit of Greensburg: Where Community Meets Commerce” was written, recorded, and produced by junior communication major Timaia Lewis and senior data analytics major Emily Druga. These students were advised by Dr. Pilar Herr. This episode will focus on local businesses. The students interviewed local business owners who are also involved in community outreach, including Caleese Coffee and Downtown Greensburg Project, who started the night markets. 

“This tie between owning a business and bettering the community around them is what I found super interesting,” Dr. Herr said. “I am really excited about this podcast.” 

“The Route 30: Stories from Westmoreland County, a Pitt-Greensburg Production” podcast is available on all major streaming services, so give it a listen and learn about Westmoreland County. Stay tuned for the release of episode three, “The Spirit of Greensburg: Where Community Meets Commerce.”