Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards

Alie Ward (0:00)

Oh, hey, it's the last guy at the campfire. Pouring Pepsi on the umbers. Alie Ward. Did you ever think you'd have a whole episode on brooms?

Me neither. Here we are. It continues to be Spooktober.

You've got cinnamon brooms on the brain, witches in your windows. Let's get into it with an artist, educator, historical researcher, and yes, a broom squire. Speaking of broom, the word comes from the plants. Brooms, which have these stiff kind of bristly twigs that work well to sweep stuff away. Scopa means broom in Greek and in Latin. Listen, I wanted this to be titled Scopology. But alas, our guest and the historical record in various craft references and books informed me that yes, broomology is the official study. Do not tell me I'm making it up. That's real. But first, thank you so much to patrons of the show who support ologies for one hot dollar a month and submit questions before we record. Thank you to everyone out there wearing ologies merch from ologiesmerch.com. If you need kid-friendly, swear-free ologies episodes, you can find them in their own feed. Wherever you get podcasts, they're called Smologies, S-M-O-L-O-G-I-E-S.

They're also linked in the show notes. Thank you also to sponsors of ologies who make it possible for us to donate to a cause of each ologist choosing every week. Picture this, years of guaranteed research support and a vibrant scientific community that has your back. If you are a Ph.D. student, post-doc, or early career faculty in the biological or biomedical sciences, that doesn't have to be a fantasy. HHMI has a program for you. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports scientists at every career stage with a people, not projects approach, long-term support, and the resources for breakthrough science. Applications open now. You can find your program at hhmi.org. slash ologies. Does your closet need a fall reset? Stitch Fix is the secret for refreshing your wardrobe and feeling totally confident in how you dress. They're expert human stylists get to know your life, your style, and budget so they can pick pieces that actually work for you. Unlike other services, there's no subscription required, so you can order whenever you want without a huge commitment. Plus, you get free shipping and returns. Get started today at stitchfix.com. That's stitchfix.com.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us just by leaving a review, which helps so much that I make sure to read them all, such as this still green one from Robin Elaine, who wrote, thanks for always showing us how lucky we are to live somewhere with eclipses and insects and oceans and bodies and really nerdy humans who love to talk about what they love. Thanks for listening to it, of course, Robin. Now, right now, that thing they love is brooms.

It's as exciting. The brooms, they're overlooked, they're taken for granted, silent, no voice, but they make your life better every day. Where did they come from? What are they made of? Who makes them? There's a story in everything, so let's hear about that. And quick content warning, as requested by the guest, when we talk about history, especially witches, there may be mentions of violence, death or sexuality. Otherwise, we're talking mostly about objects today. And we also may get swept away with corny jokes that you may bristle at, but I think you can handle it. So light a candle and tuck in for fibers, harvests, how-tos, angel wings, cocktails, besomes, labor laws, broomcorn, johnnies, utopic communes, wedding traditions, oral histories, care tips, and how everything is more interesting with context. With teacher, author, and broomsquire and brumologist Cate O'Connell-Richards.

Cate O'Connell-Richards (4:10)

Alright, so my name is Cate O'Connell-Richards. I use gender neutral pronouns.

I am an artist, educator, writer, and broom maker. Hell yeah.

Alie Ward (4:21)

When I found out there were broom historians out there, I lost my mind. But just one of the first things I saw of yours was this flow chart of the history of brooms. I like my keyboard ignited. I was emailing you so fast. I was like, Cate, you've done the show.

When it comes to the history and the culture of brooms, is this a field of study that there are historians in the past that have written books and papers on this or how do you gather information on something that is so oral tradition and pass down knowledge?

Cate O'Connell-Richards (4:59)

You just hit the nail on the head. You are absolutely correct in the way that this is mostly, it's a folkloric or a folk practice. There's a lot of oral tradition, not formal or academic. The broom is everywhere. It is global, all over, all cultures. Each one of those specific cultures, regions, peoples have their own broom history.