Act 2

Act 3

Host Glynnis MacNicol has loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books since she was a kid. She’s not alone in this, a lot of people have a strong devotion to Laura. Some travel miles to visit her houses and attend pageants dedicated to Laura and her books. But over the years, Laura, her work, and her legacy have become increasingly controversial. How do we reckon with the things we loved as a child? The stuff that made us who we are? Glynnis takes to the road to find out, driving across the midwest to all of Laura’s houses. First stop: Walnut Grove, Minnesota. 

Go Deeper:
Visit Walnut Grove
Keiko Satomi’s article, At The Library: Libraries put 'Little House' series in new light
Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature

Follow us for behind the scenes content! 
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram

Host Glynnis MacNicol has loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books since she was a kid. She’s not alone in this, a lot of people have a strong devotion to Laura. Some travel miles to visit her houses and attend pageants dedicated to Laura and her books. But over the years, Laura, her work, and her legacy have become increasingly controversial. How do we reckon with the things we loved as a child? The stuff that made us who we are? Glynnis takes to the road to find out, driving across the midwest to all of Laura’s houses. First stop: Walnut Grove, Minnesota. 
Go Deeper: <a href="https://walnutgrove.org/pageant/">Visit Walnut Grove</a>  Keiko Satomi’s article, <a href="https://www.pineknotnews.com/story/2019/11/22/opinion/at-the-library-libraries-put-little-house-series-in-new-light/2229.html">At The Library: Libraries put 'Little House' series in new light</a> Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog, <a href="https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/">American Indians in Children’s Literature</a>
Follow us for behind the scenes content!  @WilderPodcast on TikTok @Wilder_Podcast on Instagram

Jack Kerouac but make it a girl with braids. Carrie Bradshaw, but without the sex, and also braids. An American Icon. An American Odyssey. American propaganda. Violently so, in some cases. Laura Ingalls Wilder is evergreen. For better or worse. Since the first Little House book was published in 1932, generations of readers have flocked to Laura’s cozy stories of the Ingalls family settling the Western frontier. The series inspired a TV show, pageants, and entire fashion lines. Behind this franchise is a woman who experienced almost a full century of American history. She’d made her first trips in a covered wagon, and eventually flew on a jet plane. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and legacy remain as powerful, mesmerizing, controversial, and violent as the America she represents. In a country currently at odds with itself and its history could there be a better time for an exploration of this woman?

Jack Kerouac but make it a girl with braids. Carrie Bradshaw, but without the sex, and also braids. An American Icon. An American Odyssey. American propaganda. Violently so, in some cases. Laura Ingalls Wilder is evergreen. For better or worse. Since the first Little House book was published in 1932, generations of readers have flocked to Laura’s cozy stories of the Ingalls family settling the Western frontier. The series inspired a TV show, pageants, and entire fashion lines. Behind this franchise is a woman who experienced almost a full century of American history. She’d made her first trips in a covered wagon, and eventually flew on a jet plane. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and legacy remain as powerful, mesmerizing, controversial, and violent as the America she represents. In a country currently at odds with itself and its history could there be a better time for an exploration of this woman?

Wilder

1. "Now is Now"

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/37df3d5b-6a8a-44d7-8e21-b01a016ce7b1/transcript

Surprise! We’re back to share our extended interview with Alison Arngrim, aka everyone’s favorite mean girl: Nellie Oleson. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to keeping the Little House legacy alive, from her marathon re-read of the books on Facebook Live during the pandemic, to attending events at the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes and fan conventions across the country, to using her celebrity for meaningful activism. Beyond all that, she’s simply a delight and we hope you enjoy the interview!

Read Alison Arngrim’s memoir, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch

Surprise! We’re back to share our extended interview with Alison Arngrim, aka everyone’s favorite mean girl: Nellie Oleson. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to keeping the Little House legacy alive, from her marathon re-read of the books on Facebook Live during the pandemic, to attending events at the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes and fan conventions across the country, to using her celebrity for meaningful activism. Beyond all that, she’s simply a delight and we hope you enjoy the interview! Read Alison Arngrim’s memoir, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/confessions-of-a-prairie-bitch-how-i-survived-nellie-oleson-and-learned-to-love-being-hated-alison-arngrim/17327627?ean=9780061962158">Confessions of a Prairie Bitch</a>

BONUS: "Oh, that Nellie Oleson!" with Alison Anrgrim

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8f2547da-8d50-4047-bfe6-b0a00146d5be/transcript

As we talked about in our very first episode, the last line of Big Woods reads, “Now is now, it can never be a long time ago.” That line might be the most accurate description there is of the Little House series. Little House on the Prairie might be about another time, but Laura’s stories are very much alive in our time. We can't seem to let her go. But of course, some of the ways in which Laura is relevant are painful to consider. The story she tells is narrow, contributing to a long held mythology of the American West that prioritizes white narratives. For a final look at Laura’s impact, Glynnis and Wilder producer Emily drive further west, beyond Laura’s homesteads, to understand what we’re missing when we hold on too tightly to one narrative. Could it be time to let Laura go?

Go deeper: 
More on Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
More on the Gordon Stockade 
More on the Battle of the Little Bighorn
More on Buffalo Calf Road Woman
More on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Follow us for behind the scenes content! 
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram

As we talked about in our very first episode, the last line of Big Woods reads, “Now is now, it can never be a long time ago.” That line might be the most accurate description there is of the Little House series. Little House on the Prairie might be about another time, but Laura’s stories are very much alive in our time. We can't seem to let her go. But of course, some of the ways in which Laura is relevant are painful to consider. The story she tells is narrow, contributing to a long held mythology of the American West that prioritizes white narratives. For a final look at Laura’s impact, Glynnis and Wilder producer Emily drive further west, beyond Laura’s homesteads, to understand what we’re missing when we hold on too tightly to one narrative. Could it be time to let Laura go?
Go deeper:  <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the-strange-and-controversial-history-of-mount-rushmore">More on Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills</a> <a href="https://www.sdpb.org/blogs/images-of-the-past/the-gordon-stockade/">More on the Gordon Stockade </a> <a href="https://blog.nativehope.org/battle-of-the-little-bighorn">More on the Battle of the Little Bighorn</a> <a href="https://amazingwomeninhistory.com/buffalo-calf-road-cheyenne-warrior-woman/">More on Buffalo Calf Road Woman</a> <a href="https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw">More on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women</a> 
Follow us for behind the scenes content!  @WilderPodcast on TikTok @Wilder_Podcast on Instagram

10. “It can never be a long time ago.”

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/99d26c32-0116-4d4b-b20f-b06f00a9a439/transcript

In all of our research for this show, one of the scholars who has most influenced our thinking on Laura and her work is Caroline Fraser, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura obsessives know that Prairie Fires is the motherload when it comes to understanding Laura’s life. It provides a detailed historical account of her childhood and takes a holistic look at the fraught personal and working relationship that Laura had with her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. As we put together our final episode, we’ve been revisiting Caroline’s book and the amazing interview we did with her. Today, we wanted to share the extended interview with you, as a deeper dive into Laura’s life, and to help set the scene before Glynnis comes to some big conclusions in our series finale.

Go deeper: 
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires

Follow us for behind the scenes content! 
@WilderPodcast on TikTok
@Wilder_Podcast on Instagram

We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to wilderpodcast@gmail.com. You might be featured in our final episode ;) 

In all of our research for this show, one of the scholars who has most influenced our thinking on Laura and her work is Caroline Fraser, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura obsessives know that Prairie Fires is the motherload when it comes to understanding Laura’s life. It provides a detailed historical account of her childhood and takes a holistic look at the fraught personal and working relationship that Laura had with her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. As we put together our final episode, we’ve been revisiting Caroline’s book and the amazing interview we did with her. Today, we wanted to share the extended interview with you, as a deeper dive into Laura’s life, and to help set the scene before Glynnis comes to some big conclusions in our series finale.
Go deeper:  <a href="https://prairiefiresbook.com/">Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires</a>
Follow us for behind the scenes content!  @WilderPodcast on TikTok @Wilder_Podcast on Instagram
We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to <a href="mailto:wilderpodcast@gmail.com">wilderpodcast@gmail.com</a>. You might be featured in our final episode ;)

BONUS: Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/72428093-0ea3-43e0-866c-b0600131619e/transcript

1. "Now is Now"

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