Episode 53 - Happy One Year Anniversary Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast!
In this very special episode Jennie and Dianne celebrate the one year anniversary of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast! This episode is slightly longer than normal as they recap the first year of the podcast and then have a wonderful discussion with special guest Sharon Pajka who takes them on a tour through one of Edgar Allan Poe's favorite haunts, Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. We also talk about her new book, "Women Writers Buried in Virginia" which will be available on November 15, 2021. Thank you to all of our listeners & guests who have helped to make the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast what it is now and we look forward to sharing more stories of cemeteries for years to come!
To learn more about Shockoe Hill Cemetery, please visit their website at: https://shockoehillcemetery.org/
Dr. Sharon Pajka
Sharon Pajka is a Professor in the Department of English. She holds a Ph.D. in English Education from the University of Virginia. Her recent publications focus on deaf characters and dead (e.g. vampire) characters in adolescent literature.
Her doctoral research focused on the portrayals and perceptions of Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature. She currently keeps a research blog on the topic: http://pajka.blogspot.com/.
She enjoys teaching courses in adolescent literature and literary studies along with teaching interdisciplinary courses, including “Vampires: Their Historical Significance in Literature, Film, and Pop Culture,” which made The Washington Post's list of "The 15 Oddest College Courses in the D.C. Region".
In 2018, Dr. Pajka completed a graduate program in Public History at the University of Richmond while developing a course focused on dark tourism.
On the weekends, you can find her in the cemetery giving history tours, and running River City Cemetarians; or, you can find her in the blogosphere at http://Goth-Gardening.blogspot.com/ where she uses “gardening” as a metaphor for living a more gothy life.
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