Author, historian Joseph A. Cutshall-King
Local author and historian Joseph A. Cutshall-King recently started a new podcast series called Back Over My Shoulder, which can be found online at pipingrock.wordpress.com. 1. Who are you?
“My name is Joseph A. Cutshall-King. I was born “Joseph A. King” in Saratoga Springs in 1947 and spent parts of my childhood there, in Fort Edward and Ticonderoga. ( When I married Sara Cutshall in 1980, we combined names. I became the first man to ask the Queensbury Social Security office to change his name because of his marriage.)
“I’m a published author and historian. I wrote a regional history column for The Post- Star of Glens Falls for 19 years, produced a regional history radio program on WWSC/WCKM for a decade, and have published numerous books, including five regional histories and an historical mystery. I worked 20 years in the museum field and 15 in development, and retired from SUNY Adirondack as vice president of institutional advancement in 2012.”
2. What is “Back Over My Shoulder”?
“‘Back Over My Shoulder’ is my new podcast series based upon ‘Over My Shoulder,’ a regional history column I wrote from 1994-2003 for The PostStar. I’m now publishing collections of those columns. For each podcast, I record my reading a column, and then record an introduction. I publish those through the Anchor app.
“I select the columns for timeliness and for relevance to today’s news. The history in them covers from Ticonderoga on the north to Saratoga on the south end, certainly one of America’s most historical regions.”
3. Why did you decide to start this podcast series?
“It was by accident. Recently, a friend, attorney John F. Fitzgerald, Jr. of Glens Falls, said he enjoyed reading Over My Shoulder 2, the latest collection of my ‘Over My Shoulder,’ columns. But, John said, he wished he could listen to them. My daughter, Julia, immediately said, ‘ You could do podcasts of each column!’ My wife, Sara, said, ‘ You really should do a pod
cast of them.’
“I mean, how does a father and husband resist that kind of ‘encouragement?’ In a week, Julia, who is also the editor of my books, had set meup to do my own podcasts on the Anchor app. It’s been a whirlwind!”
4. What is your ultimate goal for this project?
“My first goal is to have fun and help people enjoy history as much as I do. My second is to write and record new histories for each podcast, in addition to the podcasts of the “Over My Shoulder” columns. I have so much history in my mind and could fill a volume on Saratoga County alone! My third goal is to expand this podcasting to record my historical mystery novel, The Burning of The Piping Rock, based on the 1954 arson of the mob-run Piping Rock casino in Saratoga Springs.
“It’s a weave of fact and fiction that starts with an arsonist blackmailing a smalltown pharmacist to help him torch the casino. The pharmacist was actually my father, so a lot of the history is very real. And reading the dialog for each character? Can’t wait!”
5. How can the public listen to and engage with the podcast?
“The easiest way is through my Piping Rock blog. Just click on https://pipingrock.wordpress.com/. I hope anyone who listens enjoys them, and lets me know whether they like them or not!”