Readers here have probably gotten used to the fact that I’m only posting my newspaper columns these days. I’ve been working on my book, “Power in the Wilderness.” This process grew complicated when I returned to campus for my full time teaching assignment.
Months ago Karl Jacob and I promoted our podcast, also called “Power in the Wilderness” as it aired on KAXE and became available at our website. However, some administrative barriers prevented us from releasing the show on major podcast platforms.
Well, however late, the big day has finally arrived. Our podcast channel is now operational on most major outlets, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. At last you can download the podcast to your phone and listen to it the way most humans experience podcasts.
This delay was very frustrating, but I hope you find the product worth the wait. Here’s the summary from our webpage:
Just over a century ago, global corporations became a new force in civilization. The biggest was U.S. Steel, formed in 1901, a company so big that it was simply called “The Corporation.” Neither Congress nor the Supreme Court seemed willing or able to contest its unprecedented power.
But in the 1910s one man, a blacksmith-turned-lawyer from a wild iron mining town in northern Minnesota, did something that no one else had. He beat U.S. Steel. He beat them in the courtroom. He beat them at the ballot box.
His name was Victor Power. He was dashing, funny, brilliant and fat. As mayor, he built Hibbing, Minnesota, from a glorified mining camp into a modern marvel with the most expensive public high school in the country. The national press dubbed Hibbing the “Richest Village on Earth,” “The Razzle-Dazzle Village“ and “The Village of Thrills.”
But in 1926, Victor Power died at just 45 years of age. His death, cloaked in mystery, left a complicated legacy that still resonates today — both in the rusting town that still bears signs of his amazing accomplishments, and in a big world still fighting the battles he started.
Filmmaker Karl Jacob and author Aaron Brown met on the historical trail of Vic Power. They joined forces to dig deeper, and now they bring you “Power in the Wilderness,” a public radio podcast serial that asks: “Corporations or people? Who has the power?”
The podcast is the story of Karl and me, and our quest for the true story of Vic Power. Thanks to Karl’s editing, the podcast is full of rich, textured sound and music. We designed it to compete with the likes of “S-Town,” “This American Life,” “Throughline,” and “Hardcore History.”
My book, which Karl has optioned for future a TV or film project, will be a more in-depth look at Power’s complex and fascinating story. I’m down to the last two chapters but it might be another year before the book is released.
This has all taken much time and effort, more than I’ve put into any one project in my whole life. Like the podcast, I hope you find the book similarly worth the wait. I’m very excited to share this story with you.
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