WYPR radio host and author Ric Cottom spoke about Maryland history at Barnes & Noble on Sunday. His book Your Maryland: Little-Known Histories from the Shores of the Chesapeake to the Foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and radio show Your Maryland, focus on human-interest stories related to Maryland’s history. His book is a collection of his favorite stories from the show.
Cottom, who is also the former editor of the Maryland Historical Magazine, was offered the opportunity to write and host Your Maryland in 2002.
Cottom shared a few stories from his program, like one involving the War of 1812 clipper ship Chasseur, which was built at Fells Point. Cottom explained that the captain of the ship, Thomas Boyle, captured a British ship during a privateer voyage that did not fight back.
Boyle gave the captain of the British ship a note to be delivered to Lloyd’s of London, the center of maritime insurance in England. According to Cottom, the note proclaimed that all British ports had been blockaded, causing the British Royal Navy to send every available ship after Boyle, who continued to capture Navy ships and claim prizes for the United States.
“He had captured or sunk a million and a half dollars worth of British shipping, the largest amount of anyone in the war. [It was] the greatest privateer voyage in the war of 1812,” Cottom said. “The ship took on another name, and everybody called it the Pride of Baltimore.”
Cottom explained that although his program is short, production takes time and effort because of the time constraints.
While writing his first story about a slave revolt, Cottom learned how to write concisely and leave time for an outro and a transition into the next program.
“My producer taught me how to cut repetition in places where I did not know there was repetition,” Cottom said. “You can use your voice [and] inflection to tell people things without taking up time in the page. You have to do something called buffing — you have to go through and read [the draft] several times and make you sure you don’t find any tongue-twisters.”
He illustrated his writing process by sharing the story of Jerry Leiber, a lyricist who co-wrote the song “Hound Dog.” Leiber grew up in Baltimore and was attacked by a group of Polish children when he was 10 years old because he was Jewish.
Leiber later moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote Elvis Presley’s song with his partner Mike Stoller.
“To tell that story, I have to get you interested in Jerry Leiber right away. I have to tell you that he’s tough, doesn’t take no for an answer [and] doesn’t quit,” Cottom said. “I have to do it in about three-quarters of a page of the manuscript.”
Cottom stated that first became interested in history when he discovered the works of Bruce Catton, a Civil War historian.
“Catton was wonderful because he grew up in Michigan [in the early 20th century], and he heard the stories of these men who went off to war in 1861,” Cottom said. “His writing is so vivid, so compelling.”
Cottom additionally stated that he believes that the stories themselves are the most important in disseminating historical knowledge.
“History now has become argumentative and political; it’s race, class, gender, arguments. I found when I was the editor of Maryland Historical Magazine, young scholars were afraid to challenge people in their field, because they were afraid of ruining their careers,” Cottom said. “That’s not how we should be.”
Cottom elaborated on the way his book deals with history.
“All I’m doing is telling you stories, because I want you to get interested so you go out and look up stuff yourself,” he said.
Correction: The headline of the article originally stated that Cottom's new work was a novel when it in fact should be a book.
The News-Letter regrets this error.
