It been a busy few weeks! I Started this Cryptid History blog with high hopes of publishing articles at least twice a week,but sometimes life gets in the way. My day job is as a history teacher, and at this point in the year we are slammed between end of the year activities, planning for next year, grading missing/makeup work and mandatory state testing thing get BUSY. I am hoping to get into a more regular groove here in the next few weeks. I thought I would take some time to talk more about what the Cryptid History blog is, and what I want it to be.
As I have mentioned before, Cryptid History is about examining cryptozoology, and often times Cryptozoologist themselves, and how they affect, and are effected by history,and other humanitarian disciplines. It’s more then just fringe science, more than Psuedo Science,and more than folklore and more than just sociology. It’s people, it’s who we are, and why we believe what we believe. It’s worth study and thought, and not just because of the supposed animals themselves.
My goal is to examine how these cryptids evolve over time, how they are reported in the past and how they are reported in the present day,and how that has changed over the years. How are these creatures perceived by people individually and by popular culture at large, and how that changes as well.
So whats next? My goal for the summer is to write more book reviews and at least make my way through my modest cryptid themed library. I also want to continue with a couple lines of research that have been brewing in my mind for a while, specifically relating to the Skunkape here in my home state of Florida and its history. I may write some more articles on that, but really my thinking is larger and more book shaped in nature when it comes to that.
I am also considering venturing outside of the written word, I know I am not the strongest writer in the world, I like to think I can hold my own from a purely technical point of view, but from a more creative and entertaining point of view I am afraid I leave a lot to be desired. I am considering venturing into the YouTube video/podcast/hybrid territory to share some of my research, ideas and book reviews. My academic training is that of a historian,but i really cut my teeth on public history. I was an interpretive Park Ranger for years and also worked as a museum director for a while as well. In those capacities my strength was engaging the public with interpretive talks and lessons, and even now in my work as a history teacher most of the work I do sharing content is verbal. At some point over the summer keep an eye out for my debut doing either YouTube videos or a podcast (or both?) who knows?
In the first week of June I will be attending the Southwest Florida Skunkape Conference in Punta Gorda, Florida! This will be my first ever Cryptid themed conference and I am looking forward to the experience. David Shealy of the Skunkape Headquarters is giving a presentation about his lifetime of experiences in south Florida,along with a litany of other Bigfoot adjacent personalities. I’m ready to see it all and take it in,and expect a write up afterwards!
So that’s it everybody, thanks for sticking with me if you are reading this. I am working on a couple of book reviews in the next couple of weeks and I am hoping to get into some more research this summer along with experimenting with YouTube/podcast type things and who knows what comes next? T shirts? Stickers? Quitting my job and doing this full time!??! Probably not, but time will tell.
Jake
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