A City of Sorrow, a Voice of Fire — Edith Franklin Wyatt & the Eastland

About this episode

The episode explores the historical account of Edith Franklin Wyatt's observations following the Eastland Disaster, highlighting the impact of memory on tragedy.

Send us Fan Mail A disaster can strike twice—first when it happens, and again in how it is remembered. Today, we bring back another “lost” voice of the Eastland Disaster history that has been silent for too long. Chicago writer and social critic Edith Franklin Wyatt visited Hawthorne soon after the Eastland capsized. She wrote about what she saw in the homes of families still waiting for answers. In Wyatt’s “Hawthorne, A City of Sorrow,” she shares the details that make history feel re...

People in this episode

Host: Natalie Zett

Topics covered

• Eastland Disaster
• historical narrative
• social criticism
• family stories
• memory
• Chicago history

Keywords

• Eastland Disaster
• Edith Franklin Wyatt
• Hawthorne
• Chicago
• historical narrative
• social critic
• family stories

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Hawthorne, Chicago

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• Louella Parsons: Ink, Influence, and the Eastland · April 29, 2026 · 32 min