April 7, 2024 — Dr. Simon Young with Tim Swartz

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Dr. Simon Young, a British folklore historian based in Italy. He has written extensively on the nineteenth-century supernatural. His book Magical Folk: British & Irish Fairies, came out in 2017.The Boggart (from Exeter University Press) and The Nail in the Skull and Other Victorian Urban Legends (from Mississippi University Press) came out in 2022. Dr. Young has undertaken the biggest folklore survey of its kind, on behalf of the Fairy Investigation Society and released in 2024 The Fairy Census 2: 2017-2023. His earlier collection, The Fairy Census 1, came out in 2017. The census, revived more than 60 years from the last one, gathered details of as many fairy sightings from the 20th and 21st century as possible, and to measure contemporary attitudes to fairies. He is also the editor of Exeter New Approaches to Legends, Folklore and Popular Legends, which provides a venue for growing scholarly interest in folklore narratives, supernatural belief systems and the communities that sustain them. As well, Dr. Young teaches history at University of Virginia's Siena Campus (CET). Over the years he has run courses on the History of Christianity, Italian Food History, Italian Media History, Contemporary Italian History, WW2 in Italy and Italian Renaissance History. For more information about the Fairy Census, visit its website at: www.fairyist.com. His blog can be found at: www.strangehistory.net

All episodes for 2022, 2023 and 2024 now feature better audio and fewer ads! The Paracast is a paranormal radio show that takes you on a journey to a world beyond science, where UFOs, poltergeists and strange phenomena of all kinds have been reported by millions. The Paracast seeks to shed light on the mysteries and complexities of our Universe and the secrets that surround us in our everyday lives. Join long-time paranormal writer and researcher Gene Steinberg, a team of knowledgeable guest cohosts, and a panel of special guest experts and experiencers, as they explore the realms of the known and unknown. Listen each week to the great stories about the amazing history of the paranormal field in the 20th and 21st centuries. When strange things occur that confound traditional scientific dogma, from strange objects speeding across our skies, to frightening creatures in remote areas of the world, and incredible reports of haunted houses, The Paracast will be there to separate the signal from the noise. NOTE: These episodes are the network versions with ads. If you want a commercial-free version of The Paracast, please subscribe to The Paracast+. Check https://www.theparacast.plus for details.