townsend patreon

Patreon Update

🕑 Added 2020-11-07 21:08:32 +0000 UTC

Comments

Amber 7

I love the readings and I like having supplemental videos afterwards like the sleepy hollow episode that explain the time and what certain things are!Thanks so much !

Katie Alosi

I like watching the reading. It's reminiscent of childhood and it's comforting. I can let go of all my 50 year old adult responsibilities, lol. But pictures mixed in would be cool as well.

Rita Loy

The day that you released this response I went through the biggest loss of my life. I am glad I waited a day to see this. As I was not in the right frame of mind to watch this.

Marin Phillips

Would really like to hear some of the Lewis and Clark journals! Enjoyed the readings a lot.

Rose McGuinn

Either a long shot of the fire or some images might be fun to try. I've always enjoyed your Cresswell readings, Jon. I like your idea of maybe trying some Lewis & Clark too. What about a private letters series, too? Apart from literature, what indoor projects might you as a homesteader have had to do during a long winter? And what projects might a woman in such a cabin have taken care of by the fire? What about a woman's work? One person sometimes could read aloud while another might be doing handwork of some sort. More than one person for such a show might add a touch of variety now and then. Back to literature -- I was going to suggest Crusoe, so I was glad when you beat me to it! I come from a family of bookworms, so I'd already read both Crusoe and Rip Van Winkle by the time I was in my teens, but I always really enjoy being read to by someone who is enthusiastic and who both understands and fully appreciates what they are reading aloud to me. And wasn't there a real life Crusoe-like character in history? What if you were to do a little comparison/contrast of the historical one along with the fictional one? Most people nowadays haven't taken the time for that great story. The past is rich with great fiction! One last suggestion: What about a storyteller guest or two? They can tell stories at the cabin, by firelight. Might be fun!

Winfield E. Johnson

I'm not sure of the periodicity, but maybe "Two Years Before The Mast"......I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Martin Morehouse

Readings of some of the more obscure authors would help make the 18th century less obscure!

Philip Esteban

I think the readings with the art, especially if it is relevant to the story would be great! Peter Kalm would be a good reading. The short version excises the scientific information but, has a lot of cultural comparisons.

Brigit Zent

Love this! Can't wait to see what you come up with for this. And thanks for the little "brick making" peek!

Vicki Stevens

I agree..........Jon, you are so expressive and animated, and your voice has a very calming effect. You put a lot of feeling and expression into your readings, and it is a pleasure to hear and watch you read. Thank you for sharing these readings with us.

Rob Poole

I'm super excited about this! Your channel offers such a wide variety of content, all of which combined helps form a fuller picture of what life in the 18th century was actually like. There are a lot of people who seem to be stuck on 1776 and their personal political interpretations of the founders but America and the World as a whole had so much more going on and in learning about the food, the trades, the experience from as many types of sources as possible, only then can we truly understand the past. Thank you for all you do! My Patreon support on this channel is the best entertainment choice I make every month.

CF Unloved

Watching the fire is mesmerising. Please keep a live view of you reading and the fire.

Jon Townsend

Wow, I never really thought that the facial expressions would be helpful, but I think I understand. Thank you for explaining. I am so used to just listening to an audiobook that I haven't considered the additional information conveyed.

Jon Townsend

I'll experiment with a little slower and see how it goes. Thank you for the suggestion!

Jon Townsend

Yes, good suggestion. Thanks!

Whatzuplizzy

I like your reading very much. I listen to them multiple times. I would say if you want to Make changes, maybe add pictures and talk a bit slower. But please keep doing these. A fan from Amsterdam 😊

Jeff DeWitt

I loved the Rip Van Winkle reading, one suggestion. It was apparent you were reading from pages printed on a modern printer. I suggest holding a book instead.

Jon Townsend

Mary, I don't plan on doing any less cooking or other projects, these readings are just some in additional content.

Heather Torrey

It only seems as if people don't get into narrative anymore. The ongoing popularity of indy bookstores, even libraries!, is testament to human's love of story. It's an important way we can connect with people far away, or long ago. This is a lovely thing to look forward to.

Mary Guiso

Well...sounds like we will be going our separate ways. Too bad.

Katherine Turner

I like the podcast idea! Last night my kids and I listened to one of your readings before bed! Loved it

George Page (Jaji)

Oh! I am absolutely in favor of reading bits of "A Christmas Carol", especially the glorious food described at Fezziwig's Christmas ball and even Scrooge's "usual melancholy dinner at his usual melancholy tavern" which is often glossed over.

George Page (Jaji)

Thank you, Jon. I'm here because you are sharing what you love with us! I've been having an off day personally and hearing from you helped lighten my mood.

Quicksilver

Oh, I agree with everyone here. The homespun simplicity of candles, fire, and a story well read has been very comforting in these troubled times. I keep urging my homeschool friends to dig into Townsends to enrich their study of American History.

Catherine Bradley

I absolutely agree with everyone, it is definitely not boring to watch him read! I was thinking about how fantastic it would be to separate a longer book into shorter 45 min sections with 1 every two weeks or something. I think it would get a lot of people coming back again and again. Thanks again to everyone at Townsends for creating and investing in such a wonderful community. And thanks to all the other supporters for making up the wonderful group.

john crews

This addition to the site is exciting! Reading accounts from the 18th century gives unique insights to the politics, struggles, humor lifestyle and attitude of the times. It literally brings the reader and audience into the story being read. Tks for doing this!

Quicksilver

I agree! He is good at it!

Lane Andress

Yaaay! I am happy to hear there are some long readings in store for us! I think some background images would be great, but not all the time, maybe only a quarter to half the time, at best. It is not at all boring to just show Jon reading. It is quite pleasant to freely gaze off in the distance and let my imagination conjure the visuals of the story without fear of missing some visual being presented to me. If often the only image being shown is Jon reading by a fire or some similar relaxing environment, It is comforting to gaze back at the screen and see Jon's friendly & warm demeanor reading to us, as a person would have in days long gone by. Cheers!

Jenna Oppenheimer

It wasn’t boring at all to watch you read, it really added to the whole experience!

James A

The Shakespeare analogy is a good one. Having people who know the time period context of a writing allows them to interpret and read/perform it in a way that is much more entertaining and informative to a modern audience.

Chris M

I agree it’s not boring to watch Jon read the stories. It’s almost like having your favorite uncle sit down and read a story to us.

Squatch79

The images in the background sound fun, but it is NOT boring to watch you read! Your face is very expressive. It’s fun to watch your reactions to the story. 😁