The John Carter Brown Library Supports the Production of Worlds Turned Upside Down

RRCHNM’s R2 Studios is thrilled to announce that The John Carter Brown Library (JCB) has generously invested $10,000 in support of our latest podcast, Worlds Turned Upside Down.

Worlds Turned Upside Down tells the story of the American Revolution as a transatlantic crisis and imperial civil war through the lives of people who experienced it. Just in time for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, Worlds expands the story of the revolution by exploring how the crisis that engulfed the Atlantic world in the late eighteenth century inspired British Americans, Indigenous nations, enslaved Africans and African Americans, Europeans, and other peoples to question their loyalties, challenge authority, seek freedom, and resist revolutionary change.

“We are thrilled to partner with R2 Studios and to support its mission to democratize history through podcasting,” says Dr. Karin Wulf, the Beatrice and Julio Mario Santo Domingo Director and Librarian of The John Carter Brown Library. “That central goal pairs extraordinarily well with our Welcome and Access Plan and our commitment to fully digitize the JCB. It’s also central to our plans for 2026 and beyond, as we will focus on some of the core questions that Worlds Turned Upside Down explores, especially around the full histories of the early Americas in the era of revolutions. We very much look forward to working with the expert team at R2 Studios to reach new audiences with these topics and more.”

The series is narrated, written, and created by Dr. Jim Ambuske and is executive produced by Jeanette Patrick. On the support from The John Carter Brown Library, Ambuske said, “We are extraordinarily grateful to Dr. Karin Wulf and the John Carter Brown Library for their investment in Worlds Turned Upside Down. As a leading historian of vast early America, Dr. Wulf is at the forefront of our collective efforts to expand the public’s knowledge of the past by supporting innovative collaborative digital projects and ground-breaking scholarly research. She’s long been a mentor of ours as well. The opportunity to partner with her and with the John Carter Brown Library, one of the most important institutions in the world for the study of the early Americas, is a very great honor. As we approach the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we look forward to collaborating with Dr. Wulf and the JCB to expand the public’s horizons about the history of revolutionary America.”

Worlds Turned Upside Down has been well received by audiences and recently ranked #72 on the Apple Podcasts History Chart.  Thanks to the generosity of The John Carter Brown Library, Worlds will be able to continue offering the public compelling stories of our revolutionary past grounded in the latest research. 

Begin listening to Worlds Turned Upside Down now wherever you listen to podcasts.

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About R2 Studios

R2 Studios is on a mission to democratize history through podcasting. Founded in 2021 by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we strive to tell unexpected stories based on the latest research to connect listeners with the past.

Our shows are made by professional historians for the public. We build our narrative-driven podcasts on a foundation of primary sources and rigorous scholarship. By combining voices, music, and sounds, we produce series that engage audiences with the complexity of the past and its importance to the present.

R2 Studios is part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and is named after the founder of our center, Roy Rosenzweig, who had a passion for using new media to democratize access to history.

About The John Carter Brown Library 

Located on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, The John Carter Brown Library is an independent research library.  We welcome individuals and communities from around the world to research, learn, and share knowledge about the early Americas through its collections. Committed to digital as well as on site access to its world-leading materials focused on the full western hemisphere from the 15th through the 19th centuries, the JCB supports research fellowships; has developed Americana, a digital platform, in an effort to make its collection available around the world; and offers a robust program of academic and public events online and on site.