Eric Bowman says he’s always looking for new ways to challenge himself and reach new people. When the idea of creating a podcast was proposed to him, he felt it met both of those qualifications.
The podcast, “The Virtue Field,” can be found on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, and is an extension of the Revolution Ethics Project, a seminar that Bowman founded and has facilitated since 2009. He said it is meant for people of all ages to talk about ideas without the inhibitions of a state-set curriculum, and to learn for the sake of learning through talking and being with others. Bowman is a history teacher at ConVal High School, but said the podcast relates more to his role with Revolution Ethics then it does his teaching.
“I see this as a new way of doing Revolution Ethics conversations, but it also allowed me to do more,” Bowman said.
The podcast’s first season is about Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist who not only escaped slavery, but helped many other enslaved people to do so. Bowman said she was an obvious choice when looking for a subject who led a virtuous life.
“It’s hard to criticize Harriet Tubman at all,” he said. “I wanted to see what she had to say to me and to others.”
Bowman created a bibliography that is linked in the descriptions of episodes. He relied on historians and experts who had already done in-depth research on Tubman, which allowed him to compile the information needed for the podcast.
Bowman worked on “The Virtue Field” with Adam Arnone, the owner/founder of Echo Finch creative agency. Arnone originally suggested the idea to Bowman, and did all the producing, mixing and scoring. Arnone scored or produced six podcasts before “The Virtue Field.” More information can be found at echofinch.com.
“I’ve just always thought that he was perfect podcast material,” Arnone said. “A lot of times, content is the hardest thing to come up with. He’s been teaching for so long, and I feel like everything he teaches could be a podcast.”
They initially planned to release the podcast in the spring of 2021, but were delayed due to COVID and recording issues. Arnone said that by the time the podcast was ready to be released, each episode had been recorded three times, but that it was worth the time.
“It was this great practice, and (Bowman) ended up being so confident,” Arnone said. “This made it so much better, and it deserved that. Both because he worked so hard, but also because of the subject. Out of respect for Harriet Tubman, I didn’t want a podcast that sounds horrible.”
Bowman said that although some work was done remotely, it still felt at times that the podcast wasn’t going anywhere. For that reason, he said it feels surreal that the release is finally happening.
“It’s quite a relief,” he said. “It’s very satisfying.”
The podcast was funded through donations to the Revolution Ethics Project, which covered the cost of production and recording. Bowman said has been more than he expected.
“It sounds cliche, but its overwhelming,” he said. “I feel like I hear something new every day.”
According to Bowman, he and Arnone set a goal for the podcast before it was released.
“We had a goal of 100 downloads,” Bowman said. “We didn’t want to aim too high.”
As of a few days after the release of episode one, Bowman said the podcast had exceeded 250 downloads.
“I’m very proud of it,” he said. “I’m my own worst critic, but I’m happy.”
Season one of “The Virtue Field” consists of seven episodes, which come out on Thursdays. The second episode comes out July 14. As for the future of the podcast, Bowman said he already has ideas of virtuous people he wants to examine for season two and plans to start research and writing later this summer.
“A good sign of satisfaction with a project like this is if you want to do it again. And I do,” Bowman said.
Arnone plans to be involved in future seasons, as well.
“(Bowman) is the kind of person you want exploring big questions,” Arnone said. “Because whatever it is, he’s going to find the truth and the beauty in it.”