Thomas Neil Knowles and Erika Robuck on the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane

One True Podcast examines the deadly category 5 hurricane that ravaged the Florida Keys over Labor Day weekend in 1935, both from a historical perspective and a fictional treatment.

We first hear from historian Thomas Neil Knowles, author of Category 5: The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, who describes the deadly weather system, its devastating toll on the veterans stationed along the Keys, the bureaucratic inefficiencies, and its legacy.

Next, we are joined by Erika Robuck, award-winning author of Hemingway’s Girl, which uses the 1935 hurricane as a historical touchstone. She discusses her approach to fictionalizing Hemingway, how she researched the hurricane, her visits to the Keys, and a remarkable note she received from the housekeeper of the Hemingway house in Key West. 

This episode also features a reading from Hemingway’s scathing essay “Who Murdered the Vets?” performed by Benjamin Bravard.