Interviews with Laura About "The Class of '74" Podcast
As Season 2 approached I started accepting invitations to appear on other podcasts to talk about me and how the series began.
The Class of ’74
The Class of ’74 is a serialized fiction podcast set in a 1971 Connecticut high school, where friendships, secrets, and first loves unfold against the backdrop of a changing America.
Join "The Class of 74" at Patreon and meet the nicest people in America!
#TheClassof74Podcast
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Mar 23, 2026
Monday Mar 23, 2026
After a roadside emergency on the Whitestone Bridge, Cynthia rushes into danger to help a lost child, injures her ankle, and prays for friends and families as police and strangers race to help. The group barely recovers from the chaos before heading to the West Side Tennis Club, where class and glamour collide at the finals of the U.S. Open.
At Forest Hills they rub shoulders with tennis legends, endure awkward moments and capture a triumphant moment on film. The episode closes with friendship, reflection, and a warm sign-off inviting listeners to return next week.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer.
Join The Detention Club at Patreon.com and hang out with the nicest people in America.
Ending Music: Golden Hour by Golden Mist @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/morning-mist/golden-hour
License code: BKDZSCLWA0XF0A7U
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RK
#Classof74Podcast
Thursday Apr 09, 2026
Thursday Apr 09, 2026
Cynthia and her friends return from Forest Hills after meeting tennis stars, but the night turns complicated when Mrs. Valladares confronts them about their behavior in the Schuylers' absence. Cynthia also must contend with her scraped knee and being forced to wear her mother's "Audrey Hepburn shoes" because of a sprained ankle.
At school Cynthia learns how the Fitzgeralds reacted to Greg and Annabel returning home with a huge dent in the side of their station wagon. Once again Cynthia learns more about Katey Langston than she wants to know, becomes upset with Evan for spreading rumors, and finds herself summoned to the front office but no one knows why.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer.
Join The Detention Club at Patreon.com and meet the nicest people in America.
Ending Music: "Final Witness" by Albert Behar
https://uppbeat.io/t/albert-behar/final-witness
License code: 5CYNUQY35NZYXH6M
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RK
#Classof74Podcast
Monday Apr 13, 2026
Monday Apr 13, 2026
Cynthia attends a volunteer meeting at the Reliance hotline in downtown Brighton, where she feels out of place, out of step and humiliated in a role-playing exercise. This is not her scene, and these are not her people, and yet, when she honestly answers the question, why does she want to volunteer at Reliance, it becomes evident her reasons are the right ones.
Written & Narrated by Laura Van Wormer
Join TheClassof74Podcast at Patreon.com and meet the nicest people in America.
Ending Music "Encounter Expedition" by Kurtz Martin
https://uppbeat.io/t/kurtz-martin/encounter-expedition
License code: XHGWG1E43WMHTSK
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
2024 Photo of Emmy Horner in PIAA field hockey quarterfinal is by David Garrett
#Classof74Podcast
Monday Apr 20, 2026
Monday Apr 20, 2026
Cynthia digests her visit to the Reliance hotline in downtown Brighton; reviews the infinite good qualities of girls named Cindy (as opposed to Cynthia); learns Brighton High's first football game is moving to Saturday afternoon to accommodate a scout from University of Michigan; is elated to hear from Clay but is fearful when she realizes Clay doesn't know what is about to happen; Mimi's going to a concert with Greg and Annabel; and Cynthia thinks the advisor to the Brighton High fashion club must be off her rocker.
The episode closes with a widening sense of stakes: Clay’s recovery is precarious, family dynamics are shifting, and Cynthia stands at the center of overlapping secrets.
Join The Class of '74 Podcast Detention Club and meet the nicest people in America
Ending Music "Moonlight Dance" by Cory Alstad
https://uppbeat.io/t/cory-alstad/moonlight-dance
License code: S0I4OL2WDUXA6BIF
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
#Classof74Podcast
Monday Apr 27, 2026
Monday Apr 27, 2026
2.11 Cynthia navigates a dramatic school pep rally where Betsy debuts a stunning new look, the cheerleader squads dazzle, football players impress and a fire alarm sends students streaming outside. Amid the noise, personal tensions surface—Mimi’s family plans, Katey and Evan’s relationship, and Cynthia’s sprained ankle—while the mystery around Clay’s absence lingers and Andover looms on the horizon.
Between friendships, fashion and football, the episode balances high-school spectacle with quieter worries about unexpected change.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer
Join The Class of '74 Podcast Detention Club and meet the nicest people in America
Ending Music: "Elevator to Heaven" by Aaron Paul
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/elevator-to-heaven
License code: FAPCYHQFTU13AAY1
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
#Classof74Podcast
Monday May 04, 2026
Monday May 04, 2026
After the pep rally chaos, Cynthia confronts the fallout from Evan's brutal attack when Victor Wronski unexpectedly apologizes — while questions about Evan’s mysterious brain injury and his refusal of testing deepen the tension.
Meanwhile, Clarke’s secret mission to move a new IBM printer introduces the school’s computer room, and unexpected visitors and a mysterious car in Cynthia’s driveway hint at more secrets to come.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer
Join The Class of '74 Podcast Detention Club and meet the nicest people in America
Ending Music:: "Grasshopper Jump" by Airstream
https://uppbeat.io/t/airstream/grasshopper-jump
License code: 6TXTJ83AICQAKRGX
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
#Classof74Podcast
Monday May 11, 2026
Monday May 11, 2026
Laura shares an emotional "Bad Kid Edition" episode reflecting on Mother's Day and recent memorials, then reads an excerpt from her booklet "How to Listen to a Podcast."
She recounts the 2015 accident that halted her novel writing, how discovering podcasts helped her recovery, and how that led to creating the Class of '74 podcast.
Laura explains her wish to help older readers discover podcasts, notes the booklet is available on Amazon, and closes with a warm sign-off and a reminder not to drink and drive.
Monday May 18, 2026
Monday May 18, 2026
Friday night before the big game, Cynthia and her friends are swept into a chaotic driveway scene when a borrowed Saab is found hotwired and a set of metric tools is missing. The Senora Córdova-Smith brings charm, surprising backstory and a mysterious photograph, while parents, teachers, and students trade gossip, jokes, and hints of deeper tensions.
Between car trouble, club plans, and a tender conversation about safety and reputation, the episode balances humor, small-town mystery, and the bonds of friendship as it sets up new questions for the coming days.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer
Join The Class of '74 Podcast Detention Club and meet the nicest people in America
Ending Music: “Sunlight” by Aaron Paul
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/sunlight
License code: 5MRLA4BHTILI3MJU
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
#Classof74Podcast
6 days ago
6 days ago
Cynthia rides home with Senora Córdova-Smith and her bold pink outfit, confronts a picture of a bully, and recounts how Mimi slapped him in behaving well. At home, family tensions rise over freedom, babysitting, and a trip to Boston.
The episode follows preparations for the first football game, friendships and fashion-club chatter, and ends with a shocker concerning Clay.
Written and Narrated by Laura Van Wormer
Join The Class of '74 Podcast Detention Club and meet the nicest people in America
Ending Music: "Bubblegum" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bubblegum
License code: EDW3EEZ3FBYQITB1
Bumper Music: "Bring the Energy" by Soundroll @ Uppbeat.io
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/bring-the-energy
License code: DZY6URYZV6Z4X7RKK
#Classof74Podcast
ASSORTED CONVERSATIONS
The former novelist, Laura Van Wormer, discusses the motivation and creative pivot that created the ongoing story of THE CLASS OF '74
LEGALLY GOFF
Laura Van Wormer talks about her most famous novel, RIVERSIDE DRIVE, a few famous friends & how she came to merge serialized storytelling with emotional time travel to create THE CLASS OF '74 podcast.
HISTORY TOLD FORWARD
We sit down with the creator of THE CLASS OF '74 podcast, Laura Van Wormer, to explore what it was truly like to grow up in America during the early nineteen seventies—a time before cell phones, before seatbelts, before the Internet, when kids roamed free and a nation wrestled with war, scandal, and cultural change.
Author/Narrator, Laura Van Wormer
When I was very little my mother used to tear out a picture from a magazine and ask me to tell her a story about it. I knew then whatever it was I was doing it was something I wanted to do forever because it felt magical. That's the way storytelling has been for me ever since.
This podcast marries everything I've ever been interested in, from the TV/Radio program at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, my editorial tenure at Doubleday, my freelance writing for Lorimar, my 14 novels, my venture into a tech start-up--even spending 30 years piecing together the true life story of an 18th century actress turned countess!
What could more joyful than writing a story about high school in the early 1970's, knowing I DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND LIVE IT AGAIN! Talk about making me grateful for my life today! Talk about an attitude adustment regarding aging! And it all began with the 50th reunion of Darien High School, class of '74. Love you guys!