The Icelandic Roots Podcast
Showcasing Icelandic heritage and culture from the past and present through arts, language, literature, and music. Created by volunteers of the non-profit organization, Icelandic Roots.
Episodes
Sunna Furstenau, President of Icelandic Roots and head of the Genealogy Team, along with Becky Byerly-Adams, the Outreach Director, joined us to explore everything from new books and upcoming webinars to the evolving future of the Icelandic Roots database—and why preserving our stories matters now more than ever.
We talked about how the team is finding new ways to engage the community: through voice and video capture, integ...
Julie Salverson is a fourth-generation Icelandic-Canadian author whose new memoir, A Necessary Distance: Confessions of a Scriptwriter’s Daughter, braids family memory with global history. In this episode, we explore Julie’s reflections on her father, CBC writer George Salverson, and her grandmother, acclaimed Icelandic-Canadian author Laura Goodman Salverson.
Drawing from her father’s 1963 travel journals and her own journeys—incl...
Atli Halldórsson is the co-project manager of the Snorri Programs, splitting his time between Iceland and Vancouver, Canada. In this episode, we explore the deep cultural ties between Iceland, Scandinavia, and North America—through the lens of an Icelander dedicated to reconnecting people of Icelandic descent with their roots.
Atli unpacks what makes Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Copenhagen, Denmark, two of the most "Icelandic" cities ou...
Susan Huff is a genealogist and a descendant of Icelandic immigrants who emigrated from the Vestmannaeyjar to Spanish Fork, Utah—the oldest continuous Icelandic settlement in North America. In this episode, we explore her work with the National Archive of Iceland, where she uncovered fascinating stories from Icelandic history by examining parish records.
Susan shares her insights into Iceland’s shockingly high infant mortality rate...
Mark Petursson is the president of the Leif Eiriksson Icelandic Club in Calgary and a dedicated member of the Western Icelander community. In this episode, we discuss his journey of reconnecting with his Icelandic heritage, from working in Iceland’s fishing industry as a teenager to his ongoing efforts in cultural preservation.
Mark shares his experiences learning the Icelandic language firsthand, offering humorous anecdotes and re...
Brian Borgford is a prolific writer with 40 books published on Amazon. In this episode, we go over his writing process and the philosophy behind publicly sharing family histories. Brian explains how he transforms biographies of family members into novels, bringing their lives and times to the page in new and engaging ways.
This conversation offers insightful perspectives on writing family histories and leveraging modern tools to pr...
Audrey Ledford, a Seattle native and recent Georgetown graduate, wrote a reflective piece titled Meditation on Family and Home - Snorri 2024 for our blog.
In this episode, Jack connects with Audrey—now teaching in Spain—to explore her journey with the Snorri Program and its impact on her connection to her Icelandic roots.
Through their conversation, Audrey shares how walking the landscapes of her ancestors helped her better underst...
Sigfús Haukur Sigfússon was the 2024 Snorri West Alumni Intern, who has been exploring his family emigration connections across North America with Icelandic Roots.
Recorded live in Reykjavik - Sigfús shares his journey of tracing family branches, and filling in the gaps of genealogy. We explore perspectives on American culture and the immigrant experience within the “melting pot” of the U.S. and Canada.
Sigfús recounts personal...
Sigmundur Geir Sigmundsson, known as Simbí, grew up on a Westfjords dairy farm before attending agriculture school and traveling North America with the Snorri West program.
Join us for a conversation near his home in Búðardalur, where we delve into the changing landscape of Icelandic family farms and the resilience of rural communities.
We explore the challenges and possibilities of sustainable practices, pondering the future of I...
Our guest is María Pálsdóttir who operates the Hælið Museum - a sanatorium turned museum highlighting Iceland's fight against Tuberculosis.
TB, a persistent scourge, has haunted humanity for millennia, leaving its mark on countless lives, societies, and even driving medical advancements.
This episode dives into the past and present of tuberculosis in Iceland. We explore why tuberculosis was once known as the "Romantic Disease" an...
Hjördís Hilmarsdóttir is a passionate traveller, hiker, genealogy enthusiast, and dog breeder. With Icelandic Roots, Hjördís brings her excitement for recording diverse information in the database and correcting errors in Icelandic-language texts.
In this episode, Hjördís shares her love for the Egilsstaðir region and all of East Iceland - spanning from Seyðisfjörður to Vopnafjörður!
Inspired by the breathtaking lands...
Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane Canadian/American pastor and author, brings her passion for Icelandic heritage to the podcast. As a descendant of immigrants she is a passionate genealogist and a trained opera singer with a PhD in bible studies.
Doreen's family history fuels her writings, including her book "Leirarskotta, Icelandic Girl Ghost."
In this captivating episode, Doreen introduces us to the intriguing concept of 'Ghost Geneal...
Jason Doctor is an American of Icelandic descent, a public policy professor at USC with a PhD in psychology.
As Public Outreach Director at Icelandic Roots, he promotes Icelandic heritage through education and events.
In this conversation, Jason shares his unique approach to delving into the Icelandic sagas - timeless literary treasures that offer profound insights into history and human nature.
Drawing from his extensive immer...
Kent Lárus Björnsson is a Western Icelander with a unique perspective.
Born and raised in Gimli, Manitoba (Canada) with deep Icelandic roots, Kent eventually returned to his ancestral homeland.
Now living in Reykjavik, he works at a local school and shares his passion for exploration by offering services as a tour consultant.
We delve into Kent's journey of how he made Iceland his home with all his diverse adventures along the way.
...Join Curtis Olafson as he sheds light on efforts to raise awareness about a prevalent gene mutation in individuals of Icelandic descent.
The CDKN2A mutation significantly increases the risk of melanoma, pancreatic, and other cancers, present in 10-25% of families with multiple melanoma cases and approximately 1 in 1250 Icelanders without a melanoma diagnosis.
Icelandic descendants face heightened susceptibility to these cancers, ...
Continue our discussion on the essence of art, podcasting, and poetry with Karen Gummo.
Karen shares her "storytelling affirmation" and her ties to Calgary's Leif Erikson Icelandic Club and more tales from her Icelandic travels; intertwining history, myth & legendary locales.
Special to this Podcast, Karen retells the Icelandic Ghost Story of The Deacon of Myrká (Djákninn á Myrká).
The mystical Myrká of Eyjafjörður where...
Karen Gummo's world of storytelling & history Part 1 of our interview.
We unravel tales from her recent trip to Iceland, where she performed in the grand opening of the Edda building.
Learn the origin story that ignited Karen's fascination with Laura Goodman Salverson (1890–1970), who was a distinguished Icelandic-Canadian author.
(Laura's literary works, deeply rooted in Icelandic heritage, earned her two Governor General's aw...
Part 2 with Atli Geir Halldórsson and Julie Summers, co-project managers of the Snorri Programs.
Continuing our exploration of language learning, touching on the influence of technologies like AI language models. We look ahead to the future of genealogy, pondering what the next generation of genealogists might discover within the vast digital archives our society is constructing.
Atli and Julie share valuable insights into Iceland,...
Meet Atli Geir Halldórsson and Julie Summers, co-project managers of the Snorri Programs, who both joined in 2023, bringing diverse experiences to the table.
Atli, with a background in managing Nordjobb and volunteering at the Nordic Youth Democracy, splits his time between Iceland and Vancouver, Canada, where he has ancestral emigration ties.
Julie, previously a writer and editor for the Lögberg-Heimskringla and a longstanding mem...
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