Chelsey Weber-Smith Website

Chelsey Weber-Smith

American Urban Legends Podcaster

Chelsey Weber-Smith is an American urban legends expert based in Seattle, WA. Chelsey is the host of the podcast, American Hysteria, covering topics like moral panics, urban legends, conspiracy theories. Chelsey analyzes how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture from the puritans to the present. The American Hysteria podcast was an Apple Top 100 Society & Culture podcast and selected as one of Spotify's Best Episodes of 2021 with an average 400K monthly downloads. Chelsey has prior experience as a freelance writer, poet, and poetry instructor. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Western Washington University and a Master’s in Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Virginia.

Education

  • Master of Fine Arts Degree in Poetry, University of Virginia

Professional Achievements

  • American Hysteria is an Apple Top 200 Society and Culture podcast
  • elected as one of Spotify's best podcast episodes of the year (2021)

Favorite Piece of Advice

Treat history and its folklore like poems, find the hidden meaning behind the stories we tell.

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Co-authored Articles (6)

How to Play the Elevator Game (and Survive the Otherworld)

Learn the lore and rules for the scary South Korean challenge Looking for a thrill? Why not step into the nearest elevator and get transported to another dimension? Just don’t talk to the strange woman you find there, ...

The Meaning of “Lore” and How It’s Used in Gen Z Slang

How telling a story about your life became “lore” on TikTokIf you’re on TikTok, you may have noticed that people are regularly using the word “lore” when telling stories about their past. Keep reading to find m...

18 Infamous Cults & Cult Leaders Around the World

Learn the beliefs of some of the most well-known cults A cult is a religious or social group with extreme, and often unusual, beliefs. Some people may think cults are rare, but even today, many exist around the world, so...

What Is the Kennedy Curse? A Historical Timeline of Tragedy

Dive into the dark history of the Kennedy family & their untimely deathsAmerica’s so-called royal family is often associated with wealth, glamour, and power, but this ancestral line features just as much tragedy as it ...

What Is The Estes Method & How Do You Use It?

Learn how to use the Estes Method for paranormal investigationThe Estes Method is a paranormal investigation technique pioneered by Karl Pfeiffer, Connor J. Randall, and Michelle Tate. It builds on the principle of the s...

How to Become a Cryptozoologist

Everything you need to know about hunting cryptids for a living Cryptozoology is the study of animals that have been rumored, but not proven, to exist. These animals are called cryptids. There’s no qualification or ce...