Patrick Chouinard is a self-described "radical archaeologist." Although he has no formal training (he's only completed one year of college) the 31-year-old Largo resident has already written two books, produced an award-winning public access show and boasts thousands of subscribers to his electronic publication, the New Archaeology Review. Chouinard's niche is his controversial and fringe theories on mankind's past.
As a child, Chouinard was fascinated by paleontology, digging up cow bones around his house in Ocala. "In my mind I envisioned them as dinosaur bones. I'd dig them up and take them back to our garage and set them up as dinosaur bones."
Chouinard wrote his first book, Ultimate Future: Concepts for the Evolution of Humanity, at the age of 14. Though never published, it gave him the impetus to publish two other books since graduating high school. His most recent book, A Legacy of Gods and Empires, explores hidden civilizations of northern Europe.
Chouinard was on the board of the Central Gulf Coast Archaeological Society for three years. He dropped his membership upon embracing less mainstream approaches to archaeology.
Past issues of the New Archaeology Review have explored topics like the Holy Grail, Stonehenge and Atlantis. Chouinard says he has thousands of subscribers to the monthly electronic publication from all across the world.
Chouinard's public access show Archaeology TV has won two Suncoast Access Awards. It airs Thursdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 p.m. on Access Pinellas.
"There must be an accessibility of archaeology to the average person," he says. "That's the radical in me."
In his spare time, Chouinard visits nursing homes to play residents "old-time radio shows."
