Reporters include: Madison Blancas, Mya DeJesus, Jazlynn Edwards, Leonardo Esparza, Leah Flanigan, Adriah Hedrick, Samantha Ho, Kate Julianne Larroder and Izzy Smith

Spring 2023 Columbia College Chicago Audio Drama Class

Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash

In this series, students from the Department of Communications’ spring 2023 oral traditions class explore West African cultures and the African American diaspora. Students draw comparisons between their own cultures and that of the Maroons, formerly enslaved Africans who fled imprisonment and formed close-knit communities throughout the americas. Professor of history and humanities, Robert Hanserd, joins to discuss specific cultural elements. Our second segment explores rituals and spirituality of the Fon people. The discussion includes the West African region of Ghana and Benin, the rituals of women warriors, and Robert’s rite of passage in writing about Africa. Concluding today’s show is a commentary on the book, Five Hundred African Voices, the accounts of African slave ship survivors. Students highlight Rosa Cruz, a formerly enslaved writer and religious mystic, and Phillis Wheatley, the first known and published African American poet.

In this series, students from the Department of Communications’ spring 2023 oral traditions class explore West African cultures and the African American diaspora. Jazz originated in African American communities as a means of expression. In this episode, students speak with musicians and experts of Chicago's rich jazz scene and discuss topics from the birth of the free jazz movement to the modern artists who are pushing the boundaries of the genre. We continue the show by exploring the fashions of West Africa with international designer and philanthropist, Haj Gueye. Haj goes into his formative experiences in fashion, the mission of his brand, and fashion as a means of storytelling.

Every Voice Chicago Archive Project

Columbia College Chicago Oral History Model Case Study, a product of this CIC grant.

Every Voice Chicago Archive Project

Columbia College Chicago Oral History Model Case Study, a product of this CIC grant.

Anxious America Parts 1-3

This is an audio documentary on the alarming rise of anxiety and depression among Americans, and especially the young.

Students in the Audio Documentary Class at Columbia College Chicago took on the subject and spoke with numerous experts on mental health, and with those who are or have suffered with anxiety and/or elements of depression. They looked at the growing numbers of cases, the reasons why we are a more anxious society, and avenues of treatment, including controversial micro-dosing treatment.

Listen Below!

Individual segments of the documentary are produced by individual students or groups of students.

Student Producers: Kevin Ashley Peyton Zignego Skye Crumpler Jackie Diaz Jake Eisendrath Francis Garcia Hernandez Zayd Hussein Zachary Keltner Renni Kieschnick Peter Midwa Joseph Murrary Osa Obaseki Jay Puca Scott Sroka Sam Stibal

Executive producer: David Berner, Associate Professor, Radio Program, Communication Department, Columbia College Chicago

We welcome you to the Radio Storytelling Showcase! — produced by the Spring 2022 Radio Storytelling class taught by David Berner.

Story Descriptions & Time Stamps

• "Pool Days" by Lauren Holt

  (0:50)

  “Pool Days” by Lauren Holt is about the recollection of one of her favorite childhood memories. This sweet story will bring you smiles and laughs and remind you of being at the pool as a child. Through looking back at one of her happiest simplest days, Lauren thinks of how to bring that same joy to her life today.

• "A Poem Above the Urinal" by Robert Amenn

  (6:33)

  Robert finds a poem written on the wall of the men’s room at Columbia College. It takes him back to high school when he wrote poetry to deal with his depression and social anxiety. Somewhere along the way, he stopped because of writer’s block. Robert is inspired to continue the poem with his friends.

• "My Grandmother" by Cosme Cruz Castillo

  (8:45)

  Cosme Castillo recalls the months before beginning college and his newfound interest in learning about the history of his father’s family through his mysterious grandma Francis. What was it like growing up? What type of music was popular? What was it like raising all those kids on your own? All of which are questions discussed over a box of classic Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

• "Bloody Mary" by Davis Bryant

  (12:53)

  Prepared to leave his father to the mirror, Davis Bryant shares the tale of his encounters with Bloody Mary.

• "Camp Goggles" by Caroline Grace Harader

  (16:08)

  This is the story of Caroline’s first love and her most regrettable moment. Spending all summer working at a Catholic camp, with very little access to the outside world, she, unfortunately, falls head over heels for an older counselor. Getting to know him better, she realizes she isn’t in love with him like she thought and decides to let him know. Awkwardness ensues.

• "Tiny Pine Trees" by David Geisler

  (24:41)

  A six-year-old’s interest in telling stories via model-making and design is ignited after visiting a national traveling model train exhibition with his family in the 1980s. After the experience, he accidentally finds himself with the opportunity to acquire some tools that would enable him to begin to make his own model-making stories. He just needs the courage to ask his father for the gift.

• "A Hero's Tale" by Zach Kolbus

  (34:26)

• "Bra" by Phoebe Kozinets

  (36:53)

  This radio essay is a silly yet meaningful story about a girl buying her first bra. You will hear about all the trials and tribulations that come with bra shopping as a young girl.

• "Panic" by Júlia Machado D'Aló de Oliveria

  (39:53)

Radio Storytelling Showcase – produced stories by students of the Fall 2021 Radio Storytelling course.

This past year has been a hard time for everyone, and it’s important that we are able to hear a wide range of experiences from various perspectives. So, we will be hearing a variety of Personal stories of family and friends.Erin McCarthy, interim chair of the Communication Department at Columbia College Chicago, shares stories by students of the 2021 Oral Traditions Class. In this episode, we explore the many nuances of life during this time of uncertainty.