Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound

This new revised and expanded edition of Reality Radio celebrates today’s best audio documentary work by bringing together some of the most influential and innovative practitioners from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. With a new foreword and five new essays, this book takes stock of the transformations in radio documentary since the publication of the first edition: the ascendance of the podcast; greater cultural, racial, and topical variety; and the changing economics of radio itself. In twenty-four essays total, documentary artists tell — and demonstrate, through stories and transcripts — how they make radio the way they do, and why. Whether the contributors to the volume call themselves journalists, storytellers, or even audio artists — and although their essays are just as diverse in content and approach — all use sound to tell true stories, artfully.

Contributors include Jad Abumrad, Daniel Alarcón, Jay Allison, damali ayo, John Biewen, Emily Botein, Chris Brookes, Scott Carrier, Katie Davis, Sherre DeLys, Ira Glass, Alan Hall, Dave Isay, Natalie Kestecher, Starlee Kine, The Kitchen Sisters, Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder, Maria Martin, Karen Michel, Joe Richman, Dmae Roberts, Stephen Smith, Alix Spiegel, Sandy Tolan, and Glynn Washington.

Jad Abumrad, Radiolab
Daniel Alarcón, Radio Ambulante
Jay Allison, The Moth Radio Hour, Transom.org
damali ayo, independent audio producer
John Biewen, audio program director at CDS, Scene on Radio
Emily Botein, vice president of On-Demand Content, WNYC
Chris Brookes, independent audio producer, Battery Radio
Scott Carrier, This American Life, Home of the Brave
Katie Davis, special projects coordinator at WAMU, Neighborhood Stories
Sherre DeLys, 360documentaries, ABC Radio National
Ira Glass, This American Life
Alan Hall, independent audio producer, Falling Tree Productions
Dave Isay, StoryCorps
Natalie Kestecher, Pocketdocs, ABC Radio National
Starlee Kine, Mystery Show
The Kitchen Sisters, The Hidden World of Girls, Hidden Kitchens
Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder, Serial
Maria Martin, Latino USA, GraciasVida Center for Media
Karen Michel, independent audio producer
Joe Richman, Radio Diaries
Dmae Roberts, independent audio producer
Stephen Smith, APM Reports
Alix Spiegel, Invisibilia
Sandy Tolan, independent audio producer, Homelands Productions
Glynn Washington, Snap Judgment

John Biewen directs the audio program at the Center for Documentary Studies, where he teaches and produces/hosts the podcast Scene on Radio. His reporting and documentary work have taken him across the United States and to Europe, Japan, and India.

Alexa Dilworth is publishing director and senior editor at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.