YouthCast

Rap over College from Keith Shine of Curie Youth Radio

Wed, 14 May 2008 22:44:18 GMT

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

One thing I used to hate to hear my dad say to me was, "Tel, you have to make a decision." That used to bother me so much because I didn't want to decide! Why can't I do/have both? Why can't you decide for me? I don't know which choice to make...These were the thoughts that would go through my mind.

Well, this week we're checking out another young person who needs to make a decision; his lies between pursuing a rap career or a college education. Keith Shine produced this piece for Curie Youth Radio in June 2007, and we're trying to catch up with him to find out his progress, so be sure to check back on the blog later this week. Hopefully we'll have an interview for you to view...

So...what do you want to be when you grow up? We've all heard the question.

In pursuit of your dreams, have you had to sacrifice something? Did you have the support of your family? Are you happy you made the decision? Any regrets? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

(Listen to Rap over College)

( music: "Golden" by Jill Scott)

Introductions...

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:28:14 GMT

Hello all! I'm the new host for YouthCast. I'm a newbie to blogging so I'll have to get used to this. I'm sure many of you are hip to the blog scene...Any suggestions to help get me adjusted? Come on, don't be stingy; feel free to share. I'm excited about this new journey.

You can email me at chantel@prx.org or visit my PRX Profile

"And How Does That Make You Feel?" by Kathleen Ross

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:09:35 GMT

"And how does that make you feel?"

A radio drama by Kathleen Ross of Blunt Youth Radio Project

(Listen to "And How Does That Make You Feel?")

( music: "noctuary" by bonobo)

"The International Male" on YouthCast

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:10:26 GMT

During his early teens, producer Matt Terrell of SCAD Radio came to understand his sexuality while flipping through pages of scantily-clad men in the International Male catalog. Recently, Matt has noticed that the catalog is changing its image and becoming a little more...mainstream.

(Listen to "The International Male")

"The International Male": Behind the Scenes

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:09:49 GMT

Q&A with producer Matt Terrell

Topics covered: ruffled shirts, schmoozing tips for the unskilled, and more.

(Listen to an interview with Matt Terrell)

"Our Name is Rogelio Bautista" from KRCB Voice of Youth

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:26:16 GMT

This week on YouthCast, "Our Name is Rogelio Bautista" from KRCB Voice of Youth, narrated by David Velediaz, Julio Hernandez, Maria Marquez, and Luis Vargas. This is the story of Rogelio Bautista, from birth, to immigrating from Mexico, to childhood, to gang initiation, to death at age sixteen.

Want to read an online discussion with the producers of this story (and other members of the KRCB Voice of Youth crew)? Head over to Transom. Photos of the Bautista family can be seen here.

(Listen to "Our Name is Rogelio Bautista")

(music: "interlune" by Joy)

This American Life article for diehards and haters alike

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:11:04 GMT

So there's this radio show hosted by this guy with an unusual voice, and most of the stories are about 'normal' people who have big realizations about everyday things*. And this radio show also uses a lot of the same instrumental music over and over again**. Now, I have a deep affection for this show, and, like many young producers, it even drew me to radio to begin with. But--I'm sure you knew the "but" was coming--I have to wonder what's on the horizon for public radio. What will be the "next" This American Life? And where does new storytelling originate in radio, anyway? I tackled these very questions*** in "A.D. Ira: Is There Life After This American Life?"

*See "This American Life Completes Documentation of Liberal, Upper-Middle-Class Existence" in The Onion. Brilliant.

**I used to feel wistful when I listened to the band Boards of Canada; now, thanks to This American Life, I hear Boards of Canada when I feel wistful.

***And like most titular rhetorical questions, my answer is a variation on a theme of "kinda"

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:22:18 GMT

(video from The Nation's recent article on Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan)

Last week marked the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. This week the number of US troops killed in Iraq reached 4,000. From March 13-16, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered outside D.C. to make testimonies about their combat experiences. The weekend was called Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan and was modeled off Winter Soldier--an event organized by John Kerry and other members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971.

I was sitting in the audience that weekend, and each night I stayed up late talking with participants. As I work on an audio documentary about the event, I'm also working to process it all. These soldiers' stories were devastating. I would definitely recommend taking a deep breath and watching two of the more graphic testimonies: Jon Turner and Kristofer Goldsmith.

"The Cost of War" by Spencer Scott

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:12:32 GMT

Lavinia and Chris Gelineau met in college, fell in love, and got married. Neither made it past the age of twenty-five. This week on YouthCast, producer Spencer Scott of Blunt Youth Radio Project tells their story.

(Listen to "The Cost of War")

Music: "Turquoise Hexagon Sun" by Boards of Canada

"The Cost of War": Behind the Scenes

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:10:07 GMT

A Conversation With Producer Spencer Scott

"I believe that in a time of war the American press has a duty to show the American people what the war is costing in American lives and suffering. This allows the American people to honestly answer the question: is it worth it?"

1) To begin, could you briefly introduce yourself and talk a little about how you got involved with radio?

My name is Spencer Scott. I’m currently a sophomore at NYU studying Journalism and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies with a minor in French. I got involved in radio toward the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. It was more or less on a whim. A friend of mine who worked with Blunt Youth Radio Project [at WMPG in Portland, Maine] said that since he and his fellow seniors at Blunt were graduating the program was looking for “fresh meat.” He was a good friend of mine so I figured anything he did was probably pretty cool. I called up Blunt, and I was learning how to use a minidisk recorder and edit ProTools within weeks.

2) You’ve produced stories about a wounded Iraq War veteran, a life-long military man who’s about to see combat for the first time, and an Iraq War widow. How do you find your subjects? What kinds of stories are you drawn to?

Cpl. Chris Kotch I found by calling a local Vet Center and asking that my number be given out along with the request that any young veterans who would be willing to speak with me call. I was introduced to Lavinia Gelineau by my mother, who had cared for her in the Emergency Room where my mother is a physician. These stories came to me in very different ways, but they all were stories of the war in Iraq’s affect on Mainers both young and old. I thought the war’s affect at home was a topic I could feasibly cover as a young journalist, and more importantly cover from a unique perspective.

3) I think it’s taken for granted that war is fought by the young, waged by the old, and reported by the old. As a young radio producer, how do you approach the task of war reporting?

I don’t think my unique perspective as a young person covering the war comes from the way I, personally, approach war reporting. I believe it’s a little more inherent, more subconscious. It’s not really that I approach war reporting in a certain way, it’s that the way those I report on interact with me produce a unique perspective. When I interviewed Cpl. Kotch, a twenty-one year-old that had nearly lost his life in Iraq, I was just seventeen. We related in a way that I don’t think he would have with an older journalist. I think it was more earnest.

4) I get the impression that there is an ongoing debate among youth radio circles about what youth radio should sound like (ie should it sound like “adult” radio or should it be its own thing entirely?). As a younger producer myself, I wonder if the culture of radio production encourages emulation and what effect that might have on creativity and innovation. In your radio work, do you aim for “the NPR sound”? Should youth radio be wary of its elders?

This I have trouble with. I was raised listening to NPR. I think its good programming. If it’s good, why not emulate it? I’m still figuring this one out, but what I can say at this point is that I think adult producers have a wealth of valuable lessons to pass on to us, however I don’t think their work should be used as a template for our own. The “NPR sound” is the sound of good, engaging reporting. I don’t think we should toss it in the poubelle [note: French for “trash can”] because it’s what old people do. But I also think we need to remember that good engaging reporting can sound different, and to not be afraid of that either.

5) On PRX, “The Cost of War” has incited much critical response. Of the nine reviews, three are from various PRX editorial board members arguing among themselves. It’s a beautiful thing. Why do you think “The Cost of War” has stirred up so much controversy?

To put it simply, it’s a good story. It’s an incredible story. I’m not saying that’s got anything to do with me except for the fact that this incredible story fell into my lap when I was seventeen. I reported it the way I thought I should. I’d also like to add that I’m not done yet. The story deserves more, and I’d like to do it justice.

6) In response to “The Cost of War,” PRX editorial board member Steve Yasko wrote, “By the end of this piece the writing falls down to youthful complaining and angst about the injustice of the war…Ultimately, I find myself wondering if I want this kind of story from a younger professional? If this story came up in my newsroom I would have certainly assigned it to my most senior reporter. I have listened to several youth producer pieces and I find the pieces I find most compelling is when a young professional tells me how his compatriots are thinking and dealing with life.” I think this comment contains the underlying assumption that youth producers should stick to youth issues (war not being one of them). Should youth producers stick to “youth issues”? Why did you tell this story as opposed to leaving it for a seasoned reporter?

I actually e-mailed Steve Yasko shortly after reading his review of the piece. I was, in a word, miffed. His review addresses an issue that’s certainly worth debating. If I was in a newsroom and I came across this story I probably wouldn’t give it to the seventeen year-old either. But, then again, there aren’t many seventeen year-olds in the newsrooms of the American press… So I found Mr. Yasko’s review a little irrelevant, and maybe even a little offensive to youth producers. What his review says to me is, what a great story, a shame this young person is the one telling it. When my mother first told me Lavinia was interested in speaking with me, I wasn’t about to call up the local NPR affiliate to ask a seasoned reporter to stand in for me.
What is the role of young producers? It’s to report, to learn, to experiment. I take great issue categorizing youth producers and asking them to limit themselves to stories pertinent to youth. What happens when they grow up? Youth producers aren’t youth producers forever. We bring a young perspective to everything we report on, whether it’s about us or anything else. I would hope that many of my fellow young producers go into journalism and use the experience they’ve been gaining from such an early age. Not limiting ourselves now can only make us better journalists later.

7) The first half of “The Cost of War” could be called objective because it lacks an argument and relies little on a first-person narrator. However, there is a shift in the second half in that the narrator enters the piece as an opinionated character. For example, you describe your mom waking you up in the morning, you argue that the deaths of Chris and Lavinia Gelineau “amount only to the cost of war that have impacted so many,” and so forth. Can you explain your thinking when it came to developing yourself as a character in “The Cost of War”? In retrospect, would you have gone about this differently?

The Cost of War is a second version of an original piece that was more simply a story about Lavinia Gelineau. After she was murdered, I knew I had to revisit the story. I used the second version to try to include things I hadn’t in the first version, most importantly include what had happened in the aftermath of the first piece, and finally discuss how the story had impacted me. I felt that at that time, with what I had, it was the best way to go about revisiting her story.

8) The transition between the first half of the piece and the second half is rather abrupt. One moment there’s an interview clip of Lavinia alive and well, and the next moment your mother tells you that Lavinia’s father murdered her. Can you explain this production choice?

I think I can answer this fairly simply. One moment Lavinia Gelineau was alive, and the next she was not. Death, especially that of a young person, always comes with a jarring abruptness. It’s the abruptness of a life ending when it wasn’t supposed to. At one moment Chris Gelineau was alive and well to Lavinia, but as soon as an army chaplain regretfully informed her he was not, it was abruptly no longer so. I felt there was no way, no need, even, to ease my listeners into the fact that Lavinia had been murdered.

9) Regarding story structure, Ira Glass argues, “You can’t have anecdote without reflection. It’s got to mean something.” “The Cost of War” has both. For example, you say, “In a way, Lavinia’s death released her from solitude.” This reflective line is paired with a heartbreaking scene in which Lavinia visits her husband’s grave and you both listen to the chime she had hung in a nearby tree. When you're working on a radio story, how do you strike a balance between concrete/scene writing on the one hand and abstract/reflective writing on the other?

I think it depends on the piece. I felt that when I revisited Lavinia’s story it required more. There is always the concern of bias in journalism, of “sensationalization” if I might be allowed to make up a word. But we are all human beings. I tried to bring that aspect to “The Cost of War.” I wanted to say what I thought, not as a proponent or opponent to the war, but as a young person faced with a tragic story about what the costs of war to Chris, to Lavinia and to their families. This is getting a little tangential, but I believe that in a time of war the American press has a duty to show the American people what the war is costing in American lives and suffering. This allows the American people to honestly answer the question: is it worth it?

10) Now that you’re in college, are you involved in radio? How has your involvement in Blunt affected your life post-high school? Do you think you’ll go into radio or journalism as a career? Am I asking you enough questions about your future to make you nervous yet?

I haven’t done any producing since I’ve arrived here. New York City is kind of a crazy place to try integrate yourself into, so I’ve been taking it slow. I experimented with a lot of different fields of study at NYU but I’ve decided that journalism is indeed my calling, so I’ve declared it as my major. As far as Blunt’s affect on post-Blunt years… it’s immense. I didn’t play sports in high school. I did a lot of theatre and mock trial for a couple years, but my main focus was Blunt. I put a lot of time into it, and it definitely paid off. At eighteen years old I had produced a piece ["Profile of Cpl. Chris Kotch "] that became part of a series that was given an Edward R. Murrow award [Youth Radio's "Reflections on Return"]. How many other kids get that opportunity? I owe so much to Blunt.

"Queeriosity" from OutLoud Radio

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:56:36 GMT

A half-hour slam poetry special from Noah Miller of OutLoud Radio. Queeriosity is an annual San Francisco-area event organized by Youth Speaks.

(Listen to "Queeriosity")

***

Thanks to the Providence Poetry Slam for letting me record the intro at the Youth Grand Slam

"A Prohibition" by Terin Mayer of KRLX

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:28:36 GMT

This week on YouthCast, a poetic reflection on campus race relations. Three students at Carleton College discuss what it means to be black and how the word "nigger" changes in different contexts.

This piece was produced by Terin Mayer of KRLX. Poetry by Corey Stewart, a 2006 graduate of Carleton College. Go HERE for an interview with Terin.

(Listen to "A Prohibition")

music: "change down" by bonobo

Verses for Valentine's Day

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:10:32 GMT

Celebrate Valentine's Day with poems from the Poetry Foundation. Conveniently arranged by category: funny, romantic, sad, teenage, break-up, and, yes, audio. Speaking of which, their podcast--Poetry Off the Shelf--is most excellent. If you want a good episode to start with, check out "Excuse Me While I Offend You" (which could've been titled "Sean Cole is a very smart and funny producer and can do no wrong").

Or, conversely, celebrate the day by shaking your fist at greeting card companies that make you feel like you have to buy a bunch of junk. Either way.

Happy Valentine's Eve

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:08:33 GMT

Alright, I'm a major sucker for Miranda July. In fact, I've probably linked to this video before and forgotten about it. Oh well, enjoy!

"Joey's Phone Call Home" by Joey Thompson of Blunt Youth Radio Project

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:42:03 GMT

This week on YouthCast: a telephone conversation between a young prison inmate and his family.

Joey Thompson produced this piece with the Blunt Youth Radio Project. At the time, he was incarcerated in the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, Maine. Following the phone call, we hear from Claire Holman, director of Blunt.

Click HERE to listen to a piece of Joey's that aired on This American Life.

Sam Greenspan guest hosts YouthCast this week for Kiera Feldman.

(Listen to "Joey's Phone Call Home")

The Telephone on the Radio

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:59:50 GMT

Coming up tomorrow, YouthCast taps into the intimate qualities of telephone storytelling. Get pumped by listening to some of my favorite people who do telephone-on-the-radio:

Wiretap from Jonathan Goldstein (a name you might recognize from This American Life)
Joe Frank (highly recommended: "Sweepstakes Winner"--a brilliant jab at public radio pledge drives)
Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything (highly recommended: "Call to Canada," which you can also find on the phone-themed episode of Re: Sound)

Youth commentators on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:09:24 GMT

(requisite voting booth stock image)

With Super Tuesday nearly upon us, three youth commentators sound off on the elections: Martin Macias of Curie Youth Radio in Chicago, Tonei Glavinic of Alaska Teen Media Institute in Anchorage, and Miriam Archibong of Spelman College in Atlanta. Go HERE to listen

Related linkage: Weekend America commissioned Super Tuesday theme songs from the likes of Hearts of Palm U.K. and the Mountain Goats.

"The Office" by Chris Frenier and Noah Magen of Alaska Teen Media Institute

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:47:24 GMT

This week on YouthCast, rumors fly in cubicle-land. Chris Frenier and Noah Magen of Alaska Teen Media Institute imagine office gossip gone awry.

(Listen to "The Office")

music: "the plug" by bonobo

"Quien Soy?": Behind the Scenes

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:18:54 GMT

Producer Karmen Gallegos gives a tutorial on writing personal essays for radio. Her advice? Don't listen to your English teachers.

Throughout my life I have always struggled to communicate both in writing and verbally. I would always get C-'s on any English essays, with little notes saying "you can't always write how you speak Carmen." AGH! I hated reading the notes written in red pen that the teacher usually left on what you believed was once a perfectly written essay.

I ALWAYS was corrected in English....ALWAYS corrected in SPANISH. My friends and family always made fun of how I would explain myself. "Esque, I don't know what happens mom, I get stuck hablando in Spanish y el English, so I end up speaking SPANGLISH!" My mom would give long lectures on how it's great to be bi lingual, but I should be great at both languages without relying on another to explain myself.

Nobody understood me :( Until I got involved with this radio business. People began to appreciate my cultural difference, and my talent! :) Sometimes I even got complimented on my fluent spanglish. Ultimately I found out that in the radio YOU HAVE TO WRITE LIKE YOU SPEAK. You have to let your personality out! Even if you do have to throw a lil español one or twice. I believe accents are what make a piece great.

For a personal essay, the best thing you can do to let every emotion out is write, write and write. It doesn't have to rhyme or make sense, it's about the delivery, the emotion behind it, and most of all the passion. When you record the piece, record as if you were putting your heart out. If it's something for your brother who passed away read it as if he never ever left, as if he was right there besides you. Sometimes you'll even get to cry. Remember that behind every personal essay there’s a story.

Writing Narratives, Commentaries, Personal Essays, however you want to call them—they can also be great for you soul. Sounds kinda cheesy but it's true. You know- some people do drugs, others drink, some dance, and others scream to let go of those emotions that kill you or are a burden inside of you. What I do is share....Share every bit of that frustration-- of that agony, that happiness--with people who go through the same struggles and troubles to make a great piece. For example if you’re a youth trying to redeem yourself and get out of the ghetto, drugs, gangs, and what not, write about your struggles. Use this wave as if it were your diary; don’t limit yourself. Tell us how tough it was for you to find a job after dropping out from the 9th grade. Kick scream and cry when you tell us about that one homie that got shot in his front porch. And best of all let us know what you’re doing to change everything all around. Keep the listeners wanting more more...

I believe if you put these tips and advice in your pocket, you can end up writing something wonderful and touching!!!! And remember: DONT LISTEN TO YOUR ENGLISH TEAHCERS! They don't know how to WRITE LIKE THEY SPEAK!! They don't get this radio business ;)

"Quien Soy?" by Karmen Gallegos of Santa Fe Youth Radio

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:42:15 GMT

Born in Mexico and raised in Santa Fe, Karmen Gallegos of Santa Fe Youth Radio explains what it's like to live in two worlds.

Coming soon! Carmen gives a tutorial on how to write personal essays for the radio. It's part of the new DIY Radio Project--youth-produced guides on the art and craft of radio making.

(Listen to "Quien Soy?")

Do It Yourself (with the help of others)

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:52:57 GMT

From Crafster.org, the DIY pregnancy belly cast

With the DIY Radio Project underway, I have tutorials on the mind. Here are a few DIY links I've been enjoying lately:

Wiki How: a wikipedia-style collection of guides to everything from asking someone out online to making a disco ball with old CDs
Craftster.org: thousands of tutorials and discussion forums. Want to make matchbox wall art or a pregnancy belly cast?
How to make a podcast: looks confusing at first but it's not hard at all. note: there are a million different ways to make a podcast. The blogger/feedburner combo described here is the simplest in my mind. However, they forget the first step: hosting your audio file online, which you can do easily at archive.org. Also, this page explains how to submit your podcast to iTunes
Video guide to recording interviews with Skype: helpful for radio producers and podcasters alike

"Thrift Town" by Lauryn Silverman of Youth Radio

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:46:46 GMT

This week on YouthCast, rummage through yesterday's fashions. Tag along for a trip to Thrift Town with Lauryn Silverman of Youth Radio.

(Listen to "Thrift Town")

music: "are birthday's happy" by jens lekman

Musician Stuart Saunders Smith

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:31:04 GMT

Check out a new non-narrated radio story by Sam Greenspan--"Stuart Saunders Smith: PLAY." You might remember Sam as the producer of "A Nightingale Among Ye" on YouthCast a few weeks back. And if you missed his non-narrated radio story tutorial, go here to listen to the how-to.

"Radio Love" by Tiffany Patterson of Brooklyn College Radio

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:46:46 GMT

Tiffany Patterson of Brooklyn College Radio sends a sonic love letter to radio.

(Listen to "Radio Love")

"Radio Love": Behind the Scenes with Tiffany Patterson

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:35:12 GMT

Tiffany Patterson (aka Miss Tiff when she DJs) spreads the radio love: why she loves radio, how she made "Radio Love," her radio dream job, and more.

LISTEN TO TIFFANY'S INTERVIEW

clarification: at the beginning Tiffany mentions someone named Ann--that's Ann Heppermann, Tiffany's radio instructor at Brooklyn College