Introduction to Narrative Audio

Over the past decade the global podcast industry has grown immensely. From deeply reported investigative shows like Serial and In the Dark to comedy chat shows like Poog and Smartless, podcasting is a continuously evolving art form. In this course we will explore audio storytelling in its varied forms, paying particular attention to what naturally grabs our ears and draws us in. What do you actually enjoy listening to and why? What piece of tape has never left your mind? What makes a beautiful—or meaningful—podcast episode? During this course students will take an initial idea for an audio story and turn it into a finished product. Students will learn how to plan their stories, conduct interviews, select tape, structure their narrative, write scripts, track narration, and add a musical score. As a group, we will listen to podcasts like Rumblestrip, Heavyweight, The Heart, The Organist, Home of the Brave, The Kitchen Sisters Presents, and the BBC's Falling Tree Radio. Texts include Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Successes of the New Masters of Radio by Jessica Abel, as well as selected readings from Transom.org. The goal of the course is to help students listen to podcasts with a critical (and creative) ear and to find their own voice as audio storytellers.



Bianca Giaever is an Emmy award winning radio producer and filmmaker. Her work has appeared on This American Life, Radiolab, The Daily, and many other podcasts.