Our City, Our Stories Project

Funded by the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and airing on WAMU 88.5 FM’s Metro Connection, SpeakeasyDC has created a series of story recordings from across the city. The theme connecting the stories is Stepping Up and Stepping Out: Stories about Overcoming Obstacles and Making Things Happen.

Listen to interview with Amy Saidman on WAMU 88.5. To find the rest of the stories visit WAMU.org and search for SpeakeasyDC or visit the Speakeasy Storycast

ABOUT THE STORIES AND PRODUCERS

Daniel McCowan is a proud product of DC’s foster care system, and he shares some of the experiences that shaped his life. Produced by Shea Shackelford with Daniel McCowan. Shea is an audio documentary producer and co-founder of Big Shed Audio. He is also the creator of The Place+Memory Project, a public raido series and online campaign to map places that no longer exist through personal memories. Shea produces work for syndicated public radio shows like NPR’s Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. He managed the Our City, Our Stories for SpeakeasyDC and provides technical support for the Speakeasy Storycast.

Rose Oliphant and Debra Frazier are two housing activists who helped create Friends and Residents of Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg. Produced by Sam Greenspan. Sam is a DC-based radio producer and media educator. His work have been featured on WAMU 88.5, Pacifica Radio, and community radio stations across the country.

Carolyn Parham faced a life-changing challenge upon receiving a large sum of money. We met Carolyn through DC Central Kitchen. Produced by David Schultz. David is a a broadcast journalist based in Washington, DC. He reports for public radio station WAMU, the NPR affiliate in Washington. Previously, he reported for the Connection Newspapers in Northern Virginia where he won several Virginia Press Association awards. David got his start in journalism at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. This was aired on WAMU 88.5 FM on February 5, 2010. Listen to this story at WAMU.org or SpeakeasyStorycast.com.

Ellouise Schoettler talks about her unexpected entry into the feminist movement. Produced by Andrew Hiller. Andrew is an independent radio producer and commentator. His work can be found at WAMU 88.5 fm.

ABOUT OUR HUMANITIES SCHOLAR

Reuben Jackson has worked as an archivist with the Smithsonian Institution’s Duke Ellington Collection since 1989.His music reviews have been published in The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, All About Jazz, and Jazz Times Jazziz, and on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He is also an instructor at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and a regular contributor to Metro Connection- a weekly radio news magazine on WAMU-FM, in Washington, D.C. His poems have published in 21 anthologies, The Jazz Journalists Association website, and in a volume entitled “fingering the keys.”

ABOUT THE HUMANITIES COUNCIL

The Humanities Council of Washington, DC (HCWDC), transforms lives through the power of the Humanities. As a far-reaching community catalyst, we build bridges between multiple and diverse neighborhoods to affirm and enliven the human spirit, promote cross-cultural understanding, enrich the quality of life, and foster intellectual stimulation.