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Radio Diaries

Radio Diaries

Written by: Radio Diaries & Radiotopia
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First-person diaries, sound portraits, and hidden chapters of history from Peabody Award-winning producer Joe Richman and the Radio Diaries team. From teenagers to octogenarians, prisoners to prison guards, bra saleswomen to lighthouse keepers. The extraordinary stories of ordinary life. Radio Diaries is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.
Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Last Man on the Mountain
    Oct 8 2026

    In the 1990s, Arch Coal began mountaintop removal mining in a corner of West Virginia called Pigeonroost Hollow. There used to be dozens of houses in the area, but within a few years there was just one. It belonged to Jimmy Weekley.

    This story originally aired on NPR in 2011.

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    16 mins
  • Signal Hill: What's Inside the Moon
    Sep 17 2026

    This week we're sharing a story from the audio magazine Signal Hill.

    The story, "What's Inside the Moon," is about the poet Kenneth Koch and a group of elementary school students he taught to write poetry in the 1960s. Half a century later, producer Jess Shane tracked down the students to ask what poetry had meant for their lives.

    You can find more stories from Signal Hill at SignalHill.fm.

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    47 mins
  • Guest Spotlight: Phonograph
    Aug 13 2026

    This week we're featuring an episode of Phonograph, a podcast that deconstructs the history and art of audio storytelling.

    The hosts of Phonograph recently invited Radio Diaries' Joe Richman on their show to talk about "24 Hours at the Golden Apple," a classic episode of This American Life that he helped produce. The Golden Apple is a diner in Chicago, and back in 2000, a group of producers took shifts hanging out there over 24 hours and talking to as many people as they could. Joe's story focused on the friendship between two high school students, Danielle and Allison, who he met during his shift.

    Here's an excerpt of Phonograph where Joe talks about making this story, and what it's like to listen back to it more than two decades after it first aired.

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    31 mins
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