Our “Over the Transom” newsletter just dropped! In it, expect Traveling Workshops updates, the behind-the-scenes of making personal documentaries by John Fecile, and exploring diagnoses by Danni Stewart.

Sarah Reynolds North used to teach at Transom Story Workshop and has learned quite a deal over the years. In this throwback from 2013, she shares 10 tips for people with a love for radio but not knowing where to turn: transom.org/2013/radio-h...

Back in 2022, @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social interviewed Angela Evancie, the executive producer of “Brave Little State.” The show is a hidden gem about Vermont life. They engage listeners along the way. Learn more here. @prx.org @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social @vermontpublic.org @jbcrane.bsky.social

ATTN all Four Corners-based early-career audio makers! Applications are live for our Moab, Utah traveling workshop! Expect a week of audio documentary learning from David Weinberg, Jennifer Jerrett and your peers. Learn more here: transom.org/2025/traveli...

Hey now! This is your reminder to get cracking on the Bombay Beach Transom Traveling Workshop application. Scholarships are available, as well. Find more information here: transom.org/2025/traveli...

ATTN all California-based early-career audio makers! Applications are live for our Bombay Beach traveling workshop! Expect a week of audio documentary learning from David Weinberg and your peers. Learn more here: transom.org/2025/traveli...

If you’re in Richmond, Virginia for Resonate’s Community Podcast Day tomorrow, you’re in luck. Our very own Sophie Crane has a presentation at the Institute for Contemporary Art at 1 pm. Come, it’s free.

If you’re in Richmond, Virginia for Resonate’s Community Podcast Day tomorrow, you’re in luck. Our very own Sophie Crane has a presentation at the Institute for Contemporary Art at 1 pm. Come, it’s free.

Susan Stamberg sang her own song at @npr.org. You could always tell it was Susan behind the mic. She died at the age of 87 in October. In her honor, we present this archive episode of @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social where she lays out her best practices for reporting on the visual arts. @prx.org

Hiya! Our newsletter “Over the Transom” dropped. In it, learn about upcoming Traveling Workshop dates and locations, conjuring a sound, and about something strange in Truro, Massachusetts. transom.substack.com/p/over-the-t...

The Transom Traveling Workshop locations just dropped! Audio makers and dreamers in Bombay Beach, CA, Moab, UT, Catalina, CA, Bloomington, IN, Amherst, MA, Interlochen, MI… we’re talking to you. Find out more here: transom.org/workshops/ab...

Back in 2006, Nancy Updike wrote one of the most helpful manifestos in our archive. Inside is a treasure trove of wonderful tips:

Read about wind screens, bumblebee spacers, anemometers, Rode blimps, dead cats, Rycote Super-Softies and lyre suspensions in this feature from 2018 here: transom.org/2018/putting...

Back in 2016, @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social interviewed @stephaniefoo.bsky.social about a gripping and at times, hard to hear piece she did on @thisamericanlife.org called “The Favorite.” It’s about producing a personal essay, even if it’s super challenging to do so. @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social

Tape syncs… the magic of that crystal clear audio quality when the interviewee is thousands of miles away. Read Katie Mingle’s tips here: transom.org/2014/get-goo...

“When I sit down to build a radio piece, it feels like building a road in the air. I have a bunch of pieces of tape that I like, and they’re floating islands with no obvious connection between them. Funny can help with the construction.” In 2015, @pjvogt.bsky.social wrote about humor in audio.

A reminder that it’s not too late to book your one-on-one session with Jeff Towne. Book here: transom.org/consulting/

“I knew I was a reporter, but my family knew me as daughter, niece, granddaughter. Even though I was 35, my family still saw me as a brainy kid,” Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs wrote about interviewing her elders. Listen here: transom.org/2012/getting...

On the latest @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social, @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social and Neena Pathak talked about grief and humor… and where the truth lies in all of this. It’s a great conversation that highlights a heartfelt audio piece entitled "Desperado." @prx.org @signalhillfm.bsky.social

On the latest “Over the Transom” newsletter, we dive into creating a sound archive, avoiding the “life-story” trap, music as rebellion and confessing sins. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/transom/...

Susan Stamberg died yesterday at 87. One of NPR’s "founding mothers", She’s made radio stronger, smarter, and more colorful for the past five decades. Check out one of her features for us. transom.org/2019/see-it-...

Reporter Austin Rowlader broke a written rule of trust in radio. He pressed record and didn’t ask first. His Transom post is tribute to honesty and accountability, prompting all of us to reflect on our own missteps with compassion and generosity.

In her 2012 manifesto, Stephanie Guyer-Stevens said to prepare to move at a different pace while reporting in a country you didn’t grow up in. “Slowing down also means really giving your ears a chance to hear what else is going on,” she wrote. Read her tips: transom.org/2012/telling...

Kids are remarkable. And capable of so much. “3rd Grade Audio” is a prime example of how simple it can be to make a really new radio story. Sometimes all it takes is the imagination of a 3rd grader. transom.org/2014/3rd-gra... @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social @prx.org

Miri Berlin had an idea “to tell a story where we have difficulties finding the right words.” Listen here: transom.org/2023/mothers...

In the latest "All Hear" newsletter, read about the 120+ opportunities that await you. @taliaaugustidis.bsky.social

Decades ago, Carmen Delzell was dropped off at a 24-hour grocery store parking lot with less than five dollars and a tape recorder. It’s a rare listen.

In this archive episode from 2018, legendary NPR reporter John Burnett answers a perplexing question "How to make an immigration story visual when no mics are allowed in the courtroom?" Answer: Fill your notebook with color notes. @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social

Today! Set up a table, a microphone, and ask strangers to tell their stories. After they’re done, hand them two quarters and call it a day. Inspiration: transom.org/2001/alex-ch...

Pigeons, P-pops, and making the reporting sound conversational… it's all in the latest newsletter over on Substack!

A manifesto from 2011 all about silence. Check it out here: transom.org/2011/john-bi...

The “Making Waves” science storytelling event was just featured on the Possibly podcast. Reporters interviewed one of the scientist storytellers, Kathleen Savage, as well as our very own @sophiecrane.bsky.social about why this work is so important. Listen to the rest here:

Years ago, Jamie Yuenger produced a story with some extremely vulnerable tape from someone she spent the time moose hunting with. @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social asks Jamie how she got the tape and they discuss the ethical complication and resolution. Listen here:

“Choose a story because it’s surprising.” That comes from Alex Blumberg in his 2005 manifesto. In it, he dives into the nitty gritty of what makes a great radio story. Read more here:

“There’s no such thing as a podcast emergency.” Aggi Ashagre first read that quote on then-Twitter years ago from producing icon @kt.fm. Back in 2021, Aggi wrote all about the beehive of problems that will inevitably come buzzing your way. Learn Aggi’s tips for how to navigate them:

“If you want to be a story editor, don’t just listen to podcasts. Deconstruct them,” wrote Catherine Saint Louis in her Transom manifesto about becoming an editor. She continues, “Listening widely strengthened my editorial judgment.” Read more here:

Hey there, we have a challenge for your Wednesday! Stop what you’re doing and draw the story arc on a napkin or piece of paper. See if it clarifies things for you, you never know. @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social

In the latest episode of Sound School, host @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social looks to the series “Ghost of a Chance” to learn from their host-reporter dynamic. The listener is brought along in a way that feels intentional and direct. Listen here: @prx.org @startribune.com

Need help finding your files? Knowing which editing program is right for you? Want advice on which mic to use for an upcoming field recording? Jeff Towne has got you covered. Book a one-on-one session with Jeff here: transom.org/consulting/

New one-on-one consulting sessions offered, tips for audio fiction, knitting with dog hair (!), and the latest from both @taliaaugustidis.bsky.social and @soundschoolpodcast.bsky.social -- it's all in the latest newsletter over on Substack!

In the latest All Hear newsletter, read about the 140+ opportunities that await you. @taliaaugustidis.bsky.social

To quote @latif.bsky.social's former professor Shigehisa Kuriyama, “It’s not that 99.99% of the most interesting questions in the world haven’t been answered, it’s that 99.99% of the most interesting questions in the world haven’t even been asked yet.” Read more here: transom.org/2022/ten-mor...

Mics, recorders, headphones… Oh my! Lots of decisions to make. But, overall, we stand by the Sony 7506 headphones. Beyond that, we have different preferences on which mics and sound recorders we use. Read our opinions from 2012 here:

“There is a completely other way to think about the structure of a story. You’re not staging the story as an argument, but as a sequence of events.” Hear more of Ira’s tips here: transom.org/2024/tips-to... @rob-rosenthal.bsky.social @prx.org

Taking photos while out reporting is often a good idea. But, we reporters are rarely taught how to take a good photo. Back in 2014, photographer @amandakowalski.bsky.social gave us her tips. Check it out:

Back in 2001, we launched a special project called “The Days That Follow” all about 9/11. In it, stories about what happened – and for those of us who lived through it, how our lives were forever changed.

Sonic IDs are little fragments of life, 30 and 60-second portraits, actualities, and stories. They’re often about place, and should surprise you. So, go forth! Make one for the love of this form and the people where you live.

Writing like it's a television drama complete with instructions for a camera operator. That's an unusual maneuver for a podcast. One I'd never heard before. Neither had Susan Burton until she wrote that way herself for #TheRetrievals from Serial and @nytimes.com. @prx.org. @transom.bsky.social.

“The plan itself is useless, the process of planning is everything.” That’s from Josh Baker in his 2021 manifesto about reporting “I’m Not A Monster.” In it, advice about collaboration, trauma-informed reporting, and working with an unreliable narrator.

Transom Traveling Workshop updates, evergreen advice from Laura Mayer about mentorship and a compilation of stories on this Hurricane Katrina anniversary… it's all in the latest newsletter over on Substack.