Castelnou, France. Photo by Scarlett Messenger Quiet Please
Written and directed by celebrated author Wyllis Cooper, the widely acclaimed old time radio program Quiet, Please was first aired on June 8, 1947 over the Mutual Broadcasting System. In this period, several similarly themed anthologies graced the American airwaves. However, it was this series that garnered notoriety during the golden age of radio and was lauded as an innovative and creative work of genius by both critics and academics alike. In fact, Professor Richard J. Hand from Glamorgan University praised Quiet, Please as an “extraordinary body of work,” and its writer Cooper as “one of the greatest authors of horror radio.” Quiet, Please was a mish mash of several literary genres, with supernatural encounters gaining the most prominence.
Dali Museum, Figueres, Spain. Photo by Scarlett Messenger X Minus One
Most of the stories for X Minus One were culled directly from the pages of Galaxy. Many of SF’s most popular authors got mass exposure through this series, and even today X Minus One is still generally considered a cornerstone of radio drama.
Most, if not all, of the famous sci-fi authors have had stories featured in this series: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Theodore Sturgeon, just to name a few.
Béziers, France. Photo by Scarlett Messenger Nightfall
Nightfall is the title of a radio drama series produced and aired by CBC Radio (see Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a supernatural/horror series, Nightfall featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. One episode was even adapted from a folk song by Stan Rogers. Some of Nightfall’s episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Despite this, the series went on to become one of the most popular shows in CBC Radio history, running 100 episodes that featured a mix of original tales and adaptations of both classic and obscure short stories.
Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Scarlett Messenger Selected Shorts
There is a theme to each Selected Shorts episode and performance. Several stories are presented around each theme. The stories are always fiction, sometimes classic, sometimes new, always performed by great actors from stage, screen and television who bring these short stories to life. Evenings are often co-hosted by writers, literary producers, and other interesting characters.
The Stanford Storytelling Project is an arts program at Stanford University that explores how we live in and through stories and, even more importantly, how to deepen our lives through our own storytelling. Our mission is to promote the transformative nature of traditional and modern oral storytelling, from Lakota tales to Radiolab, and empower students to create and perform their own stories. The project sponsors courses, workshops, live events, and grants. In 2012, we created a new radio show, State of the Human, where we share stories that deepen our understanding of single, common human experiences—fighting, giving, lying, resilience—all drawn from the experiences and research of the Stanford community. Tune in every Wednesday at 5pm on 90.1 KZSU or download our podcast on iTunes.
Béziers, France. Photo by Scarlett Messenger Risk!
RISK! is a live show and podcast “where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public” hosted by Kevin Allison, of the legendary TV sketch comedy troupe The State. The award-winning live show happens monthly in New York and Los Angeles. It’s featured people like Janeane Garofalo, Lisa Lampanelli, Kevin Nealon, Margaret Cho, Marc Maron, Sarah Silverman, Lili Taylor, Rachel Dratch, Andy Borowitz and more, dropping the act and showing a side of themselves we’ve never seen before. The weekly podcast gets hundreds of thousands of downloads each month. Slate.com called it “jaw-dropping, hysterically funny, and just plain touching.”
Plateau des Poètes, Béziers, France. Photo by Scarlett Messenger True Story
True Story is a secret society of anonymous storytellers. In living rooms, attics, and vacant lots, on rooftops and around fires, people are gathering to tell each other stories from their lives.
Recordings from the True Story underground are more raw and revealing than you’ll find anywhere else. Since 2012, we’ve published the best of these on our podcast and on public radio.
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.
Turn on your radio and hide.
Ideas and Resources to Grow Your Storytelling Skills
