Valley Voices

For our final Summer Short story of the 2024 season, we bring you Susan Bartfay and her story “Bad boys are my weakness”. Some people just have to recount things that happened in their life to bring a really incredible story to the stage. Susan told this one at our “Pot Luck” story slam that we held at our NEPM studios in Springfield. We’re making plans for season 10 of Valley Voices Story Slams at venues throughout western Mass. this fall - hope to see you there!

Rachel Leventhal Weiner is up next in NEPM’s Summer Short podcast series. She takes out an old personal memory set to the back drop of a quite public memory that we all share. Enjoy “Girl Meets Boy” from our “Missed Connections” story slam last fall.

This week in NEPM’s Valley Voices Summer Shorts podcast series, we reach back to our Whodunit? story slam last fall to hear from Judy Gutlerner and the life perspective she got from a household mixup.

Kenneth Mulder is up next in NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcast series with his quirky story “Lost in Translation”. Kenneth brings us his secret of talking to the animals, and listening to them too. Extra bonus points for the sound effects!These stories come from our Valley Voices story slams throughout the year — even if you didn’t make it to the slam, we didn’t want you to miss them!

Andrew Shelffo was part of a night of stories on the theme “Pot Luck” that NEPM hosted at our Springfield studios last spring. His story “A family reunion” spanned many years and almost as many emotions.NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcasts are taken from our Valley Voices story slams throughout the year — even if you didn’t make it to the slam, we didn’t want you to miss them!

Lila West takes us to Europe this week for our Valley Voices Summer Shorts podcast. Told at our Road Trip story slam last fall, “Putting the international into harvester” is a story about a family trip, but it’s also about learning to accept some things that she thought she never would. NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcasts are taken from our Valley Voices story slams throughout the year — even if you didn’t make it to the slam, we didn’t want you to miss them!

The next story in NEPM’s Valley Voices Summer Shorts series comes from Lauren Ostberg. She brought “The Perpetrator” to our Whodunit? story slam in September to prove to all of us what an amazing detective she is. NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcasts are taken from our Valley Voices story slams throughout the year — even if you didn’t make it to the slam, we didn’t want you to miss them!

Driving the vice presidential motorcade — is that a thing? For this week’s Summer Shorts story, Jordan Hall takes us along for a wild ride as a civilian, recruited to drive Vice President Joe Biden to the airport on a moment’s notice. He told this unique tale for our Missed Connections story slam at The Drake in Amherst in January.

Storyteller Matty Adams is up next in NEPM’s Summer Shorts series — he told “What Went Down at the Lighthouse'' at the Marigold Theater in Easthampton last fall. He definitely fit the theme of “Whodunit?” but not in the way everyone else did. This content might not be suitable for everyone — consider listening to this one without the kids!

This week on NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcast series, it’s Michael Hoberman. But his story “Out of My Element” might actually be more about his hitchhiking companions, and the pursuit of Fun, with a capital F.

It’s time for NEPM’s Summer Shorts podcast series - one true story, uploaded every Friday this summer. As we look back on season 9 of NEPM’s Valley Voices Story Slams, Paul Katz grabbed us with his story “Chasing Jimmy.” Happy Summer!

This month, we’re sharing the first episode of NEPM’s new podcast, The Secrets We Keep. Produced and hosted by NEPM reporter Karen Brown, the five part series explores how secrets both reflect our world and affect those caught inside them. Find the full series on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For photos, transcripts and more, visit nepm.org/secrets.

NEPM presents our 9th season of Valley Voices Story Slams - now in podcast form! Here are the winners of this season's first slam, held at the Marigold Theater in Easthampton. David Bulley, Dave Fromm and Julia Mitchell tell us about a mystery they each encountered in their own life.

Jacob Nelson from CISA drops by to "take over" NEPM's Valley Voices podcast - he brought some great stories from Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture's "Field Notes" storytelling event to share with us.

Andrew Shelffo looks back on his life as a runner and notices how his attitude affects his pace.

Sarah Wisby takes a good look back at what the color black represented in her punk adolescence.

Liz Varney is a social worker who takes some time to look back on what a particular case meant in her career.

A sweet first kiss turns sour as Lauren Crigler gets a lesson on the different ways boys and girls get treated in middle school.

On this week’s Summer Shorts story from NEPM, Matthew Dicks gets some electrical encouragement to think through his new living situation.

Laura Porter tells us about a miracle that came out of a great adventure on this week’s Valley Voices Summer Shorts podcast.