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Valley Voices

Our podcast features the outrageous, funny and heartwarming true stories told by your friends and neighbors at Valley Voices Story Slam events throughout western Massachusetts.

Valley Voices Story Slam is presented by New England Public Media and the Academy of Music Theatre.

  • 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.
  • Nina Brand is the next storyteller in NEPM’s Valley Voices Summer Shorts podcast series. She has a wonderful recollection of visits with her grandmother that passed on some important family knowledge.
  • 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.
  • A little bit of everything this time around for Valley Voices Story Slam podcast. That's why we called it Pot Luck! Angela Grout, Josh Simpson and Angela Combest were the winners of NEPM's fourth story slam of our ninth season. Enjoy!
  • This time on NEPM’s Valley Voices Podcast, we bring you great stories on the theme Missed Connections, all told at The Drake in Amherst. Sarah Zurieck Brown is still thinking about what might have been at the zoo, Ruthy Woodring holds out hope as she picks up trash, and Josh Simpson winds up with his wife because she called the wrong number.
  • We’re hitting the highway for this Valley Voices podcast. We have the winners of NEPM’s Story Slam held at Hawks & Reed in Greenfield. Amy Dryansky ran away from home, Amy Heflin ran through the Texas night, and Dennis Warren ran a hitchhiker into Oregon in the ‘70s.
  • 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.