Narrative Noir

Author: Maria Buerger Description: Host Maria Buerger discusses the phenomenon of violent female criminals, breaking down the tendency to sensationalize and romanticize such culprits, framed through the lens of the storytelling within the musical Chicago.  Content Warning: This episode contains mentions of death, murder, violence, and feminine rage. Sources and Script: https://docs.google.com/docu...

Author: Grace Calvin Description: Host Grace Calvin will discuss the dark connection between child victims and media coverage. This episode will analyze how journalism, true crime content, and audience entertainment tend to blur the lines between raising awareness and consuming harmful material. Central to the episode is the case of Corinne Gump, a child whose story became a national spectacle. Ra...

Author: Reagan Chernisky Description: Why do people romanticize murder? From fan mail sent to serial killers like Ted Bundy to the resurgence of online fascination following Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, true crime culture has a pattern of turning real violence into something strangely compelling and engaging. But when does curiosity cross the line into romanticization? This episode...

Author: Em Description:  There is an ongoing issue in the United States of police brutality and corruption within the law enforcement system. Black Americans are experiencing violence, mistreatment, and are being killed at a staggering rate by the police every year. In this episode of Narrative Noir , we will be discussing various cases of police brutality towards marginalized citizens (with a foc...

Author: Emalee K. Description:  For the last 70 years, space exploration has caused controversy around the world. From the ethics of animal testing for space flights, to the preventable deaths of astronauts due to failed safety measures, and even the environmental and monetary downsides, the argument on whether space travel is necessary is full force. But these ethical and environmental crimes are...

Author : Elizabeth  Description : Nowadays people can see  anything  on social media platforms, and this includes uncensored violent media, that leaves the viewer unsure what to think. How does this content affect viewers mentally? How can it affect different age groups who are still developing cognitively? In this episode, host Elizabeth is going to raise these questions, while talking through di...

Written, Recorded and Edited By:  Collette McElroy Description:  Driscoll, Garland and Culkin. Three child stars whose lives were permanently altered because of a string of life choices; a look into how the industry and media treats child stars.  Content Warnings : Discussion of drugs, unhealthy eating/dieting, assault, abuse and abortions, stay safe and listener discretion is advised. Sources and...

Author: Mae Description: Media outlets often oversensationalize acts of true crime to garner extra attention, but can lead to media hype amongst the youth, in which they compete in committing heinous transgressions to gain notoriety. Join Mae on this episode of Narrative Noir in diving deep into how the media’s sensationalism of violence has created morbid competitiveness among some youth leading...

Author: Graffic Description: As true crime media grows more popular, so too do different trends in it. Among these trends that have developed is a rise in true crime media that is directly disrespectful to the topics being covered. This episode analyzes this rise in disrespect towards the victims of these crimes that can be seen in makeup true crime, mukbang true crime, and podcasts that are gener...

Author: Julia Description: In the 1990s Anne Marie Fahey unfortunately met her end. What started as an office affair snowballed into a relationship fueled by his control and jealousy, sadly Fahey would never make it out and the only person to blame is Thomas Capano. Host Julia will take you deeper into this case on Narrative Noir . Sources and Transcript: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:U...

Author: Alex Pugh Description: Alex takes a wider perspective on true crime, its fixation on violent crime, and how the good that fixation brings can be shifted towards the resolving of less grisly, but increasingly more dangerous, crime. Sources: Perchtold-Stefan, C., Rominger, C., Ceh, S., Sattler, K., Veit, S.-V., & Fink, A. (2025). Out of the dark – Psychological perspectives on people&#39...

Author: Willa Sabelko Description: In the Netflix documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, police bodycam footage is pieced together to reveal a true story exposing the flaws of stand-your-ground laws. Disputes between neighbors escalate and eventually lead to a white woman, Susan Lorincz, shooting through her locked door, hitting Ajike “AJ” Owens, a black mother of four, in the chest, killing her, and...

Author: Killian Snitzer Description: In America, the professional criminal has a certain amount of mystique and legend that follows them throughout history. Many criminals today would even be willing to compare themselves to the legendary crimes of old, but why is there no “Billy the Kid 2”?. When it comes to the world of organized, or professional, crime and those that make a living from it, what...

Author: Ace Description: On February 3rd, 2023, a train carrying various kinds of toxic chemicals derailed and caught fire in East Palestine. Almost three years later, after many delays, the victims of this tragedy are finally getting their settlement money, and it's turning out to be less than expected. Content warnings include references to animal death, cancer, and death due to cancer. Spec...

Narrative Noir features the work of student authors who are currently enrolled in a junior-level rhetoric, narrative, and true crime writing class. Each class/cohort will produce two series featuring specific themes with the first series being collaborative episodes and the second highlighting individual episodes. Most importantly, every episode centers student research, writing, editing, and choi...

Authors: Emalee and Mae Description: The infamous case of The Black Dahlia focuses on the tragic murder of 22 year old Elizabeth Short in January, 1947. The Black Dahlia was highly publicized due to the graphic nature of the crime committed and was at the center of many conspiracies during the time. Although the case gained major media attention, no one was ever charged for the crime. In this epis...

Authors: Julia and Elizabeth Description: In July 2007, Ashley Summers went missing from Cleveland, Ohio without much of an explanation. To this day, there hasn’t been any confirmed sighting since the week of her disappearance. There are still questions that have never been answered, but most of all will her family ever be able to rest? Hosts Julia and Elizabeth will walk you through the case in t...

Authors: Alex Pugh and Killian Snitzer Description: The Kingsbury Run murders, also known as the torso killings, are some of the most interesting, and least known cold cases of all time. To many it will come as a shock that one of America’s first serial killings, and certainly one of its most bloody, took place in northeast Ohio. Please join your hosts Alex and Killian as they take you through the...

Authors: Collette McElroy and Reagan Chernisky Description: “One of Us” is a true crime podcast episode that explores the mysterious 2011 disappearance of Indiana University student Lauren Spierer. Through a detailed timeline of events, discussion of key individuals, and examination of prevailing theories, the hosts provide a thoughtful and engaging overview of the case. As college students themse...

Authors: Maria Buerger and Grace Calvin Description: Hosts Grace Calvin and Maria Buerger discuss the unsettling cold case of a Kent State student who disappeared without a trace. In May 1978, Judy Martins, a well-loved member of her community, walked 300 yards from an end-of-year college party to her dorm…but she never made it. Her family immediately knew something was wrong, but the investigatio...

Author: Willa Sabelko Description: On July 6, 1944, a fire engulfed the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey big-top circus tent in Hartford, Connecticut, causing it to collapse. Within 10 minutes, 8,000 attendees were forced to flee, leaving 682 injured, and 167 did not make it out. To this day, there are still 6 unidentified victims. In October 2019, interest in identifying one of the victims,...

Authors: Ace and Graphic Description: It cannot be understated the devastation that losing a child brings, especially when you don’t know what really happened to them. This episode covers Bobby Dunbar, a boy who disappeared in 1912 for 9 months, was found, but later revealed to have been the wrong person almost 100 years later. Content warnings include kidnapping, references to beating, possible c...

Author: Em DeLoach Description: On December 20, 1959, in Osprey, Florida, a farmhouse in Palmer Ranch was home to the Walker family. Strangely, the home was remarkably quiet on that faithful morning. Typically, within the home, commotion and clamor could be heard from the young family within. Cliff and Christine Walker and their two young children Jimmie and Debbie should’ve been up and getting re...