Ochenta Stories

A small business owner ponders the benefits of virtual storefronts. This story comes to us from Zimbabwe and has been produced in English and Shona. CREDITS: Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. The story was written and voiced by Naboth Rimayi. Naboth is a Zimbabwe based award-winning multimedia journalist whose passion for business and clothing led him to being the co-founder of an Africa...

A reflection on friendship during the great pause. Produced in English and Khmer. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. The story was written and voiced by Alyssa Chua. Alyssa is an event planner, avid traveler, and freelance writer, and you can find her blogging at www.thewriterlyz.com . The Khmer version of the story was voiced by Alyssa’s friend, Socheata and the sound design of...

A woman recounts how an app helped her through the year during the pandemic. Produced in English and Italian. CREDITS: This story was produced by Studio Ochenta, a multilingual podcast studio based in Paris France. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on apple podcasts! It helps people find us! This episode was written by Margaret LaFleur. Margaret lives, writes, and teaches English in S...

A Greek-American woman reflects on her relationship with her immigrant mother and their cultural differences after she moves back home. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written and performed by Niki Hatzidis in both English and Greek. Niki is an actor, writer, and award-nominated playwright. She is a satirical writer for Ladyspike Media, and a writer and actor f...

This week’s episode tells the story of Yalguun, a young Mongolian woman who contracted Covid. The story follows her personal journey in accepting the disease and finding new hope. It has been produced in English and Mongolian. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Anand Tumurtogoo. Anand is a freelance journalist based in Mongolia. He does reporting for in...

A story from the very first days of the pandemic from Cuba, where a man dreams of the sea and beyond. This episode was produced in Spanish and English. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Ernesto J. Gomez Figueredo. Ernesto is a journalist based in Cuba. The English version of the story was voiced by David Paez, while the Sound Design of the piece was do...

Hi Ochenta Stories fans! Dropping back in the feed here to share news about another Studio Ochenta production: Cultureverse! Cultureverse is an immersive audio drama that celebrates our collective cultural past. It is a place where myths and legends come alive in the modern world. In each episode, an ordinary kid encounters an extraordinary creature, myth, or folk character from their culture, emb...

A woman reconnects with her Polish roots by doing virtual cooking sessions with her family in lockdown. This episode was produced in English and Polish. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Francesca Turauskis. Francesca is a freelance podcaster and writer, as well as Digital Editor for Pod Bible magazine. She’s based in London, and she produces and hosts...

A woman reminisces about the vibrant Junkanoo festival of the Bahamas, and hopes for a post covid return to its joys. Listen in English and Spanish. Credits: CREDITS: Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Alicia A. Wallace. Alicia is a queer Black feminist, human rights defender, and writer from The Bahamas. She is interested in issues of power and identity and enjo...

This week’s episode is a releasing journey to freedom and closeness. Karin explores the sense of impotence and sadness coming from social distancing while guiding us into into her swedish Midsummer celebration: a season of hope and new beginnings. This story come to us from Sweden, and has been produced in English and Swedish. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. This story was written by K...

A refugee tells the story of coming home for the first time during the pandemic, written by Ray Mwareya. This story has been produced in English, and Shona, a Bantu language spoken in Zambia. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Ray Mwareya. Ray is a writer, vintage food enthusiast and wanderlust traveler living in Ottawa, Canada. His works appeared in Ne...

This week’s episode is about losing ourselves in the limbo of fear. Carol, in a crescendo of suspense, reflects on the theme of connection inviting us to always be conscious and safe. The story, originally produced in English, has been translated into Spanish and you can hear that version later on in the episode. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Carol Ungar. Ca...

A young woman recounts what it's like to start your freshman year of college during a pandemic with no shortage of hope for the future. This episode has been produced in English and French. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Bella Druckman. Bella is a freshman at Barnard College intending on majoring in English and Human Rights. When she is not finding...

A woman travels through sound and memory to Cairo, Egypt. CREDITS: Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Rushda Rafeek. Rushda is currently based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and has been shortlisted for the Wasafiri New Writing Prize UK in 2017, nominated for the Pushcart Prize twice and has won the Nazim Hikmet Prizerr...

A journalist in California takes on a mentee during lockdown. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta and written by Clare Wiley. Clare Wiley is a journalist and audio producer from Northern Ireland, based in Los Angeles. She covers culture and social issues, with reporting in The Guardian, Vice, Al Jazeera and others. Her mentee, Sophia Moore, is an 18-year-old writer based in Southe...

In this episode of Ochenta Stories, produced in English and Italian, a woman in Portand shares the joys of letter writing during the pandemic year. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Laura Wheatman Hill. Laura lives in Portland, Oregon, with her two children and pandemic puppy. She writes about everything and teaches English and drama. You can find her at https:/...

One woman chronicles her return home from Hanoi during the pandemic year. You can hear this story in English and Vietnamese. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. This story was written by Issra Marie Martín. Issra is finishing a degree in International Development Studies. Among many other things she is a writer, maker, and devoted question-asker based in Canada. Quỳnh Trần voiced...

A time traveler arrives in 2020 and asks for directions in this short fiction from Australia about closeness. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. Zacha Rosen is an arts journalist and radio producer. He has written for Concrete Playground, the Sydney Latin American Film Festival and the Carriageworks, and produces interviews, narratives and fiction at All the Best. Luis Salvador voiced the...

In this short fiction, an Italian astronaut reflects on our predicament from his space station among the stars. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, a multilingual podcast production studio. This story was written by Francesco Carrubba. Francesco is a journalist and an author working in broadcast. He writes poems, texts and lyrics and he published a poem book called “Canzoni quasi...

This week’s episode gives us the opportunity to hear something we all miss very much and that we can't wait to hear again in person: a concert. Judlyne Gibson, producer of The 2nd Street Dreams Audio Network, imagines how that first live concert will feel like. The story, originally produced in English, and has been translated into French and you can hear that version later on in the episode. CRED...

In this short fiction piece, a doctor in Iran talks about plagues, old and new, with his grandmother. Credits: Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Ali from @iranian_nomad. Ali is a digital creator, story-teller, traveller, and researcher. You can follow him on Instagram at @iranian_nomad. The grandmother’s part was voiced by Ali’s mom. The Sound Design of the piec...

This week’s episode is about the power of the relationship between two generations. Susanne makes us reflect on kindness and respect towards our elders, inviting us to always celebrate and nourish those relationships. This story was originally produced in English and has been translated into Spanish and you can hear that version later on in the episode. CREDITS: Thank you for listening to Ochenta...

This week’s episode gives us an insight into what’s its like to work in the film industry during the pandemic. Arianna takes us into the world of her movie set pandemic pod: Zone A. This story was originally produced in Italian and has been translated into English and you can hear that version later on in the episode. Credits: This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Arianna Bochicc...

This week’s episode comes to us from Bogota, Colombia and imagines a world in which animals have the gift of speech. In this faux reportage, we hear a bird, a goat, and a cat tell us how they're feeling during this unprecedented time. This episode was produced in Spanish and English. CREDITS: Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this episode was written by Carolina Rodríguez Mayo. Carolina...

A phone call turns into an underwater journey in this story by writer Seungwoo Baek. This story was produced in English and Korean and you can find transcripts on our website: ochentastudio.com/ochentastories. CREDITS: Produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Seungwoo Baek, a Korean- Canadian writer based in Toronto. Yu Stone voiced the English version of the piece. Yu is an interdisciplinary artist...