Family Ghosts

Thi Bui tells producer Jennifer Lai about the delicate process of asking her parents about their worst experiences - and the even more delicate process of turning those conversations into works of art. Listen to Jennifer’s current project, The Slowdown, here. And find Thi’s memoir, “The Best We Could Do,” here. Family Ghosts is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, o...

This week, we're celebrating family stories that seem simple on the surface, but are actually the keys to understanding our entire personalities. Featuring comedians Pat Regan and Gastor Almonte. Listen to Pat's podcast, Seek Treatment, and watch Hacks, the show he writes for, on HBO Max. Find more of Gastor's stories on PBS and Comedy Central, and check out his album, Immigrant Made. Learn more a...

Following the tragic murder of his brother Asher, Mac's family finds disparate ways of re-assembling their shattered lives. Mac’s essay originally appeared in Gawker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone in Ian's family gets divorced. Now that he's been married for a few years, he wants to know if his relationship is doomed. Listen to the full series of “Forever Is A Long Time” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you’re listening to this. And check out our Patreon page for a longer version of Sam and Ian’s conversation from the end of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

"I feel really lucky that Danny is Danny." The conclusion of our miniseries with Jessie Pascarelli. This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them today for just $5 per month at http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

"You can open up a book and choose a sentence at random, and derive meaning from it." This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits - our community of supporters on Patreon. Please consider joining them for just $5 per month: http://patreon.com/FamilyGhosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last few months, Sam's been hard at work with John Stamos (yes, that John Stamos) on a top-secret project. In this special bonus episode, you’ll hear a preview of the wild, true story of Barry Keenan, who kidnapped Frank Sinatra, Jr in 1963. Follow “The Grand Scheme: Snatching Sinatra” wherever you listen to podcasts to hear the full story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

Jessie's name is the continuation of her aunt's story. But no one's ever told Jessie the real story of her aunt. This episode is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of Patreon supporters. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get ad-free versions of all of our episodes, plus exclusive bonus content you won’t find anywhere else. If you have the means, pleas...

“Saving face would not rescue my mother.” Read more of Jiayang’s writing for The New Yorker here: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jiayang-fan. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits hear our episodes ad-free, and get access to bonus content that’s not available anywhe...

“The two of us became the embodiment of the Chinese phrase xiang yi wei ming - mutual reliance for life." Read more of Jiayang's work here, and find her piece on ghost scams here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining the Kindred Spirits for just $5 per month at htt...

Jim grabs the baton, and Gastor sees the face behind the mask. You can hear more of Jim's work on "Blindspot: The Road to 9/11" at https://www.npr.org/podcasts/908344999/blindspot-the-road-to-9-11, and more of Gastor's on "The War Report" at https://anchor.fm/warreportpod. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. I...

Andrew tells the family ghost story behind a Family Ghosts story. Learn more about Andrew and hear more of his work at http://gildedaudio.org. Our work is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of listeners who commit $5 per month to keeping Family Ghosts in your headphones. If you have the means, please consider joining them at http://patreon.com/family...

When Erin moves to England, her mother presents her with a life-altering choice. Learn more about Erin at her website, https://www.erinhbarker.com/. Hear more of her work on the Story Collider podcast, and The Moth. This episode is brought to you by the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 a month, Kindred Spirits hear our episodes ad-free, get exclusive bonus episo...

Sam receives an unexpected message from the past, delivered by a Spiritualist medium in a mysterious town called Lily Dale. Learn more about Tiffany Hopkins at [nobox.us/unseen](nobox.us/unseen), and find Steven Cantor's work at https://www.stickfigureproductions.com/. You can stream "No One Dies in Lily Dale" here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirit...

Mary Terrier tells the story of a woman who seems to hold all the keys. Read more Mary Terrier at http://maryterrier.com. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. Please consider becoming a member today: http://patreon.com/familyghosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kimberly King Parsons tells the story of a mother telling a story about her daughter telling a story. Learn more about Kim and buy "Black Light," her collection of stories, here. Family Ghosts wouldn't be possible without the generosity of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. If you have the means, please consider joining them for just $5 per month at http://patreon.com/fam...

Bradford and Paul come to terms with the people they wish their parents could be - and the people they actually are. Find more of Bradford's stories at http://www.bradfordjordan.com/stories. Find Paul's work with TestifyATX here, and his classes at Merlinworks here. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just...

Sam takes you on a trip to a mysterious boarding house in Mt. Absalom, Ohio - a community riddled with secrets and lost memories. Learn more about Unwell at https://www.unwellpodcast.com. Family Ghosts is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community on Patreon. For just $5 a month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all our episodes, hear them ad-free, and ge...

After more than thirty years of following roads to nowhere, Kate carves her own path. This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all of our episodes, hear them ad-free, and get exclusive bonus content that's not available anywhere else. If you have the means, please consider becoming a member at http://pa...

Kate flees the haunting silence of Baltimore - but no matter where she goes, Eddy's ghost isn't far behind. After decades of torment, she decides to open her own investigation into her father's disappearance. This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits - our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits get early access to all of...

When an unnatural disaster befalls her family, Kate demands answers. But no one's willing to talk. Read David Simon's 1992 article about Kate and her family here. This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. For just $5 per month, Kindred Spirits enjoy early access to all of our episodes, and hear them ad-free, and also get e...

Julian joins a church in Poughkeepsie, and discovers a decades-old secret about her uncle. ~41~ Learn more about Andrew Chugg at https://gildedaudio.org/, and about Christina Roussos at https://www.christinaroussos.com/. This episode was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. In addition to ad-free episodes, Kindred Spirits get...

Decades after her brother's mysterious disappearance, Toni finally learns the truth about what happened to him. ~41~ This is episode is made possible thanks to the support of the Kindred Spirits, our community of supporters on Patreon. In addition to ad-free episodes, Kindred Spirits get early access to all of our episodes, as well as bonus exclusives you won't hear anywhere else. This week, they'...

Mythic masonry, a haunted crucifix, and the Marfa lights. This week: Jim peeks behind the veil of Gothic horror, Susan's mom goes looking for - and finds - evidence of the afterlife, and Melle searches the highways of Louisiana for some missing pages of her family's history. ~41~ This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Kindred Spirits, our supporters on Patreon. In addition to...

Mac and his mom have a lot to talk about: her relationship with her psychic, his brother's murder, and a life-altering betrayal that happened decades ago. But with her health in rapid decline, Mac's starting to worry it might be too late to get any answers. ~41~ This episode is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kindred Spirits - our supporters on Patreon. In addition to getting e...