Ochenta Stories

Journalist Simon Sapper takes us back in time to 1985, another year marked by protest, when Londoners were taking the streets to support Anti-Apartheid protesters in South Africa. Through this flashback story, we're reminded that global solidarity and community are the most powerful tools we have to help us face this challenging historical moment. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochen...

This week’s story is about missing those little, annoying things of our beloved daily life. Jennifer describes a brief journey of a person who’s about to start a new day: waking up, going out from home, facing the world and of course taking public transport. Three dings is a love letter to Chicago's commuter trains. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories, this story was written by Jennifer Bil...

In '“Lacrime”, which means “tears” in italian, a British-Italian couple living in London documents the crisis through audio diaries in which they share their different perspectives on making it through the pandemic. Credits: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta and written by Lisa Hanley, a Freelance Producer and Journalist based in London. She is the creator and Host of Investigative Podca...

This week’s story was written when Covid was just beginning to affect daily life back in April 2020. La Foi, or "Faith" in french, highlights the ways in which the faithful found unexpected ways to observe their spirituality during this time. Of course, a lot has changed since then, but the faith has remained the same. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Sound design by Chiara Sa...

A mother shares a journey of the mind as she walks through Madrid in quarantine with her daughter. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, written by Manuela Osorio Pineda. Manuela is a Colombian freelance journalist based in Madrid, Spain. Her latest work has focused on the different facets of the Colombian diaspora, especially regarding entrepreneurship, motherhood and feminism. Th...

This week a woman in lockdown in the US travels through sound memories. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, written by Maria Elisa Terron. Maria Elisa was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and then she moved in the Continental United States. She’s a scientist and a podcaster working through the lens of social context in which discoveries are made and stories are told. Special thank...

This week’s story is about two friends spending a day together during the pandemic, while listening to music and enjoying the sun, they share thoughts and fears, and try to imagine a future in which everything will be back to normality. From: Tegucigalpa, Ecuador Languages: English, Spanish CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Viviana Kawas, a Honduran writer living in...

“XMAS 2021” by Kate Oczypok.beautiful home portrait. This Christmas will be certainly different, but Kate’s story makes us reflect on gratitude, inviting us to never forget about the good things we have, even during the pandemic. Kate Oczypok is a freelance writer based in the Washington, DC. She has written for The Georgetowner, The New York Times, Brides.com, Pittsburgh Beautiful and other publi...

This week’s story is about a local fundraising initiative for hospitals in Bergamo (Italy), one of the most hit cities during the Covid-19 pandemic. This story, originally produced in Italian, was also produced in english and you can find that version later on in the episode. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Gaia Lamperti, a London-based journalist focusing on envir...

As the holidays draw near, we’re glad to bring you this story from Colorado, USA. Janice Jensen, Executive Producer, Writer and Director at Mt. Evans Pictures, sent us this short reflection on positive thoughts during this crazy year. This episoe has been produced in English and Spanish. This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Janice Jensen. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stori...

This week’s story comes to us from Buenos Aires, In Argentina, and is written by Pablo Rodriguez. “Aplausos” (in English “Clapping”) is an audio diary describing the ritual of applause for front line workers during the first lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As lockdowns went into effect around the world this year, clapping and music could be heard for brief moments every evening. Unfortunately...

In this audio diary, the author describes her time working in a long-term care home in the Montreal area during the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis. This story has been produced in English and French. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalist Anne-Marie Provost. Anne-Marie works for CBC Radio Canada. You can follow her and find more about her work on Twitter @am...

In this short fiction from Barcelona, a woman with chronic insomnia contemplates her city from her balcony in a dreamlike state. The messages that other city-dwellers send to the popular night radio program “Radio Insomnio” keep her company. This episode has been produced in both Catalan and English. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalist Gemma Josep Arnau. Gem...

In this short fiction a young boy and his grandmother in separate lockdown situations bond over a game of chess. This story links two generations and celebrates those working on the frontlines during the Covid crisis. This work was originally produced in English and has been adapted and translated into Spanish. You can listen to that version later on the episode. CREDITS: This episode was produced...

Lockdown turns each individual into his own island. Primeiras Ilhas, meaning First Islands, is a collage of messages in bottles… that people in Belo Horizonte, Brazil send to the protagonist from their own island in lockdown…This work was originally produced in Portuguese and has been translated into English, and you can listen to that version later on in the episode. CREDITS: This episode was pro...

In this short italian fiction story which translates to “the last aperitif”, two friends sip on their last beers before lockdown. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by writer (and wrestler) Stefano Tevini. Besides publishing the novels Catena Alimentare e Sulla Soglia in Italian, he also writes about books and comics. You can follow him on his facebook handle writingclas...

In the fictional story “Vaticinios” ( which means omens in Spanish), a biologist receives messages around-the-clock about a strange animal that people have been spotting around Bogota since the beginning of lockdown. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalists and podcast producers Maru Lombardo and Rodrigo Rodríguez, who are based in Bogotá, Colombia. Their Spanis...

In the ecological fable “Animalia”, a curious young elk ventures into a small mountain town, where he finds humans in lockdown in their houses, and forest animals wandering around. CREDITS: This episode was produced in English and French by Studio Ochenta. Written by Canadian podcaster Nbee. Her podcast, Cross-polliNation (@Pollinata1), is an award-winning business show on creativity and innovatio...

“Food bank” is a micro documentary recorded during lockdown in Ukraine. Journalist Anna Romandash documented the entrepreneurial spirit of a man who implemented a solution to food poverty during the pandemic. He started Tarilka, the first-ever food bank in Ukraine. Ukrainian and English by Anna Romandash. Anna is a multilingual journalist specializing in foreign affairs and audio journalism. You c...

With many cities going back into lockdown in the past couple of weeks, we don’t know what the future holds. For those of us that wished we had instructions on how to weather the pandemic, « Call From Ahead » is a sci-fi tale about a New York couple in lockdown that receives a message from the future. This story, originally in English has been adapted into Spanish, and you can hear that version lat...

Supermarket Thoughts is a story about grocery shopping during a pandemic. This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, written and performed in English and French by Cocoa Alexis, Cocoa is a storyteller who focuses on under-told or misunderstood experiences. Her mediums include writing, audio, film and virtual reality. Thank you for listening to Ochenta stories. If you like what you heard, leave u...

Closeness is an audio diary from New York City about friendship, before and after COVID19. Written by journalist and podcast producer Jordan Gass Poore. This episode was produced in English and Spanish. And you can listen to that version later on in the episode. This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, written and performed in English by Jordan Gass Poore. Jordan is a podcast producer, an inve...

This week’s story comes to us from Cuba. “Hija del sol” is a fable for the pandemic era. Written by Hans Haedo. This audio fiction tells the story of the daughter of an indigenous tribe and her power to heal the world. This work, originally in Spanish, has been adapted into English, and you can listen to that version later on in the episode. CREDITS: Hans Haedo is a Cuban artist and professional d...

For those of us who happen to wonder how the present could be described for otherworldly listeners, this short documentary fiction is a status report from planet Earth in 2020. CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written and performed in English by KC Cheng. Kang-Chun Cheng is an ecologist and photojournalist currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. You can check out her photographic w...

Saying goodbye is never easy. And during a pandemic, it gets even harder. Lockdowns and social distancing mean that many don't get the chance to see their loved ones one last time. "Goodbye" is a short documentary of one man's journey to say goodbye to his father. Credits: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written and presented by Bob Harkins. Sound design by Maru Lombardo. Bob Harkins...