Stories From The Stage

Summertime is upon us. As the days stretch longer and the sun shines brighter and hotter, anything seems possible. Khalilah Jones goes to camp for the first time and learns more than just campfire songs; Sarah Sutton discovers the trials and tribulations of working with her spouse; Matthew Sandel looks down the barrel of a robber’s gun and understands that his life is worth more than a pint of ice...

Road Trip! On the highway where anything can happen, take a ride on a journey that changed everything. Melissa Ferrick tells us about the night she opened for Bob Dylan; Suzanne Ketchum Adams drives home with a feisty ram; and Akshobh Giridharadas discovers hospitality and humanity in the wilderness. Three storytellers, three interpretations of ROAD TRIP, hosted by Wes Hazard.

Stories from the Stage brings you a podcast perfect for road trips and these long summer days. Extraordinary real stories of love and loss, personal courage, everyday adventures, shocking revelations, and unexpected triumphs that reveal our shared humanity. Hosted by Liz Cheng and Patricia Alvarado Núñez, executive producers and co-creators of the series.

Remember high school? While it’s the place to learn a lot and make friends for life, for some it can mean challenges, uncertainty and shame. Teen storyteller Cecilia Viveiros battles a hidden learning disability that leaves her high school teachers, her parents, and Cecilia herself baffled. A year after her story, we join her as she goes to college in New York City.

The twists and turns of a journey can lead to an unpredicted discovery. Angie Chatman crosses racial boundaries during a turbulent flight, and Kelli Dunham finds herself hilariously in a not-so-ordinary boot camp in Florida’s swamps.

A pair of memorable stories about throwing caution to the wind and risking it all at a moment‘s notice. Korean-American Eson Kim is held at gunpoint in her family’s store, and Christine Gentry donates a kidney to a stranger.

Courage is acting despite fear. Courtney Pong shuts down misogynistic stand-up comics and discovers the power of her voice, and Praveen Sahay oversees Mozambique's tumultuous first democratic elections as a UN Peacekeeper.

Why not risk it all for love? Stories of unexpected romance: Nimisha Ladva breaks her parents’ rules and dates outside her Indian culture, and Jeff Simmermon sells all his possessions and crosses the globe to meet and settle down with his Internet love.

Immigrants and their children forge lives in the US while maintaining connections to their past. Grace shares how a green station wagon helped transform her family into Americans. Szifra discovers the hidden meaning of her Polish Jewish name.

Gianmarco Soresi jumps from a plane and into an epiphany about love; Brendyn Schneider risks a first kiss, and Alison Tocci fulfills her colorful dad's last wish with a wake in the family tavern.

Teacher and artist Annemarie Whilton describes her daughter's Sarah's descent into substance use disorder, her rescue from a drug den, and her journey toward recovery.

Meet Ashley Rose, a poet, writer, teacher and advocate for restorative justice. As a child, Ashley witnessed a sunny day turn into a nightmare when dark waters rose up from the basement to take over her home. Ashley takes us back to the neighborhood street that was destroyed by a man-made disaster and explores how this traumatic incident turned her into a crusader for others. Bronze Winner, 2022 I...

We all love stories about new Americans, especially when they overcome adversity. Roxy Azari experiences love & hate on an overcast journey to the iconic Ellis Island; Tereza Lee speaks up about her undocumented status—and changes the world; and Rosanna Salcedo discovers that friendship knows no borders.

Welcome to the launch of the Stories from the Stage podcast, hosted by Liz Cheng and Patricia Alvarado Núñez, executive producers and co-creators of the series. The Stories from the Stage podcast features the most memorable stories and, in some cases -- their ‘next chapter’ – what happened after tellers left the stage.