Snap Judgment

A centuries old tradition. A history of racism. What’s it take to get a little love in the City of Brotherly Love? This episode contains strong language, sensitive listeners please be advised. Thank you to the Mummers Parade and everyone who was in this story! Produced by David Exumé and John Fecile. Additional field production by Daisylove James. Original score by Renzo Gorrio, artwork by Teo Duc...

A prison librarian thought he just had to keep track of books until he started reading between the lines. And a young girl in San Francisco discovers something about her mother that turns a secret she's keeping into a burden. It’s time to Look Back before we move forward. Happy Holidays to all you Snappas! We are so grateful for you. STORIES Secrets in the Stacks When Avi Steinberg became a prison...

Scott Lechner is the king of Christmas trees in Manhattan, nicknamed the “Pontiff of Soho.” But when his business runs afoul of the mob, he gets an offer that he can’t refuse. And a covert operative is assigned to extract a high-level target from Russia, and it’s about to ruin his holiday plans. STORIES The Christmas Tree Mafia Scott Lechner is the king of Christmas trees in Manhattan, nicknamed t...

“I kept seeing pieces with this name at the top… I wasn’t looking for him, he was almost looking for me.” This week on Snap, Nicholas McCarthy immerses himself in left-hand only piano compositions and gets lost in the world of Wittgenstein. Huge thanks to, Nicholas McCarthy, for sharing his story with Snap! Nicholas is the first and only left-hand alone pianist to have graduated from London’s Roya...

This week on Snap, we drop into the world of a hostage negotiator as he attempts to free an American journalist being held captive. Big thanks, Mickey Bergman, for sharing this story! Mickey’s book about his negotiations will be published by Hachette’s Center Street soon. This story comes to us from our friends at The Negotiators . The Negotiators is hosted by Jenn Williams, and is a partnership b...

It’s time people. We all need to push the chair back from the supper table, look around and remember who we are grateful for. This week on Snap, when a pillar of the community goes missing, the people rally to show their love. But maybe our hero... is still alive? We are grateful to tell stories and we are deeply thankful for you Snap Nation! For all the love and support you have shown our Snap Fa...

Dante is just looking for a haircut in Guadalajara and then he meets Jorge. He's always wanted to meet a trans person… older than him. But once they start talking, Dante can't believe his ears. This episode contains sexual references, sensitive listeners please be advised. Thank you, Dante and Jorge, for sharing your story! The Spanish version of this episode is available at CUIR: Historias Diside...

When a young man is told is he going deaf, he sets out on a challenge to memorize the songs that defined his life. He had no idea that those songs would come back to him in the most unexpected way. Thank you, Matt Hay, for sharing your story! A version of  this story  aired on KQED’s  Q’ed Up . Produced by April Dembosky Sound Design by April Dembosky, Leon Morimoto & Renzo Gorrio Artwork by M...

When Umid Isabaev is trapped behind enemy lines, he gets help… from two of the world’s most dangerous men. This story contains some strong language. Sensitive listeners, please be advised. Thank you, Umid, for sharing your story with Snap! Thanks to Ethan Herschenfeld who voiced Umid’s words, and to, Mars Lipowski, who was the voice of Steve Poland. BIG thanks as well to our translators for this p...

Joel Gheen is out of the military, newly married, and in college. His new life is going great… if he could just catch the damn bus. Thank you, Joel, for sharing your story with us! If you’re hungry for more details about Joel’s experience with a real-life glitch in the matrix, check out his website. Joel also has a fun podcast that covers weird topics from a Biblical perspective. Listen to hear al...

One day, while out landscaping his yard, Moses reaches into the dirt and pulls out a handful of bones. He wants to find out who they belong to. But that might not be such a good idea. Happy Halloween! We’re celebrating with more Spooked ! Be afraid… Thank you, Moses Thompson, for sharing your story with the Spooked! Folks, if you want to know more about Moses and his house, check out this article....

Kimberly was expecting a luxurious hotel room. Someone in it… was expecting her. It’s Spooky Season and we are bringing you Spooked tales from the other side of the veil! BIG thanks to Kimberly and Colin for sharing your story! Produced by Anne Ford, original score by Doug Stuart, art by Teo Ducot Want more Spooked? Spooked Season 7 has 26 brand NEW episodes this season! To listen to all episodes...

It’s March 1980, and best friends Lopaka and Sean decide to ditch class and head to the Pali Lookout, a tourist destination just outside of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. They’re hanging out, taking in the sights… but nothing can prepare them for what happens when they decide to venture off the beaten path. It’s Spooked season, Snap Nation! Thank you, Lopaka Kapanui, for lifting back the veil wit...

Some dolls are pretty, some dolls are nice, some dolls are waiting for you... in the night. Oh, yes! It's time for Spooked. BIG thanks, Mary, for sharing your story with us! Produced by Zoë Ferrigno, original score by Ella June Pierson, artwork by Teo Ducot Interested in more tales of the supernatural, weird, and wonderful? Spooked Season 7 is RISEN!!! There are 26 brand NEW Spooked episodes comin...

Sir Dyno is the Chicano Eazy-E, the king of lowrider car shows, an up-and-coming gangsta rapper straight outta Northern California. But when he gets the money to finance his next CD, he has no idea that the same music that made him a legend will also lead to his downfall. This story contains drug references and offensive language, sensitive listeners please be advised. Thank you, David Rocha, for...

This is a story about a boy called Finn who loved to fish, play baseball, write poetry, and embroider… and what happens to a small Vermont community as it staggers forward after an unspeakable tragedy. This incredible Peabody award-winning story comes to us from the Rumble Strip podcast. For more about Finn and the Bell and to read people’s reactions to the show, visit the Rumble Strip Vermont web...

A young girl's fantastic dream to be a doctor sends her into the middle of political realities of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This story contains scenes of domestic abuse and gun violence, please take care while listening. Thank you, MJ Fièvre, for sharing your story with us! You can read more about MJ’s childhood in Haiti in her memoir: “ A Sky the Color of Chaos ” And she’s working on a book series t...

A person with a "situation" turns to poetry for some advice. This week on Snap, we dive into an epic poem to solve a problem with Luisa Beck from Audible’s “Dear Poetry” podcast. This episode is uncensored and contains strong language, sensitive listeners & young Snappers please be advised. BIG love and thanks to Luisa Beck for this segment of “ Dear Poetry ”! Thank you also to poet Luther Hug...

There are sounds you long to hear, smells you can’t unsmell, and tastes you forget about entirely when you’re in prison. Five San Quentin residents go deep in the SEASON 10 PREMIERE of Ear Hustle . And what does it mean to be found “Suitable?” Who is, who isn't and why the hell not? Nate McKinney and his family at the Uncuffed podcast get together for an award-winning send-off. The Five Senses fro...

An underwater photographer sets out on a quest to document harp seals and experiences a moment that becomes a part of her forever. And everyone in the city of Pumpkintown is hunting for Sasquatch, including the only man who knows exactly where Bigfoot lives. STORIES Thin Ice An underwater photographer sets out on a quest to document harp seals and experiences a moment that becomes a part of her fo...

When the biggest baddest bird in the wild is on the brink of death, one couple will do anything to bring her back home. Snap presents, “Birdzilla.” A Canadian love story. This episode discusses the subject of death and contains strong language, sensitive listeners please be advised. Thank you, Murdo Messer, for sharing your story with us! And all of us here at Snap are thinking fondly of the late...

Producer, Ruby Schwartz, pitched us a story. We said yes. But then Ruby had a new problem: how do you turn a 320-page memoir into a radio story? This feature pulls back the curtain on how this week’s Snap episode, “ The Wedding Guest ” was made. Thank you, Rob Rosenthal and Ruby Schwartz, for sharing this process! This piece came to us from our friends at the Sound School Podcast . Listen to the o...

After years of fighting battles as a child soldier, a Sudanese man finds himself a refugee in Australia. As he struggles to overcome his past, he comes face-to-face with his childhood tormentor on a TV show. This episode recounts real events that happened to a child soldier, including graphic scenes inside a prison camp, listener discretion is advised. Thank you,  Ayik , for sharing your incredibl...

Spooked’s own Annie Nguyen shares her family’s ghost story. When her father got the call from his siblings and cousins back in Vietnam, asking him to help them find their ancestors’ missing caskets, he got on the first plane out of California. But when he got there, he realized they needed to call on higher powers to help them locate the long-lost grave sites. Oh yes… it’s Part Two of “Campfire Ta...

There are some places, deep in the woods, far away from civilization, that are magical. Chuck is hiking deep in the Appalachian woods when he stumbles upon one of these places: Dismal Falls. But Dismal Falls isn’t all fairies and rainbows. It’s a place of dark magic. At last… it’s that time of year where we bring you our traditional, “Campfire Tales.” Stories crafted in the dark of night from our...