Air Date: Dec. 1, 2017
Episode: REBELS

We’ve all been a little rebellious at some point …

The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s AudioFiles team invites you to join us at Union Docs (322 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY) for a LIVE taping of our final episode of the season. The theme is REBELS. The evening will be packed with great stories including personal accounts of rebelling against parents and the history of the NYC drag scene. There will also be comedy, music and a game show with prizes! Plus there will be a cash bar for beer, wine and water. Doors open at 6pm.

Also, tell us about your most rebellious moment … and you could end up in the show! We want to hear about your terrible two’s, your teen years or rebellions in your 30s or 70s. Email us at [email protected].edu and be sure to leave a phone number so we can call you. Or leave us your story in a voicemail at 845-481-0642. And send us your most rebellious moment captured in a photo (please keep it PG!) to the email above.

Producer: Manolo Morales, Nicole Rothwell

Host: Stefan Anderson

Game Show Hosts: Lucy Huang and Molly Nugent

Stories by: Nicole Acevedo, Vicki Adame, Erin DeGregorio, Lucy Huang, Manolo Morales, Nicole Rothwell

Special Guests: Comedian Calvin Cato; stage drag queen Vivika Westwood 

Musical Guests: Renee Manning (Facebook), bassist Trifon Dimitrov and guitarist Jerome Harris

Watch our live show from Vimeo/Facebook Live here:

Part One

Part Two

The 2017 AudioFiles team invites you to join us at Union Docs (322 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY) for a LIVE taping of our final episode of the season on Friday, December 1. The theme is REBELS. The evening will be packed with great stories including personal accounts of rebelling against your parents and the history of the NYC drag scene. There will also be comedy, music and a game show with prizes! Plus there will be a cash bar for beer, wine and water. Doors open at 6pm.

If you’d like to attend, please RSVP here to reserve a spot since space is limited!

Also, tell us about your most rebellious moment … and you could end up in the show! We want to hear about your terrible two’s, your teen years or rebellions in your 30s or 70s. Email us at [email protected] and be sure to leave a phone number so we can call you. Or leave us your story in a voicemail at 845-481-0642. And send us your most rebellious moment captured in a photo (please keep it PG!) to the email above.

Air Date: Nov. 15, 2017
Episode: Nerves

What makes you nervous? 

On today’s show we’ll look at how nerves affect our everyday lives. From things we’re most afraid of to how naked comedians prepare for shows and how libraries are changing. We will also talk about how veterans cope with PTSD and an unique form of relaxation. Also, our musical guest, STEFA*, joins us for a live set in the studio.

Producer: Molly Nugent 

Assistant Producer: Stefan Anderson

Host: Vicki Adame

Stories by: Samia Bouzid, Brett Dahlberg, Oscar Gonzalez, Manolo Morales, Nicole Rothwell

Special Guest: Lorelei Sharkey, a love/sex writer at EMandLO.com (formerly at nerve.com)

Musical Guest: Native New Yorker and musician STEFA* will be performing with SLV and WalkTalk @ C’mon Everybody (325 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY), 8:30PM on November 29 – tickets can be purchased on TicketFly. You can visit her website and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Soundcloud. (Live, on-air performance here).

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FEATURES

New York Psychologist Treats Phobias with Virtual Reality

By Samia Bouzid

Reporter Samia Bouzid tells us about a new twist on how people are dealing with their phobias. Whether it’s a fear of spiders or heights or a fear of flying there may be a new way to cope using virtual reality therapy.

The Naked Comedy Show

By Oscar Gonzales

What might be considered a nightmare for most people is the hook for an underground comedy show. It’s called the Naked Show and the performers are you guessed it NAKED! Oscar Gonzalez learns why anyone … would do this.

When the N.Y. Public Libraries Get Loud

By Brett Dahlberg

In a city like New York, where do we go to calm our frazzled nerves? For some, it’s that peaceful quiet place called the library. Well, that’s not always true anymore: libraries are changing, and with more events and programs being offered  the quiet haven is getting squeezed out. Brett Dahlberg has the story.

Yoga with a Heavy Metal Soundtrack

By Manolo Morales 

One of the ways some people calm their nerves is with a relaxing yoga practice. But what happens when you swap out the silence for heavy metal? A Brooklyn instructor is using this loud, head-banging music as the soundtrack for her yoga sessions. Manolo Morales brings us more on this unconventional approach.

Military Veterans Coping with PTSD with Man’s Best Friend

By Nicole Rothwell

More than half of New York-area service members return home with psychological trauma. Getting help is often a life or death decision – 22 veterans commit suicide every day, according to a Veterans Affairs report. But now, more and more veterans are turning to therapy dogs to help them cope with PTSD. Nicole Rothwell tells us about the movement to pair veterans with emotional support dogs.

Retired Army Sergeant First Class Lecia Whyte-Rodriques with her adopted rescue dog, Binky. Whyte-Rodriques says she named him Binky because he helps keep her calm and is one part of her PTSD treatment. (AudioFiles/Nicole Rothwell)

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AND IN OTHER NEWS ….

The AudioFiles 2017 Team would like to invite you to see us in person. We’ll be LIVE onstage on Friday, Dec. 1, at UnionDocs (322 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY). Doors open at 6 p.m. and the hour-long show starts at 6:30 o.m. We’ll be talking about REBELS. *Please RSVP and register at this link to reserve a spot since space is limited.* AND we’d like to hear your most rebellious moment … and you could end up in the show. Whether it was your terrible twos, teen years, or in your 30s or 70s. Email us at  [email protected] and be sure to leave a number so we can call you. Or leave us your story in a voicemail at 845-481-0642.

ALSO — AudioFiles reporter Samia Bouzid is joining forces with The Story Collider next week for a live storytelling show about consciousness. The show will feature stories about how one man’s art saved him after 20 years in a mental hospital.  And how Alzheimer’s repaired a relationship between an estranged father and daughter. There’s also a love story between a neuroscientist and a freestyle rapper. Buy your tickets at www.storycollider.org. The show will be at Caveat, on the Lower East Side, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.

Air Date: Nov. 1, 2017
Episode: Represent!

Today, we’re talking about … representation! How we get seen and heard in the court room, on the ballot, and at the Olympics. We’ll even take a look at how pets are given ways to speak and be heard in Connecticut’s legal system. Our musical guest, D.A. Sempre, joins us for a live set in the studio.

Producer: Oscar Gonzalez   

Assistant Producer: Stefan Anderson

Host: Lucy Huang

Stories by: Vicki Adame, Stefan Anderson, Erin DeGregorio, Oscar Gonzalez, Manolo Morales

Special Guests: Devin Balkind, libertarian candidate for the office of New York Public Advocate; Jessica Rubin, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law where she and her students work on cases involving animal abuse

Musical Guest: D.A. Sempre, originally from Brazil, is now a street musician or busker in New York City. You can follow him on Facebook and on SoundCloud, or if you want to hear him live find him at his favorite subway station at Union Square.” (Live, on-air performance here)

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FEATURES

Green Card-Holding Military Veterans Who Can’t Return to the U.S.

By Vicki Adame

Election season is a time when we reflect on our laws and make policy changes. And there’s one group of people who hope a particular policy change will come sooner rather than later. There are hundreds of foreign-born veterans who have served in the U.S. military, committed crimes, and then been deported. These veterans hold green cards and have served their sentences but are still not allowed to return to United States. Reporter Vicki Adame has more about this story from Tijuana, Mexico.

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Q&A with Chanel Lopez

By Manolo Morales

Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase of transgender representation in mainstream media. Take for example Laverne Cox in “Orange is the New Black.” But not all transgender people are being represented equally. Reporter Manolo Morales sits down with Chanel Lopez to talk about representation of trans individuals in Latin American media. Lopez an activist, performer, and Dominican trans woman.

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Lack of Diversity in the U.S. Legal System

By Stefan Anderson

While Olympic fans are cheering for athletes, moviegoers have been celebrating the life of Thurgood Marshall. The movie tells the beginning of Marshall’s law career, before he won Brown versus board of education and before he became the first black associate justice of the Supreme Court. Out of the one hundred and thirteen Supreme Court Justices, only two have been black. Yes, the highest court in the country lacks diversity but the pool of lawyers in the United States isn’t any different. Stefan Anderson has more on what lawyers are trying to do to change that.

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Team USA Athletes & Hopefuls Celebrate 100 Days Until PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games

Photographed by Erin DeGregorio

Today officially marks one hundred days until the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. To kick things off and get people pumped for the upcoming games, the Team USA WinterFest is in New York City today. The festival is touring all over the country to get Americans excited for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. The tour features meet and greets with Olympians, virtual reality activities and other opportunities for selfies.

Team USA’s Olympians, Paralympians, hopefuls and legends celebrating 100 Days Out.

Farmer, Decker and Gionta (left to right) show off their Team USA 2018 hockey uniforms.

The backs of the jerseys.

The PyeongChang 2018 mascots wave hello to fans and showcase the official medals and torch.

Air Date: Oct. 25, 2017
Episode: Watershed

Today, we’re talking about the effects of watershed. From water-related events and moments that bring water to your eyes. We’ll take a look at how natural disasters impact society and how families respond to displacement. Also, we will discuss the current state of water here in New York. Our musical guest, Britanny Foushee, joins us for a live set in the studio.

Producer: Oscar Gonzalez   

Assistant Producer: Stefan Anderson

Host: Lucy Huang

Stories by: Vicki Adame, Samia Bouzid, Molly Nugent, Nicole Rothwell

Special Guest: Daisy Rosario – the host of a digital series called Future Present for the millennial news site Mic.com (which explores overlooked health issues by featuring new technologies meant to address those issues), radio reporter on health, science, issues of race and identity and “geek culture”

Musical Guest: Britanny Foushee (Live, on-air performance here)

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FEATURES

Following Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans Stateside Help New Arrivals

By Samia Bouzid

In Puerto Rico, daily routines came to an abrupt halt after Hurricane Maria tore apart the island. In the aftermath, many people decided to leave. Thousands will likely come to NYC. The process of resettlement — for many, indefinite — is long and complicated. But some Puerto Ricans already established in New York are trying to soften their landing.

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The Rebuilding of Mexico City After Its Latest Earthquake

By Vicki Adame

While Puerto Rico was preparing for a category four storm last month, Mexico City was experiencing one of the worst earthquakes since 1985. On September 19, residents of the city were sent running for their lives as a 7.1 magnitude earthquake demolished 38 buildings in the region. Today, most of the rubble has been cleared. But aid centers are still passing out food and supplies. Several of these centers are managed by people in their 20s. Reporter Vicki Adame visited Mexico City and has the story on how young people are stepping up during a time of need.

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100 Years of NYC Drinking the Catskills’ Water

By Nicole Rothwell

As some of the best tasting tap water in the country, New York City’s water has been dubbed the champagne of water. While New Yorkers drink this water daily, they often don’t think about where it comes from, or what was sacrificed to flow from the taps. Our reporter Nicole Rothwell looks back at the Catskills region that was uprooted, leaving 6,000 people displaced, to build part of the New York City water system.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection sign at Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskills. (AudioFiles/Nicole Rothwell)

Locals watching the premiere performance of “City That Drinks the Mountain Sky Part II” honoring the 100 year anniversary of NYC using the Catskill water system. (AudioFiles/Nicole Rothwell)

Scene from the premiere performance of “City That Drinks the Mountain Sky Part II” honoring the 100 year anniversary of NYC using the Catskill water system. (AudioFiles/Nicole Rothwell)

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Art Therapy and Overcoming Trauma

By Molly Nugent

Hurricanes, earthquakes, these are all traumatic events. And one way to help overcome trauma is art therapy.  A study published by the American Public Health association shows that art therapy can improve mood, anxiety, anger and even physical health.  Our reporter Molly Nugent has the story about one woman in the Bronx using art therapy to do just that.

Sally DeJesus, a poetry teacher who has been teaching poetry workshops at the Concourse House homeless shelter [Bronx, NY] for more than a decade. {Photo by Molly Nugent}

Air Date: Oct. 11, 2017
Episode: Hearing Voices

Today, we’re talking about voices real and imagined. From the ones we hear in our heads to the ones left behind as memories. We’ll discuss the science of sub-vocalization (when we hear the voice in our head while reading a sentence) and we’ll give you a behind the scenes look at the Lower East Side comedy competition known as the “Roast Wars.” And, our musical guest Ladama joins us for a live set in the studio.

Producer: Molly Nugent  

Assistant Producer: Stefan Anderson

Host: Vicki Adame

Stories by: Samia Bouzid, Erin DeGregorio, Oscar Gonzalez, Lucy Huang

Special Guests: Bahar Gholipour, a freelance science journalist based in New York who covers neuroscience and AI; Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist who works on alternative approaches to mental health

Musical Guest: Ladama (Live, on-air performance here)

Photo by Sea Robin Studios

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FEATURES

Hearing Voices Network

By Samia Bouzid

People who hear voices often struggle to find quiet in their heads. But sometimes people find ways to explore the relationship with these voices. They choose to live with them, instead of silencing them.

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Hearing Deceased Loves’ Voices Through Voicemails

By Erin DeGregorio

The death of a loved one or friend is never easy. Reporter Erin DeGregorio lost her grandmother to cancer last year. Like a lot of people, Erin used old photographs to remember her grandmother and to grieve. She also found that listening to her grandmother’s voice through old voicemails was really helpful. So Erin started to wonder how other people are using their personal devices to preserve memories of lost loved ones.

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Subvocalization

By Lucy Huang

We all do it. When we’re reading, we hear our voice in our head going through the sentence. Experts call this subvocalization and we do it to help us remember or comprehend things better. That’s not the only times we hear it either.

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New York City Roast Battles (Comedy)

By Oscar Gonzalez

Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld have a few things in common. They’re hilarious. They’re rich. And they started developing their comedic voice in New York City. Comedy is big business in New York. It is home to more stand-up shows than any city in the world. But not every show is about jokes directed at the Kardashians or President Trump. One of these is “The Roast Masters.” Instead of famous people poking fun at each other, relatively unknown comics skewer one another. The jokes can be pretty offensive…but also pretty funny.