UnFictional - podcast cover

UnFictional

In this season of Unfictional, Stories of Transformation, and the ways in which the world — and all of us — have fundamentally changed since the pandemic began. One man watched his children suddenly turn into grown-ups, while another upended every part of his life. Someone else had to learn to live with hardship and found their true identity along the way, all while living in two worlds. Meanwhile, a subculture ascends, one reporter explores Olvera Street, and another finds an old notebook filled with memories from his time in a cabin. It’s UnFictional, hosted by Bob Carlson.

Episodes

Sunshine Skyway

This radio piece, created by independent producer Rich Halten, is the story of a man who threw himself off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida....

Sep 17, 201130 min

Irv and Me

When Hank Rosenfeld met veteran comedy writer Irving Brecher, he knew he was in the presence of Hollywood history. Plus, what to say when someone asks how to write comedy...

Aug 27, 201130 min

And Then What Happened?

There's a quick and violent event, followed by the rippling aftermath. Plus, an independent journalist's stream-of-consciousness telling of a street mugging, his own.

Aug 23, 201130 min

Breaking Away

Luzer Twersky, who grew up within Hasidic communities in New York and London, decided to leave the community and make a new life in the secular world...

Aug 02, 201130 min

The Accidental Parent

In the first of two stories, 4-year-old Lexi takes on parenthood. Then a professional musician's life takes an unexpected turn when he becomes a full-time father.

Jul 02, 201130 min

In Uniform

In this episode, two stories about the human beings inside a uniform....

Jun 04, 201130 min

The Lonely Funeral

A soulful and moving Dutch documentary about a civil servant who works with a professional poet to plans funerals for people who have died alone, bodies that were never claimed from the morgue...

May 21, 201130 min

The Two Proms of Carlos Kotkin

Stories about a special rite of passage. Carlos Kotkin went to two high school proms, more than ten years apart. Plus, Curie Youth Radio 's Will You Go to Prom with Me?

Apr 23, 201130 min

Miscellaneous

An episode about boxes and boxes and piles and bins of miscellaneous stuff...

Mar 02, 201130 min

Stories about Dads

Mike Birbiglia on battling an online porn virus for his tech-challenged parents, Laura Silverman on bad marriage advice, and seeing the city on a stroll with a newborn's blind father, Ryan Knighton . (This program originally was broadcast on October 12, 2010.)

Feb 19, 201130 min

Night on Earth

Stealing an idea from Jim Jarmusch, we drop down to five random locations and hear personal stories that all take place in the nighttime.

Dec 07, 201029 min

Care

Two stories about looking after the welfare of others, one at the beginning of life and another near the end of life.

Nov 23, 201030 min

Separated by Birth

Two stories about families who have been driven apart... David Ellis Dickerson ’s mission to save his family from a faith he considers hypocritical and dangerous. Also, Carol Brobeck and Joel Woodruff recount the adoption and reunion that defines their relationship.

Nov 09, 201030 min

Radio Diaries: Willie McGee and the Traveling Electric Chair

This week, we spotlight Radio Diaries . Joe Richman is the man behind Radio Diaries and he helps people document their own lives in their own voices. We listen to the most recent work from Richman along with co-producer Samara Freemark . Willie McGee and the Traveling Electric Chair: A Granddaughter's Search for the Truth just won an award at the Third Coast International Audio Festival in Chicago. Also on the program, Frank Schubert, Lighthouse Keeper ....

Nov 02, 201030 min

Hometowns

Roswell: LA Writer Dave White tells the story of growing up in Roswell, New Mexico. He's bothered by the fact that his own personal memories keep getting drowned out by a man-made image that gets foisted on the town by endless TV shows, movies and books. How Are You Who You Are?: Eric Winick recorded this documentary about a family he grew up with in Marblehead, Massachusetts. It's a story about the rarest and most profound kind of love, where you love someone regardless of what, or who they bec...

Oct 05, 201030 min

Connie and Pedro

A personal story of crossing the border and protecting the border, a fascinating, funny and thoughtful lesson in family, culture and patriotism. Also, a heartbreaking tale of an Inuit Eskimo boy who finds himself in turn of the century New York City.

Sep 28, 201030 min
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