Scene on Radio Podcast

Scene on Radio is a two-time Peabody Award–nominated podcast from the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University that dares to ask big, hard questions about who we are—really—and how we got this way. Launched in 2015, the podcast is produced and hosted by CDS audio director John Biewen, along with collaborators, and distributed by PRX.

+ Season 1 featured a mix of stand-alone and multiple-episode stories.
+ Season 2, Seeing White, explored the history and meaning of whiteness and was nominated for a Peabody Award.
+ Season 3, MEN, delved into sexism, patriarchy, and misogyny.
+ Season 4, The Land That Never Has Been Yet, earned another Peabody nomination for its exploration of democracy in America—past and present.
+ Season 5, The Repair, looked at the cultural roots of the climate crisis and the deep changes Western society will need to make to save the Earth and our species.

Find out more, and subscribe, on the podcast website; follow Scene on Radio on social media: @SceneOnRadio.

Scene on Radio Episodes

Photo: George O’Neal at Lil’ Farm in Timberlake, NC. Photo by Emily Hilliard.

Rogue Chickens and Ratty-Ass Radishes

A punk farmer. A tale of rogue chickens on the loose in the city. A pair of refreshing takes on the whole Food thing, in and around Durham, NC. Pieces by Emily Hilliard and Joseph Decosimo. Photo:...
Photo: Laila Nur, left, and Aleks Babic. Courtesy of Aleks Babic.

Things I'm Afraid to Say

A refugee from Bosnia. An NYC-born survivor who grew up poor, black, Muslim, and gay. And how one, and her music, saved the other. Photo: Laila Nur, left, and Aleks Babic. Courtesy of Aleks Babic.

Photo: Voters arrive at the town hall in Caroline, NY, for town board elections in November 2011. Photo by Jon Miller.

Groundwork

People in two communities – one in Alaska, one in New York State – wrestle with questions about energy and the environment. We listen in on democracy close to home. Stories by John Biewen and Jon...
Photo: The bend in the railroad tracks, about one block from Thelonious Monk’s birthplace in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Straight, No Chaser

A South Sudanese refugee and the music that cuts his heart to pieces. Thelonious Monk’s North Carolina roots. Music and home. Pieces by Nusaibah Kofar-Naisa and John Biewen. Photo: The bend in the...
Photo: A young woman getting chemotherapy treatments, 2007. Courtesy of Ibby Caputo.

Losing Yourself

It happens. A happy, healthy young person suddenly gets a grave diagnosis. What does not usually happen: The patient rolls tape. By Ibby Caputo. Photo: A young woman getting chemotherapy treatments,...
Photo: Shining Li with her brother Joseph, 2011.

The Dead Can't Do You Nothing

It waits for us all. A lot of people want to think about death as little as possible. Others want to dive right in and explore the mystery. Two short docs on the Big D. Photo: Shining Li with her...
Photo: Jenna Horgan and migrant workers at a farm camp near Benson, North Carolina on July 28, 2015. Photo by Lucero Galván

The Right Note

Music can be a powerful gift – if you get the song right, or the right song. Two stories from North Carolina. Photo: Jenna Horgan and migrant workers at a farm camp near Benson, North Carolina on...
Photo: Mike Wiley performing “Dar He.” Photo credit Arts Midwest

Emmett and Trayvon

There’s a long and painful history in the U.S. of white men killing black men and boys without punishment. In this episode, we listen in on “Dar He,” the one-man play by Mike Wiley that brings to...
Photo: Lucas Biewen, the summer after, age 8. Photo by John Biewen

No Santa

A father turns on a recorder while tucking in his 7-year-old, having no idea he’s about to capture a poignant growing-up moment in his son’s life. (Advisory: This episode is not suitable for some...
Photo: Left, Safiya Gallaghan, photo courtesy Safiya Gallaghan. Right, Reem Alfahad, photo by JohnFer Henao.

Hijabis

The surest way for a woman to declare herself a Muslim is to wear the head scarf — the hijab. In these two short pieces, young Muslim women explore the often unwelcome questions and perceptions that...

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