Snap Judgment (Snap Judgment and PRX)

A Muslim doctor moves his family to a small, rural, Midwestern town. To his surprise, they fit right in... and then came the 2016 presidential election. Season 11 - Episode 18

Point guard Alex Owumi has just landed in North Africa to play basketball for his childhood hero.

For more information, check out Alex’s book -- Qaddafi's Point Guard.

Producer: Davey Kim and Anna Sussman 

Season 6 Episode 8

What if you had two choices. Either risk death, or start over in a completely new life. Now imagine you had to make that decision for your child.

Season 9 Episode 28

When Roderick turns 18, he gets a special gift from his mom... for the one thing about him, she does not love.

Sound Design & Score: Leon Morimoto

Produced: Shaina Shealy, Mark Oppenheimer and the team at Unorthodox.

Season 10 Episode 14

"Mirror Touch"

Neurologist Joel Salinas on mirror-touch synesthesia.

"What Accent?"

Ellen Spencer with Foreign Accent Syndrome.

"The Bat Boy and the Pine Tar Game"

Merrit Riley and his hero George Brett.

Season 9 Episode 24

Team Snap proudly presents the second installment of, "Letters from Lockdown," featuring stories from people around the world who have experienced lockdown before. Season 11 - Episode 11

Sometimes the only word you hear is "No." But what if you always said "Yes"? Snap Judgment proudly presents "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy".

Forbidden Fruit

An aspiring priest decides to experience all that the world has to offer.

The Faith Healer

Imagine putting your hands on someone, and curing whatever ails them. Charles Monroe Kane knows the feeling.  

The Insane Million Maker Master Counterfeiter

What’s the easiest way to make money? Make Money. And lots of it.

Season 7 Episode 23

Mountain Village is an Alaska Native town in the middle of nowhere. One woman is the town’s only police officer and she alone is responsible for the safety of everyone there. Her track record is perfect until one day when she responds to a call that changes everything. This story discusses suicide and violence. Sensitive listeners, please be advised. Season 11 - Episode 4

A former journalist turned CIA agent goes undercover to flip an international arms dealer and stop a terrorist bombing.

Cheyenne Brady knew next to nothing about the US census when she was given the job of counting everyone on her reservation. Writer Julian Brave Noisecat follows her through the ups and downs of the 2020 census, culminating in the first-ever Census Powwow.

This story features descriptions of genocide and historical trauma, sensitive listeners please be advised.

A big, big thank you to everyone on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Especially Cheyenne Brady and her family: Novi Runs Above, Holy Rope, Tayvin, Poncho, Tookie, Uncle Thomas, and Grandma Florence.

Thank you also to Charlie Moran, Tavares Fimbres, Gabrielle Wilkinson, and Braedyn Taft, and Jazz Bearstail. Thanks to our friends at KMHA radio: Anne Morsette, Will Maguire, Ricky Raine, and Shelley Krueger for administering a rapid COVID test. And big thanks to the whole Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.

Sincerest thanks to Dr. Cheryl Ann Kary, Cheryl Keepseagle, Logan Davis, Barb Anguino, D’Vera Cohn, Byard Duncan, David Rodriguez, and Lycia Ortega Maddocks.

This story was produced in partnership with Type Investigations.

The original score was by Cheflee and Pat Mesiti-Miller

This story was produced and reported by Julian Brave NoiseCat and John Fecile

It was written by Julian Brave NoiseCat

Season 12 - Episode 24

One officer in Los Angeles used car inspections to hit on women. Three hundred miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her.

This episode investigates these two cases of sexual misconduct by California Highway Patrol officers. While the officers were fired, the agency did not refer potential crimes to prosecutors. And the files show some women who came forward were met with suspicion, discouragement, or what one woman saw as intimidation.

Snap presents, “Conduct Unbecoming,” the second episode of On Our Watch, an investigative podcast from NPR & KQED.

This episode contains instances of sexual misconduct but it does not contain sexual assault. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

Thank you, Sukey Lewis, Sandhya Dirks, Alex Emslie, and the entire On Our Watch team!

On Our Watch is an amazing seven-part podcast series, hosted by Sukey Lewis. It was created after a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files. NPR and KQED reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. Learn more about On Our Watch at KQED.org. Listen & subscribe now!

On Our Watch is produced as part of the California Reporting Project, a coalition of news organizations in California.

Artwork by Nicole Xu for NPR

Season 12 - Episode 25

A tiny, pirate radio station broadcasts to the thousands of families trapped in ISIS-controlled Mosul. A man’s fingers fly across the keys with ease when he sits down at a piano for the first time. And a young kid learns a lesson in friendship.

STORIES

Mixed up Mixtape

Glynn tries to front as an angsty mixtape master, and it's got him all mixed up.

Produced by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Good Morning Mosul

A tiny, pirate radio station broadcasts to the thousands of families trapped in ISIS-controlled Mosul. When listeners start calling in, something remarkable happens.

This story contains graphic depictions of war, sensitive listeners please be advised. 

Produced by Anna Sussman

Original score & sound design by Leon Morimoto & Pat Mesiti-Miller

Sudden Savant

Although most musicians spend decades honing their craft, musical genius Derek Amato never had to practice a day in his life. One day, he just sat down at the piano and his fingers began to fly across the keys with ease.

As an immediate musical genius, Derek is one of the few people on Earth diagnosed with Acquired Musical Savant Syndrome. Derek takes us into the inner workings of his amazing gift.

Produced by Anna Sussman &  Pat Mesiti-Miller

Original score & sound design by Pat Mesiti-Miller

DK and DJ

Back when Urkel and Beanie Babies ruled the world, Snap Judgment producer Davey Kim was trying to keep his ‘frenemyship’ with his neighbor afloat.

This story contains a racial slur, sensitive listeners please be advised.

For more of Davey’s radio stories, check out his website -- daveykim.com

Producer and Sound Design by Davey Kim

Artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 12 - Episode 26

A severed head turns up in a small rural town. While police investigate this as a crime, they look at disturbed graves, search for missing people — suspect a killer. But the forensic artist on the case has a very different theory for how the head ended up in the woods.

This story contains references to forensic material, sensitive listeners please be advised.

Thank you to Michelle Vitali & Mike O’Brien for sharing this story with Snap.

Produced by Nancy López, original score by Renzo Gorrio, artwork by Teo Ducot

Season 12 - Episode 27

When a rising high school track star in Eritrea, East Africa, is arrested under the military dictatorship, he realizes he might have a way out....run.

Season 9 Episode 13

When the going gets tough, the tough make stuff happen. Featuring stories about rattlesnakes pageant queens, Apache orphans, and the legendary Xiao Xiao.

When the man in charge of a small, insular northern Ohio town wreaks havoc on his followers, a young Amish boy with a passion for good hair tries to clean up the mess.

Season 9 Episode 32

After traumatic experiences underwater, a diver falls in love with the ocean again by building a secret kingdom for seahorses. Season 10 Episode 36

When you're struggling and living in the margins, the powers that be want to keep you ... exactly where you are.

Season 8 Episode 12 

It was both a tragedy and a punchline. The story behind a cult that changed the world. 

Season 10 Episode 3

Team Snap brings you voices from four amazing people - some looking to the future, some looking at the past, and those who never emerged.  Season 11 - Episode 19

A Chicago newspaper establishes an undercover bar to catch officials in the act of corruption. They soon acquire a cast of characters looking for more than just a drink. Snap Classic - Season 9 Episode 21

What do you do when someone tells you something you know to be false, and yet...you can just tell they're telling the truth? 

Chaotic Good

Malaclypse was part of a dangerous anarchist group. They stole, they killed, they escaped, until one day when Malaclypse could run no further...

Modern Love

When Stephanie Saldana was 27 years old, she thought her calling was to become a nun. But at a monastery in the Syrian desert, she met a monk who made her rethink everything

Season 9 Episode 18

After a salesman at Oakland’s Lake Merritt disappears, journalist Tammerlin Drummond investigates what happened to him.

Season 9 Episode 23

When Maribel loses her little brother Santi, her very best friend in the world, she learns that love is sometimes stronger than death. We travel to Mexico for this very special Spooked tale.  

Mary needed to get away from her husband. A handsome stranger offered her a way out. All she had to do was participate in the strangest group experiment of all time. Produced by John Fecile, original score by Leon Morimoto. Season 11 - Episode 2

For two years, ISIS fought to take over the city of Mosul, killing 40,000 civilians.

A mix of missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits from around the world pack their bags, fly to Iraq and voluntarily run into the line of fire to fight back.

Producer: Anna Sussman

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Snap Judgment spotlights the amazing podcast Ear Hustle: The Big No No, stories from San Quentin State Prison.

The story of how Mokhtar Akhanshali braved a civil war to bring Yemeni coffee to the world.  

Dave Egger’s biography of Mokhtar, The Monk of Mokha, is available wherever books are sold. And be sure to check out the book’s instagram at @themonkofmokha.

Producer: Joe Rosenberg

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Season 9 Episode 6

A poet delivers a devastating portrait of the relationship that made him who he is today. Two men come face to face one night in the dark canyon-lands of southern Utah. And a dangerous anarchist steals, kills, and escapes, until one day when he can run no further. It’s Snap’s 2019 Look Back Special.. time to look back before we move forward.

What if you were born to twerk it, but you didn't know how to work it? Estee Rose grew up in a tight-knit Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Brooklyn. Find out how she reclaims her faith after she loses it in a tumultuous series of events. To channel Estee’s tunes, check out producer Shaina Shealy’s Spotify playlist, “Zumba Estee”. 

Season 9 Episode 1

In the mid-70s, Conan was hired to direct and produce a nature documentary. But he wanted to do something more ambitious. The film he made "Faces of Death" became one of the most infamous movies ever, but his success came with deadly consequences.

Season 9 Episode 26

In 2009, Jane Gillooly came across an item on Ebay that piqued her imagination.  The picture was of a suitcase filled with old audiotapes. The listing’s title was “Suitcase of Love and Shame.”

An openly gay luchador full of talent faces an uphill battle to get the crowd and the press on his side. A woman takes on superhero duty, serving as a heroine of the streets. And Chapelle's other half rocks three mics. Snap Judgment presents, “The Performers.” Exploring the magic behind the stagecraft. Snap Classic - Season 7 Episode 10

A computer hacker tries to make his way home through two countries, dense jungle, and a seemingly endless string of technical challenges. Snap Classic - Season 10 Episode 4

An Israeli Defense solider decides to speak out about his violent actions from the past and they come back to haunt him.

Season 10 Episode 26

Hear how one of Yugoslavia’s top basketball players attempts to escape the Siege of Sarajevo and don't miss The Nocturnists late night meltdown at the morgue.

"The Choice" from the Lucky Podcast

Nada Rothbart thought she’d have plenty of time to get her family out of Sarajevo. Suddenly, it was too late.

This story originally aired on Lucky podcast, listen to part two of Nada’s story "The Choice" here.

"Live At The Morgue" from The Nocturnists Podcast

What do you do when the morgue has a total meltdown. Galen Laserson tells her story live at The Nocturnists.  Its host and creator is Emily Silverman, MD, its executive producer is Ali Block, MD, and its podcast producer is Marina Poole. 

Season 9 Episode 16

What if one day you found out you look like one of the most famous people in the country -- who everybody hates?

Lynn Harris is an author, commentator, award-winning journalist and mostly-retired comedian. She has a new business, teaching comedy to teenage girls. You can find her performing on stage as Tonya Harding here.

Producer: Liz Mak

Featuring a new story from the "Real Black Klansman" Detective Ron Stallworth...we're going face to face with "The Klan." Includes a bonus Snap Classic story from boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis, author of “Klan-Destine Relationships.”

A DJ hosts a radio show from a garden shed in his backyard. For over forty years… he had an audience of one. Season 11 - Episode 20

What if you could be you without all of the responsibility, the guilt, and the self-loathing? Too good to be true? ...Maybe not.

Marwencol

When Mark Hogancamp woke up in the hospital he had no idea who he was or where he was. He was beat up so badly that he couldn’t walk, talk or speak.  His therapy? Marwencol.

Friday Night Lights 

Your dad loves football. You hate football. How do you quit? Play football.

Just Another Fish Story

20 Years ago, a whale washed up on a beach in Lubec, Maine, but its death was just the beginning of its story.  

Season 6 Episode 26

What sounds would you want memorize if you were told you were going to be completely deaf before you turned 28?

Producer: April Dembosky

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Sound Design: Leon Morimoto and April Dembosky

Season 9 Episode 3

These people from all around the world share a common thread… this isn’t their first lockdown. During quarantine, Team Snap is bringing you pieces of wisdom, hope, and defiance. Season 11 - Episode 9

While most of the world continues to shelter-in-place, Team Snap brings you the third installment of, "Letters from Lockdown.” 

STORIES

Jericho

Osama Iliwat spent days in solitary confinement inside an Israeli prison during the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas. Learn how peace reached him in the midst of conflict.

Today, Osama runs a cell phone shop in Jericho, is a peace activist, and leads international tours in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. He advocates for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and speaks to international groups with an organization called Combatants for Peace. 

Rwanda

In the 90s, Eric Murangwa was the star goalkeeper of Rwanda’s most beloved football team, Rayon Sport. He was also a Tutsi - at the time when death squads were hunting Tutsis. Find out where - and with who - Eric took refuge.

Eric now runs a charity called Ishami Foundation, which brings people together through sport.  He’s currently raising money for vulnerable families affected by coronavirus during the genocide commemoration in Rwanda. Help him reach his goal. 

Brooklyn

Estee grew up in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn where her then-husband isolated her from friends, family, and activities for nearly two decades. Hear how Estee’s spirit could not be contained by four walls. 

Today, Estee lives in Jerusalem with her eight children and recently remarried a very kind man. She teaches Zumba Extreme at the Jerusalem YMCA. Hear more of Estee’s story in the Snap archives.

Thank you, Osama, Eric, and Estee for sharing your stories with us!

Produced by Shaina Shealy, Naomi Zeveloff, Liz Mak, and Anna Sussman

Music by Renzo Gorrio, additional production by Pat Mesiti-Miller

Artwork by Sanaa Khan

Digital Producer: Marisa Dodge

Season 11 - Episode 12

Our team is working quickly to put together more pieces of advice from people all over the world - stay tuned for more. And if you have advice from a past lockdown you’d like to share with Snap Nation - reach out to us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook - or email pitches@snapjudgment.org 

The beat doesn’t happen without YOU. Support Snap storytelling... stories you won't hear anywhere else.

Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. 

A very special presentation of the day the world almost ended.

Season 10 Episode 1

Hear the story behind the influential photo of the Syrian boy who drowned while attempting to reach Europe.

Read more in Tima Kurdi’s book, The Boy on the Beach.

Producer: Anna Sussman

Season 10 - Episode 15

Martin is a paramedic. He has a gift for saving people’s lives. He also has another, darker, gift--one that he doesn’t want to use.

Produced by: Eliza Smith

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Artwork by: Sanaa Khan

Season III is ALIVE!! There are 26 new episodes of Spooked coming this season each week through Halloween and into a spooky November. To listen to them all just download the Luminary mobile app or go to LuminaryPodcasts.com

Season 10 Episode 22

Police shootings, mistaken arrests, and growing up Black / Brown in America. Snap presents amazing stories from people facing our nation’s original sin. 

KC was a rising star, improving Detroit’s most troubled public schools. But to do that, she cut some legal corners that put her in prison.

Season 9 Episode 10

The story of a lifetime falls into a reporter’s lap when he receives a tip about father-son co-conspirators who sell national secrets to Russia.

On Atlas Peak there is one way in and one way out.  When wildfire threatened their homes, the only escape route...was up.

Check out KQED's fire investigation.

Producer: Sukey Lewis

Season 9 Episode 12

The human mind can play tricks on you... A father of five and devout Mormon is dragged into a world that upends everything he knows to be true. And a young man comes to terms with his mother’s profound mental illness.

STORIES

"Tracy: My Ride-or-Die"

When Adult ISH host Nyge Turner turned 17, he became the caretaker for his ride-or-die: Tracy. His mom.

This story was produced by YR Media's Adult ISH podcast (Mom ISH episode). Adult ISH is a culture, advice, and storytelling show about #adulting, that is produced entirely by folks who are "almost adults." It’s distributed by PRX’s Radiotopia. Be sure to subscribe and listen here!

"A Short Stay In Hell"

A father of five and devout Mormon is dragged into a world that upends everything he knows to be true.

This story comes to us from Believable, a new podcast from Narratively about how our stories define who we are. Each episode dives into a personal, eye-opening story where narratives conflict and different perspectives about the truth collide.

A man tries to cheat death with homemade technological body enhancements, but the world isn’t ready for his kind of lifestyle.

For two years, ISIS fought to take over the city of Mosul, killing 40,000 civilians. This is a story about a group of men and women from around the world who packed up their bags, flew into Iraq, and made their way to Mosul to try their hand at fighting ISIS back.

Season 9 Episode 14

Fans and journalists embark on a seven-show tour with Rihanna... in seven countries, over seven days, on a Boeing 777, to celebrate her seventh album in seven years. Did we mention this is the seventh anniversary of the tour?

When the scariest man in town is arrested for murder, only one lawyer is willing to represent him. Snap Classic: Season 6 - Episode 30

Comic Jen Kober tells the story of the mother she never expected to find, on a journey she never expected to take.

Performed live at The Paramount in Oakland. 

Music composed by Bells Atlas.

Season 10 Episode 13

A headless chicken proves sometimes urban legends are true, playground bullies expose dark secrets during a “pantsing” epidemic, and a young man comes out to his parents. We are grateful to tell stories and we are so so thankful for you Snappas! For all the love and support you have shown this crazy ridiculous enterprise that is Snap Judgment, thank you. Season 10 Episode 33

The Birds: As a little boy in Richmond Virginia, raising pigeons, Ray Christian made a friend with the same hobby. But there was something mysterious about Ray’s new pal.

The Taxidermist: When Tracey started doing taxidermy, she assumed all her subjects would be dead. Until she met a squirrel who didn't seem quite right.

The Visage: A man is hired to do remodel work on a house with a haunted history.  But something inside the house doesn’t want anything to change.

Season 9 Episode 31

Snap Judgment joins the podcast Ear Hustle for a look at parenting from inside San Quentin State Prison.

In this episode incarcerated fathers share their stories of striving to be present in their children's lives. One inmate reconnects with his son after 20 years. Another stays very involved through letters and visits. And a third gets the opportunity to give his teenage son a haircut.

There was a legend in central Maine, about a hermit who had lived in the woods, unseen, for 30 years.  Then, in 2013, the police arrested a man named Christopher Knight.

Betsy keeps seeing a young girl at night in her room. She stands at the end of Betsy’s bed and stares at her. She comes back, over and over: night after night; year after year. Betsy knows she wants something, but she has to figure out what. Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked. Be afraid. All of the latest episodes are available only on Luminary. Download the Luminary mobile app or go to LuminaryPodcasts.com. Season 4 - Episode 1

In a small Croatian town of Vukovar, some 200 people went missing. Years later, a group of investigators with The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia set out on an impossible task to find out who was responsible for these missing people.

Season 10 Episode 18

Mouth Of The Dragon

When a small child is lost, it's up to Glynn to face the dragon.

As The World Burns

What happens when the world around you starts to burn?

A Little White Lie

Think your dating life is tough? Try being an Arab, Muslim man after 9/11 in New York City.

Mortuary Assistant Required

The wanted ad said “Mortuary Assistant Required. Prior Experience An Advantage, But Not Essential.” No one bothered to apply, except for Simon...

Season 6 Episode 16

President Lincoln is mortally wounded. The nation is under attack. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton takes control and tries to protect Vice President Andrew Johnson.

This story comes to us from 1865.

One night, an explosion in the night sky of western Colorado draws townspeople out to search for something more. Something bigger. Something… out of this world. Season 11 - Episode 1

Snap leaves San Quentin State Prison with the Ear Hustle Podcast and then goes back inside to hear stories from Prison Reception.

Content Advisory: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. Listener discretion is advised. 

STORIES 

Kissing the Concrete

Snap finds freedom with Ear Hustle. Two men transition from prison back into society and find out who - or what - is waiting for them on the outside. 

Excuse Me On The Tier

Snap goes under lock and key with Ear Hustle. Everyone entering the prison system must pass through Reception, to learn the ropes and discover what’s really behind the walls.

A big thanks to Tevin Fournette, aka Cutty, and Ronnie Young for sharing their stories about leaving prison with the team. You can hear more of Cutty’s music here. Thanks as well to John “Yahya” Johnson, David Ditto, Talib Brooks, Louis Brackett, and Jeff Atkins for sharing their experiences inside Prison Reception.

Artwork by: Atwan Williams 

Be sure to visit www.EarHustleSq.com to hear more stories, see pictures from episodes, and follow everything Ear Hustle.

Ear Hustle comes to us from PRX’s Radiotopia and is produced by Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor, Rhasaan “New York” Thomas, John “Yahya” Johnson, Pat Mesiti-Miller, and Bruce Wallace. This episode is scored with music from Antwan Williams and David Jassy. Senior Producer Curtis Fox, Digital Producer Erin Wade, and Executive Producer Julie Shapiro.

What do you do when you are trying to give birth... in the middle of a wildfire?

Nicole Veum is interviewed live by producer April Demobosky for "The Fire Tapes"

The Fire Tapes is a collaboration between KQED's "The Bay" and Snap Judgment for the Coal + Ice Festival in San Francisco.

Producers: Sukey Lewis, Mark Ristich and Jeremy Siegel

Counted: An Oakland Story is the story of the people lost to Oakland’s violence. During 2017, a team of Snap Judgment producers, learned about Oakland’s homicide victims, their families and communities. Visit oaklandstory.org for more interviews, photos and illustrations.

Season 9 Episode 9

An aid worker is held hostage in Iraq, a detective’s toughest case turns out to be an investigation into his own past, and a hauntingly beautiful story of a simple piece of fruit. Snap Classic - Season 7 Episode 18

Avraham’s story was included in a 12-part Hebrew webseries called Neviim: Operation Amramby Elad Ben Elul (@Eladbenelul) and Yossi Brauman. Read hundreds more testimonies like Avraham’s at Amram’s website. The Amram association has collected hundreds of saliva samples from people who connected to the kidnapping affair.

Producer: Shaina Shealy

Season 9 Episode 8

When your plane crashes in the Amazon Jungle on your honeymoon, do you take a raft down a river to continue on… or turn back? This epic romance turns into the ultimate test of survival. Season 11 - Episode 3

A special presentation just for you... "Look Back 2018." Coming to terms with events that have happened, but that you don’t want to believe. Featuring some favorite Snap stories from the vault.

Season 9 Episode 37

Who better to seek advice from than a mother? This week, Team Snap brings you the fourth installment of, "Letters from Lockdown,” featuring moms around the world. Happy Mother's Day to all the Snap Moms out there! Season 11 - Episode 14

When you’re a safari guide on the Zambezi River, you always know that things could go horribly wrong.

Season 9 Episode 25

A young man has the chance to work on a very secret, very powerful weapon that could put an end to world war II. The project involves no toxins, no chemicals, no shrapnel and no bullets. Instead, the project involves lots and lots of flying mammals. Lots.

Content Advisory:  This story details a war situation involving both people and animals, Listener Discretion Is Advised.

Season 9 Episode 38

Snap Favorite Don Reed takes the stage with a heartfelt homage to his father's dreams for his son.

Performed live by Don Reed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

Music composed and performed by Bells Atlas

Season 10 Episode 9

A one-legged high schooler wrestles with his identity and his weight class. A story featuring tough opponents and big decisions. 

The Wrestler With The Missing Leg

Anthony Robles was born with one leg, but that didn’t stop him from joining the wrestling team. If you want to learn more about Anthony’s story and his career as a motivational speaker, check out his website and be sure to read his memoir, Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated. 

Producer: Joe Rosenberg    

Sound Design: Renzo Gorrio

Season 8 Episode 18

"On the Mat" - Snap Classic 

Blair can’t see his hands in front of his face. He can’t see the ground beneath his feet. He’s not in the dark: he’s in a thick cloud of fog. And then, a voice emerges from the mist. This story comes to us from Australia, the original Upside Down. Select Spooked episodes will be available across streaming platforms but ALL will be exclusively on Luminary. Download the Luminary mobile app or go to LuminaryPodcasts.com. 

When one couple learns that their teenage son has been identified as a potential school shooter, they do everything they can to prove that he’s not.

Bethany Barnes originally reported this story for The Oregonian - Targeted: A Family and the Quest to Stop the Next School Shooter. 

Producer: Nancy López

Season 10 Episode 12

At the height of the Cold War, Ulrike Poppe just might have been the most surveilled woman in the world. But it was only after the wall fell that things got really interesting.

Producer: Luisa Beck with Production Assistance By Joe Rosenberg

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Season 9 Episode 15

A teen's dad surprises him by taking him on his first slave plantation tour. And a girl realizes the computer version of herself, acts more like her than she does.

Season 10 Episode 25

V grew up hearing about her parent’s love story... but she never knew about the song behind it. Season 11 - Episode 13

Two women, a tiny boat, the wide open ocean...and kismet.  

Season 8 Episode 28

In 1989, an enormous earthquake struck the Bay Area. One of Oakland’s major arteries, the Cypress Freeway, collapsed. And one man named Raven left his home and dove into the wreckage to save lives.

This story comes from Liam O'Donoghue, host and producer of the podcast East Bay Yesterday.

Producers: Liam O'Donoghue and Eliza Smith

Original Score: Davey Kim

Season 9 Episode 7

An all new season of Spooked, the podcast, is dropping early August. In this episode, we’re featuring some of our favorite stories from Spooked, season one.

Weed brownies, firefighting, and friendship. It’s a 4/20 Snap Special! Amazing stories by friends, about the friend you did not expect. Season 11 - Episode 10

In 2006, a wolf was born in Yellowstone who would become a legend in her own time.

For more about the 06 Female and the debate surrounding wolves in Yellowstone, be sure to check out Jeff Hull's article in Outside Magazine and Nate Rott'sspecial report for NPR.

Producer: Joe Rosenberg

A computer hacker tries to make his way home through two countries, a dense jungle and a seemingly endless string of technical challenges.

Season 10 Episode 4

A woman’s voice changes forever, following a stroke-like episode. A man living in Alaska continues to hear rumors about the elusive blue bear. When he goes out searching for one, he ends up finding... something much different. And a girl gains magical powers that lead to an irreversible and terrible chain of events. 

In the 1970s, thousands of Vietnamese refugees were left on the remote Anambas Islands in Indonesia. They were stranded without food, water, and shelter, forced to survive off the land. Now, almost 40 years later, one woman wants to go back to those distant islands, one last time.

This story would not have been possible without their generous support of the International Women’s Media Foundation.

Season 9 Episode 22

A mentor to a disabled little boy loses a piece of himself and discovers what is gained.

The first rule about fight club is you do not talk about fight club.  Ray Christian breaks that rule.

Season 9 Episode 19

It's Spooked Season! When supernatural forces come for her kids, Curtis’s mom stands strong. Mrs. Hagstrom may be one of the meanest ghosts yet. Be afraid.

After a college party, Anwen* and Sameer* went back to a dorm room. What happened that night was confusing and horrible. But in this story we get the rare opportunity to hear both of them grapple with what happened in a way that is both surprising and meaningful. Warning, this story contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence.

Season 10 Episode 6

When 14-year-old Annaporva finally decides to ask her mother about her biological family a story so unexpected unravels - there’s kingpins, death threats, and Maneka Gandhi. Listen next week for Part Two of this story. Season 10 Episode 34 

Snap LIVE! At The Paramount featuring Glynn Washington, Don Reed and Joyce Lee telling stories about subjects that are taboo, bizarre and humorous.

Live Music by Bell's Atlas

Season 10 Episode 11

When a man is falsely accused of kidnapping a police officer, he tells a lie to set himself free. But that lie comes at an enormous cost.

Season 10 Episode 2

A man inspired by joy writes a song, then he discovers it’s become a weapon. And a boy beat down by life learns to fight back, with the help of an upper-cut and milkshakes.

STORIES

Life On Easy Street  

A musician writes a song so catchy, it takes over the world...then he finds out it's become a weapon. "Easy Street" turned into something it was never meant to be.

A big thanks to Joe Sivick & Producer Deena Prichep

Producer: John Fecile

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio 

The Little Boxer

After getting beat one time too many, little Gus Lee decides to fight back. 

A big thanks to Gus Lee. This story comes from his novel, “China Boy,” based on his childhood. 

Producer: Liz Mak

Original Score: Renzo Gorrio 

Season 10 Episode 21 

It’s Senior Year and Alex, Damaris, and Brantin have been waiting for the day they get to leave Mission High and enter adulthood. Snap follows the three students for a whole year as their dreams turn into reality. Snap Classic - Season 9 Episode 4

How do you imagine falling in love when you know you might never get the chance to? A story from inside the walls of Guantanamo Bay Prison.

Season 9 Episode 27