Peabody-Winning Journalist Martine Powers Joins Ira Glass as Transom Celebrates 25 Years of Audio Storytelling in Woods Hole

For one weekend this fall, Woods Hole will be the live-and-in-person center of the radio universe.

The Transom Story Lab is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Transom 25(https://transom.org/transom25/), a one-time festival taking place September 17–19 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This gathering of kindred spirits will bring together many of the most thoughtful and influential voices in radio and podcasting — and anyone curious about how great audio stories are made — for three days devoted to the art of storytelling with sound.

The festival’s headliner event, on Friday, September 18, will feature a live conversation between Ira Glass, creator and host of This American Life, and Peabody Award-winning journalist Martine Powers, executive producer of the BBC’s daily news podcast The Global Story. Additional featured talks include Nichole Hill, host of Our Ancestors Were Messy, and Al Letson, host of Reveal — plus a Thursday-night live science storytelling event, performances, listening sessions, and masterclass workshops with top producers. The spirit of the festival reflects Transom itself: an open, welcoming space where people at all stages of their storytelling journey can learn from and enjoy one another.

Founded in 2001 by veteran producer Jay Allison, Transom has played an outsized role in shaping the field of narrative audio. Through its workshops, editorial guidance, and creative collaborations, the organization has helped generations of independent producers and journalists learn the craft — many of whom have gone on to create some of the most beloved programs in public radio and podcasting. 

From the beginning, Transom has championed a model of storytelling that is independent, deeply reported, and made in service of the public interest.

“Woods Hole is one of the centers of the radio universe and has been so for a long time,” said Sophie Crane, Executive Director of the Transom Story Lab. “For 25 years, Transom has been a place where people come to learn how great audio is made — how to listen closely, how to tell a story, how to make something that matters. Transom 25 is about opening that door even wider and inviting people into the community that has grown up around this work.”

As the landscape of journalism, public radio, and podcasting continues to evolve, Transom 25 will invite participants to imagine what the next 25 years of narrative audio might look like — and how the community of storytellers can continue to support one another and the audiences they serve.

The festival lineup features dozens of leading audio makers, including Joe Richman (Radio Diaries), The Kitchen Sisters, Erica Heilman (Rumble Strip), Sean Cole, Daniel Alarcón and Camila Segura (Radio Ambulante), Chenjerai Kumanyika, Annie McEwen (Radiolab), Yohance Lacour, Lauren Ober, Bianca Giaever, Ari Daniel, and Sound School's Rob Rosenthal. More information can be found at transom.org.

All-access festival passes have officially sold out, but a limited number of single-event tickets remain for individual talks and performances — an opportunity especially for the local community to take part.