These ten shows explore human life, up close and personal, through sketches, scenes, and documentary masterpieces.
1. “S-Town”
An exploration of one person’s life, through the lenses of many. Upon the suggestion of John B. McLemore, host Brian Reed visits Woodstock, Alabama to investigate a murder, but what he finds there is so much more.
2. “This American Life”
The long-lived radio program in podcast form: each week’s episode is a series of acts connected by a central theme.
3. “Ponzi Supernova”
A never-heard-before insider look inside a financial fraud of epic proportions. Journalist Steve Fishman interviewed a wide range of individuals intricately connected to the case involving Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities, including prison audio recordings of the main man himself, where he is serving a 150 year sentence for a $64 billion Ponzi scheme.
4. “Missing Richard Simmons”
Fitness guru Richard Simmons slipped out of the public eye several years ago, and host Dan Taberski aims to figure out where he went and if he’s okay.
5. “Heavyweight”
Host Jonathan Goldstein takes us to the moments when you wish you could go back and revisit what could have been.
6. “Women of the Hour”
A gender, sexuality, and feminism fest hosted by writer/producer/director Lena Dunham.
7. “Making Oprah”
This short-run documentary goes behind the scenes on the creation of the iconic "Oprah Winfrey Show."
8. “What It Takes”
The Academy of Achievement chronicles the incredible lives of movers and shakers through archival interviews.
9. “The Kitchen Sisters Present”
The hidden worlds of food, music, people and sounds, unveiled through interviews and field recordings.
10. “Here Be Monsters”
Facing fear and the unknown, through a slew of deeply visceral narratives.
Portraits of People is a part of the Society & Culture podcast collection on RadioPublic. For more audio collections like this, check out RadioPublic’s guide. Begin listening to the most recent episodes here, or download the RadioPublic app for iOS or Android to follow the shows from any of these links.
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