Here for your Midwestern stories.
I'm a senior podcast producer, host, and reporter at KCUR Studios, the podcast wing of Kansas City’s NPR affiliate. Mainly, I host and produce A People's History of Kansas City, a show that shines a spotlight on the overlooked everyday heroes and visionaries who created Kansas City and the region.
I'm also the editor for Up From Dust and Seeking A Scientist. Previous podcasts I've produced include Overlooked, Hungry for MO, and Real Humans.​
Over the years, my curiosity has led me to investigate blues "too risque" for the radio, how America became a fast food icon, and the place where civil rights and McDonald's intersect.
My reporting has been featured on 99% Invisible, Milk Street Radio, Gravy podcast, NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, and Marketplace. I've done production work for Radiolab, LAist Studios, the Washington Post, StoryCorps, and Vox Media.
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I'm grateful to have won a handful of audio awards in my career! I've been nominated for three James Beard reporting awards and won two Gracie awards, four Public Media Journalist Association awards, three Edward R. Murrow podcast awards, and a national IRE investigative award.
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Then again, the thing I might be most proud of is this letter to the editor that I wrote at age 7:
In addition to holding an undergraduate degree in media & cultural studies from Macalester College, I also have extensive experience as an IT help desk consultant (have you tried turning it off?) and leading people hesitant to drink straight olive oil in olive oil tastings.
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