VPM Podcasts

Stories That Sink In

Track Change

As four men are held in a Virginia jail, they record an album to chronicle their efforts to break free from an oppressive cycle of addiction and incarceration. In each music-infused episode of this documentary series, host and trailblazing hip-hop artist Speech Thomas meets a musician at a crossroads in their uphill struggle for freedom, learns what brought them to this inflection point, and helps them record a song that captures this critical moment in their life.

From soulful country to fiery hip-hop and haunting R&B, this music affirms the lives of people who are written off by society. And amidst a re-entry crisis afflicting millions of Americans every year, these intimate stories from behind the walls of Richmond City Jail ask: What does it take to rebuild a life after incarceration?

Track Change website | Listen: Amazon | Apple | Castbox | Spotify

VPM Daily Newscast

VPM's daily newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Hosted by Benjamin Dolle, episodes are recorded the night before so you can wake up prepared.

Listen on NPR One | Other Podcast Players

Admissible

Presented in partnership with iHeartMedia and Story Mechanics, Admissible is a new original podcast examining how a key building block of our justice system – evidence itself – is often flawed, disputed, or even manipulated. Hosted by reporter Tessa Kramer, the first season of Admissible is a deep dive into the moment when DNA testing transformed the field of forensic science. This 12-episode series investigates the story of 13 men who were exonerated thanks to the miraculous discovery of preserved samples hidden away for decades in a Virginia records facility and the forensic scientist responsible for them: Mary Jane Burton. Burton was hailed as a hero for saving the evidence, but the story behind “the Mary Jane files” is far more complicated and darker than it appears.

Admissible Website

On Our Minds

On Our Minds is an Edward R. Murrow award-winning, student-led and student-produced podcast about the biggest mental health challenges young people face. In each episode, two teen reporters guide you through stories by high schoolers from PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs about the teenage experience that connects, educates and inspires listeners of all ages.

On Our Minds website | Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube | RSS

Seizing Freedom

The story of the end of the Civil War you’ve probably been taught is that the slaves were freed by Northern white men (and maybe a handful of famous Underground Railroad conductors). What’s missing? The story of how Black Americans risked their lives to fight for their own visions of what freedom could be—struggling for their dignity in the face of horrific violence. Seizing Freedom tells the stories of these unsung American heroes.

Black Americans launched themselves into political careers, became newspaper magnates, entrepreneurs, Wall Street traders, and used their newfound mobility to reunite families torn apart by slavery. For twelve brief years of Reconstruction, Black Americans lay powerful claims to citizenship, dignity, and rights—despite brutal suppression.

Seizing Freedom is the personal history of the struggle to define freedom after 400 years of slavery. Using first-hand accounts from diaries, newspapers, speeches, and letters, this is a narrated docu-drama podcast about the failures and successes of the Reconstruction era, told by those who made it happen. These personal accounts illustrate what was at stake for the nation and reveal unsettling echoes in the fight for political and social justice of today.

Listen: NPR One | Other Podcast Players

Resettled

In this six-part podcast series, we showcase stories of refugees as they adjust to their new lives in Virginia. These personal stories are woven together with useful teaching moments about the resettlement process. Season one will consist of six thematic episodes, which aim to bring the listener into the daily lives of refugees through field interviews (at home, work and school), personally-recorded audio diaries and reflective studio interviews.

Social Distance Assistance

A podcast about looking for the helpers during the pandemic. Taking a cue from Mr. Rogers, host Kelly Jones and her daughter, June, set out to find brave, creative problem solvers who are supporting their communities in the era of social distancing. Each week, they explore how people are helping and then sit down with experts who can answer our most pressing pandemic questions and give practical advice on how to become helpers ourselves.

Making Menuhin

Showcasing the talented youth participating in the Menuhin Competition, an international event known as the “Olympics of the violin.” Hear select performances and personal stories of young violinists from around the world: how they got started, the teachers who inspired them, the sacrifices they’ve made and what they express through their music.