The Listening Room Series presents unforgettable audio work in theater/cafe/gallery settings and offers radio fans the opportunity to listen together and share opinions about what they hear. Each event features a diverse selection of documentary audio stories from around the world.

Check back regularly to find out what events we have in store. Or, save yourself the trouble and let us tell you all about it, and other Festival happenings, by signing up for our email list.


The Listening Room is inspired by the Listening Room of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (R.I.P.)

Thanks to everyone who came out for TC Listening Rooms this year. We're already cooking up a few listening-centric programs for 2010, so keep your eyes on this space and/or sign up for our email list so we can let you know ALL about upcoming events.

December 2 / 7:00 pm
TC Listening Room presents: Chicago Sound Drops
With special guest Stuart Dybek
Chicago Cultural Center / 78 E. Washington / Claudia Cassidy Theater / Chicago, IL
Free and open to the public

Earlier this year the TCF invited around two dozen producers from Chicago and beyond to produce short audio works ("Sound Drops") that conjure Chicago through sound, story, and imagination. The results were as varied, strange, noisy, and beautiful as the city itself. Come out to hear an array of Sound Drops and to meet some of the Chicago-based producers who participated. Third Coast Artistic Director Julie Shapiro will host the event, presenting the Sound Drops with acclaimed writer Stuart Dybek. Dybek, well-familiar with Chicago narratives himself, will reflect on the audio shorts and share thoughts about how Chicago comes to life through story.

About Stuart Dybek:
The author of three short story collections, numerous anthologized works of short fiction, and two books of poetry, Chicago native Stuart Dybek roots his writing firmly in Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods, then mines these locales for the dreams, folklore, and fantasies that flourish within. Dybek received an M.A. (1967) from Loyola University of Chicago and an M.F.A. (1973) from the University of Iowa. Currently Distinguished Writer in Residence at Northwestern University, he was a professor of English at Western Michigan University from 1974 to 2006 and continues to teach in their Prague Summer Program.  Dybek's work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, the Paris Review, and the Atlantic Monthly, among many others. In 2007 Dybek was awarded the a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.


Admission is free, but please RSVP to info@thirdcoastfestival.org.

This event is presented in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Photo of the El (above) by Aaron Ximm.

Monday, August 3rd / 12 Noon
Millennium Park's Edible Audible Picnic featuring the Third Coast Festival
MP's Great Lawn / Chicago, IL
Free and open to the public

TCF spins a live Re:sound, with host Gwen Macsai and producer Delaney Hall. Bring a picnic lunch, spread out under the speakers on the Great Lawn, and be treated to great stories, intriguing sounds, and a rich dose of "Re:soundy music."

The Edible Audible Picnic series, Monday's at noon through August, is part of Millennium Park's 5th anniversary season, presented by the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs.

Saturday, April 18 / 11 am
HATCHfest
HATCH Battery Park / 26.5 Battery Park Ave. / Asheville, NC
FREE and open to the public

Meet us in the mountains, at HATCHfest - an international mentoring festival for the creative and media arts communities. TCF Artistic Director Julie Shapiro will share a variety of sound-rich documentaries that take audio storytelling to new heights, including prize-winning work from the TCF/ Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition, and other sonic treats from the depths of the TCF's extensive coffers.

Shapiro will also be participate in a panel discussion about “The New Media Landscape: Challenges and Possibilities," along with other content creators from print, broadcast and online media. This happens Friday, April 17 at 11am at HATCH Battery Park (address above) on Friday, and is also a free event.

UPDATE:
HATCHfest lives on! Check out photos, videos, and blog posts and the many party scenes, documented from the heart of the happenings: hatchfest.ning.com.

Wednesday, February 18 / 7pm
Wexner Center
1871 N. High St. / Columbus, OH
Free and open to the public

Join the directors of the TCF for a program of unforgettable radio stories produced by some of the country’s most accomplished documentary makers and by extraordinary newcomers to the field. Hosts Johanna Zorn and Julie Shapiro will showcase the breadth of radio stories being produced today, and will provide a peek behind the curtain to reveal the ingredients of great, ear-captivating, audio storytelling.

(Pictured above, L-R , Neenah Ellis, Johanna Zorn and Julie Shapiro, on stage at the Wexner Center. Photo by Dave Hooker)

Presented in conjunction with The Ohio State University’s Digital Media in a Social World Conference and the Wexner Center for the Arts GenWex initiative.

Friday, February 6 / 8 pm
The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative presents Audio February
206 Monticello Rd. / Charlottesville, VA
(434) 984-5669
$5 suggested donation at door

Kicking off a full month of audio-centric happenings at The Bridge PAI , TCF Artistic Director Julie Shapiro will share some recent sonic favorites from the TCF's coffers. Come as early as 6pm to check out the audio installations by Peter Traub and the Big Shed podcast.

This Listening Room is presented in partnership with the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, with support from FUNd and VFH Radio and WMRA in Harrisonburg, VA.