Teenage Diaries Revisited Melissa's Story

As an 19-year-old raised in the foster care system, Melissa took NPR listeners along when she gave birth to her son Issaiah.

Best Documentary: Gold2014 Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition

2014 / Joe Richman / Sarah Kate Kramer / Radio Diaries and NPR, USA

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As an 19-year-old raised in the foster care system, Melissa took NPR listeners along when she gave birth to her son Issaiah.

Over the past 16 years, Melissa and her son have faced many challenges, from eviction notices to her son's life-threatening medical diagnosis. In her new diary, Melissa chronicles her life as a working single mother, and reveals pieces of the past that her son has never known.

Teenage Diaries Revisited – Melissa's Story won the Best Documentary: Gold award at the 2014 Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. It was produced by Joe Richman and Sarah Kate Kramer with editors Deborah George, Alison MacAdam, and Ben Shapiro, for Radio Diaries and NPR.

Listen to all twelve winners of the 2014 TC/RHDF Competition, and check out the EXTRA section below for a few related links.

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