Snap Judgment

Death, Sex, and Money, is one of our favorite podcasts over at WNYC, and we’re featuring a special story from their archives. Emma's a single mom and supports her family with the income she makes from sex work. The money's good. But she struggles with the secrecy, and the shame. Please note that this story does have some explicit content, so it’s probably not a great idea for kids to listen. Producer: Anna Sale

Glynn gets recognized on the street…as someone else. Score and Sound Design: Pat Mesiti Miller

On the next Snap Special..."Bad Magic." It's intriguing, tempting, and dangerous, but somehow you can't resist... Support Snap Judgment storytelling at SnapJudgment.org.

What happens when one song changes the course of your life? Producer: Jonathan Groubert with help from Mignon van Weeren Sound Design: Pat Mesiti-Miller This piece comes to Snap via the amazing podcast "The State We're In." (Listen to the second movement from the Angeli Symphony. )

The True Story of a False Prophet. Vikram Gandhi grew weary of fake religious gurus. So he became one. He named his guru-self "Kumare." Producers: Glynn Washington and Nick van der Kolk, with Anna Sussman To see the film upon which this piece is based, go to KumareMovie.com

In Belgrade, Jonathan discovers that you can remove a man from a country, but you can never remove the country from the man. Jonathan Groubert hosts the wonderful storytelling program, "The State We're In", from Radio Netherlands Worldwide. The show plays around the globe these days, but if you can't find it, check them out at TSWI.org. Producers: Anna Sussman, Mark Ristich

Glynn's grandmother's medicine has certain magical properties. Score and Sound Design : Pat Mesiti Miller

On the next Snap Special..."Aces Wild". We throw down a four of a kind in front of a full house...LIVE!

On the next Snap Special..."Aces Wild". We throw down a four of a kind in front of a full house...LIVE!

When Josh Healey learns some unexpected news from his girlfriend, his first thought...is of Grandma Barbara and Grandma Henrietta. Performed Live by Josh Healey at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Music written by Alex Mandel and performed by the Snap Players Alex Mandel, Tim Frick and David Brandt

Glynn's father has a strict rule for Friday nights...the Second Coming. Performed live by Glynn Washington at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Music written by Alex Mandel and performed live by Alex Mandel, Tim Frick, and David Brandt

A story dedicated to the little girl in the hallway. See Jamie DeWolf's astonishing performance here. Performed at Snap Judgment Live! in San Francisco's Nourse Theater. Original score composed by Alex Mandel, and performed by Alex and the Snap Judgment Playaz (Tim Frick & David Brandt.) Recorded and mixed by Pat Mesiti-Miller

What's in a name? Special thanks to Brando Skyhorse. Check out Brando's memoir, "Take this Man", and his award winning novel, "The Madonnas of Echo Park." To learn more about Brando's work, go to www.brandoskyhorse.com . A very big thanks to Curt Wells and Bennington College. Producer: Liz Mak Original Score and Sound Design: Leon Morimoto

On the next all-NEW Snap..."Born Identity." There is the person you were born to be, and then there is the person you're creating. But what happens when both sides battle it out?

Glynn makes a deal with his brother to get out of his biblical duties. Score and Sound Design: Pat Mesiti Miller

Glynn finds a cheap place to spend the summer . . . at a halfway house. Original Music by Alex Mandel performed by Alex Mandel and the Snap Players (David Brand and Tim Frick.) Presented by KPCC.

On the next Snap..."Personal Jesus." Reach out and touch faith. Amazing stories of people searching for their own salvation.

There was a legend in central Maine, about a hermit who had lived in the woods, unseen, for 30 years. Then, in 2013, the police arrested a man named Christopher Knight. To learn more about Chris Knight’s story, be sure to check out journalist’s Mike Finkel’s book, The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/251786/the-stranger-in-the-woods-by-michael-finkel/9781101875681/ Check out The North Pond Hermit Song by Stan Keach: https://www.facebook.com/stankeachsongs/ Producer: Joe Rosenberg Original Score: Renzo Gorrio and Andrew Vickers

This was included in the Seattle production of Power: From the Mouths of the Occupied, which features stories from Black community members impacted by state violence as a means to heal. To learn more about Power From the Mouths of the Occupied, and the work of Patrisse Cullors check out her website. If you want to hear more from Luzviminda, check out her talk show. https://www.mixcloud.com/LuluNationTalkShow/ Producer: Patrisse Cullors and C. Davida Ingram

On the next all-NEW Snap..."Notorious." More money, more problems, more stories than you know what to do with. Throw your hands in the air if you're a true player.

On his very first day of college, Joe swore he heard something that he couldn’t possibly have heard... If you want to learn about more people named Hitler, check out director Matt Ogen’s fascinating documentary “Meet The Hitlers,” in which he interviews Hitlers from all over the world. It’s currently available on Showtime, iTunes, and Amazon. For more information on his upcoming projects, including documentary about a high school on the US-Mexico border and a new documentary series about fighting culture around the world, be sure to check out mattogens.com. You can also follow Matt on Twitter and Instagram. Producer: Joe Rosenberg Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Can one guy corner the market on payday loans? Special thanks to Gary Rivlin, a reporting fellow with The Investigative Fund for bringing this story to Snap Judgment. For more info, check out Gary’s story in The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2016/06/23/confessions-of-a-payday-lender-i-felt-like-a-modern-day-gangster/ Producer: Davey Kim Original Score: Leon Morimoto

On the next all-NEW Snap..."One In A Million." There is lots of stuff that is never supposed to happen, but once in a while, something slips through the cracks.

When Katie Crouch learned there was another Katie Crouch who lived in the same city and apparently had the same professional interests as her she thought, huh, what else do we have in common? She would soon find out. This story was done in collaboration with Ozy.com, the online magazine that published both Katies’ essays: The Other Me http://www.ozy.com/true-story/the-other-me/33853 Doppelgangers Unite? http://www.ozy.com/true-story/doppelgngers-unite/67104 Katie Crouch continues to virtually cross paths with her name twin from her new city of Chicago, where she works for an educational publisher, raises a toddler on her own, and writes a blog. Check it out at www.thesolomamaproject.com. Katie Crouch is a New York Times best selling novelist. Her books include Girls in Trucks and Abroad, among others. She is currently working on a thriller about doppelgängers. Not really. Maybe. Producer: Nancy López Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Glynn discovers just how small the world is... Producer: Mark Ristich

What happens when you can’t escape your worst enemy? A longer version of this story originally aired on the Outside Podcast, from Outside magazine. Their first season investigates the Science of Survival and is supported by PRX and the Alfred P Sloan Foundation. To hear more episodes from the Outside podcast, find them on iTunes or visit their website at outsideonline.com/podcast. Producer: Peter Frick-Wright and Robbie Carver Production Assistance: Liz Mak Original Score and Sound Design: Robbie Carver

On the next all-NEW Snap "Run For It." You can walk, amble, stride, but if you really want something...you better run.

Marah is the best racer on the Speed Sisters team--the first all-female racing collective in the Arab world. That is, until Betty joins the team. This story is a collaboration with Amber Fares, director of the documentary Speed Sisters. Be sure to check this amazing film out--either at your local theater or on iTunes. Our translators are: Amber Fares, as Marah Jazmin Aguilera, as Betty Avery Trufelman, as Maysoon Mark Ristich, as Marah’s dad Pat Mesiti-Miller, as Khaled Producer: Eliza Smith Sound Production: Leon Morimoto

Joe Blair is a pipe fitter in Iowa who writes in his spare time. He is the father of four, including one autistic son—Michael--who has been both a source of joy and a source of stress. This story was brought to us by Modern Love: the Podcast, a collaboration between The New York Times and WBUR Boston. It takes essays from the paper’s popular Sunday column and matches them with top talent from the stage and screen. Mykelti Williamson, who played "Bubba" in Forrest Gump and most recently Gabriel in the Oscar-nominated film "Fences" reads Joe Blair's essay "For The Boy Who Makes Waves." For more incredible stories of modern Love, go visit the Modern Love website and subscribe to their podcast. Then check out Joe Blair’s memoir, By The Iowa Sea, about the joys and sorrows of life on the great plains. And don’t forget to go see Mykelti Williamson in Fences, directed by Denzel Washington. It’s in theaters now. Original Score: Pat Mesiti-Miller

Glynn races a rival for the ultimate prize. Score and Sound Design: Pat Mesiti Miller

What happens when you decide to keep a secret for a really long time...And then, you decide to tell. To learn more about Katherine’s experience, check out her book Doing Time: Papers from Framingham Prison Producer: Adizah Eghan Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

What's it like to be pulling the levers, twisting the plot, and making the tough cuts inside the Snap story factory? Snap presents "The Specialist," a podcast about work we don't think about and the people who do it. Hosted by Casey Miner, a project of KALW public radio in San Francisco.

A SPECIALETTE from "The Specialist"— Glynn Washington, host and creator of WNYC's Snap Judgment, on a job that was doomed from the start.

"The Specialist" is pulling back the curtain to reveal the "story sherpa" behind the podcast and radio show Snap Judgment. http://www.specialistpodcast.com/

A blind man gets a Seeing Eye App. Written by Louis Kornfeld with help from Diana McCorry Produced by Jonathan Mitchell

On the next all-NEW Snap..."Mirrors." You can run and hide from just about everyone, except yourself.

Snap favorite Shannon Cason shares a few excerpts of his life of struggle and perseverance. Check out Shannon's podcast Homemade Stories on iTunes and Stitcher. Produced and performed by Shannon Cason.

Glynn has a fantastic job in Japan, problem is...it doesn't go anywhere. Producer: Mark Ristich

What do you do when a life-threatening disease makes it too dangerous to save the person closest to you? Dr. Phillip Ireland was a physician at JFK Hospital in Liberia during the virulent outbreak of Ebola in 2014 when families were torn apart by the runaway virus. Producer: Jake Halpern Original Score: Renzo Gorrio Special thanks to Yale NGN. Additonal assistance: Mark Ristich, Anna Sussman, Adizah Eghan and Eliza Smith For more on the work of producer Jake Halpern go to http://www.jakehalpern.com/

On the next all-NEW Snap..."Backstory." Before you can begin to understand the story, you gotta hear the backstory.

What if you staged a dramatic rescue? Sometimes a dog is more than a dog. Producer : Whit Missildine Adapted from the podcast "This is Actually Happening" Sound Design: Leon Morimoto Production Assistance: Nancy Lopez

During Apartheid-era South Africa, Olivia, a government spy, finds herself on the wrong side of history. You can find Olivia’s book, Agent 407, https://www.amazon.com/Agent-407-African-Breaks-Silence-ebook/dp/B012LMR66K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481764456&sr=8-1&keywords=agent+407 Producer: Eliza Smith Sound Production: Renzo Gorrio

When Snap producer Ana Adlerstein met Sha Kimono on the A-Train, she invited Sha back to her apartment to tell her story. Producer: Ana Adlerstein and Joe Rosenberg

Glynn meets his girlfriend's mother for the first time, and things don't go as planned. Score and Sound Design: Pat Mesiti-Miller

Snap presents a special audio fiction episode featuring Jonathan Mitchell's "The Truth." Can You Help Me Find My Mom? A girl is lost and can't find her mom. Why won't anyone help her? Written by Diana McCorry Produced by Jonathan Mitchell more @ thetruthpodcast.com/story/2015/4/8/can-you-help-me-find-my-mom VISIBLE A blind man gets a Seeing Eye App. Written by Louis Kornfeld with help from Diana McCorry Produced by Jonathan Mitchell more @ thetruthpodcast.com/story/2016/2/12/visible-drive-straight-ahead The Truth is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, cutting-edge shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm.

In this one-hour special, "Homemade Stories: The Struggle is Real," award-winning storyteller Shannon Cason takes us on a journey that finds hope in struggle. From navigating Detroit’s overwhelmed criminal justice system, to searching for work and finding closed doors, to being a father after failing in marriage, to finding anchors in a sea of uncertainty, Shannon's stories are heartfelt, heartbreaking and hilarious all at once.

Go, go, go. Push, push, push. Things to do. That's all well and good, but every once in a while it's time to kick back and look at what you already did. The Snap Judgment 2016 Lookback Special.

When Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter was mistakenly arrested at the airport, he learned that his fame could only get him so far. Performed Live by Tariq Trotter at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Music written by Alex Mandel and performed by the Snap Players Alex Mandel, Tim Frick and David Brandt

You wanna look good in front of your heroes, right? Glynn gets his moment to shine in front of Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, and he gets a little too much shine.

A young anthropologist working in the Amazon jungle has no idea what he’s in for, nor the impact it will have on his family for generations. Find out about the work David Good is doing at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Good-Project/375077895861211 Producer: Anna Sussman with assistance from Beth Morgan Sound Design: Renzo Gorrio