Layered Stories | CAC April Newsletter
We've had a lot going on in the last week and a lot to share as far as updates. Here's what we've got for you in this month’s newsletter:
- A list of podcasts our community is currently listening too (from our zoom meeting)
- Notes on our discussion of Michaela Marchi's piece, La Patria, which excels at layering — both audio, and story
- Congrats to Chicago creators nominated for the Peter Lisagor awards
- Events coming up this month, including Northwestern's Audiophile and the return of The Podcast Salon
- We're hosting another happy hour alongside Audiophile — free to attend, even if you're not going to the conference!
- A new job posting at Chicago Public Media
If you've got something to share in the newsletter, send us an email at info@chiaudiocollective.com!
What are you listening to?
This month we asked attendees to share their top podcast right now. Here's what they said:
- Good Hang with Amy Pohler
- Creation Myth
- Maintenance Phase (Specifically the 2 eps on Russel Brand)
- La Brega (season 3)
- Three Girls from Bronzeville
- Our Ancestors were Messy
- Five to Four
- If Books Could Kill
- Standard Fare
- Revisionist History S15 E2 & E3 (about the origin of the Zootopia movies)
- Fela Kuti: Fear No Man
- The Idiot
- Beth's Dead
La Patria by Michaela Marchi
The bulk of our discussion this month was about a piece called La Patria, which Michaela Marchi submitted for our Still Listening event. Michaela produced the short audio story as part of a class at Northwestern and is available for listening here:
Michaela's piece explores some archival audio of her father visiting his father in Italy which he calls "La Patria". To Michaela, this opens the door to a conversation about the push and pull that exists between family members and within ourselves, as individuals and across generations, when a person leaves their heartland.
We discussed how Michaela approached using the found audio cassette tapes, including all of their imperfections and character, to open a window into her family heritage. This story is part of a longer piece Michaela may share in the future.
For anyone interested in contacting Michaela to talk about this piece or her work, you can reach her at: mmarchi1221@gmail.com
Peter Lisagor Award Finalists
Finalists for the 49th annual Peter Lisagor awards were announced recently. We want to congratulate the nominees - many of whom are CAC members - for their excellent audio work!
- “The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí”; Jesse Betend, Elena Gonzales, Sheila Solomon, Rivet360, Chicago History Museum; Rivet360
- “Heat List”; James Edwards, Matt Stroud, Erisa Apantaku, Philippa Geering, Krish Dineshkumar, Alex Portfelix, Rachel Byrne, N’Jeri Eaton; Wondery, Vespucci
- “Division Street Revisited”; Mary Schmich, Melissa Harris, Bill Healy, Cate Cahan, Mark Jacob, Libby Lussenhop, Chijioke Williams, Chris Walz; Mary & Melissa Productions, podcast distributed by PRX
The award winners will be announced at a ceremony Friday, May 8, at the Union League Club of Chicago. Ticket prices go up on April 10 and close on Friday, April 24 at 11:59 p.m. on Eventbrite.
Upcoming Events
Now that Spring is here, we've got a lot more coming up!
Audiophile by Northwestern
Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and School of Communication are thrilled to announce the inaugural Audiophile conference.
Audiophile is a conference to inspire sound creators and storytellers. By focusing on craft and creativity, Audiophile brings together designers, journalists, engineers and producers across the audio spectrum to celebrate possibilities that open the world of sound. The conference will be held over two days in downtown Chicago on April 16 and 17, 2026.
Tickets are now available!
CAC is also hosting a happy hour with AIR and Institute for Independent Journalists on Friday April 17th. You can attend even if you're not going to the conference. We hope to see you there!
4/17/26 - Audio Makers in Chicago Meetup!
Join us in Chicago for an in-person meetup where you can meet, connect, and catch up with fellow audio makers.
If you're in town for the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference or Audiophile, this is the perfect opportunity to cross-pollinate with attendees from other conferences AND meet the locals who make up Chicago's audio scene!
This meetup is organized by the Chicago Audiomakers Collective (CAC), Institute for Independent Journalists (IIJ) and the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR).
Podcast Salon April Edition
The Podcast Salon is a recurring event series hosted by The Qube. It's an excellent event and definitely worth checking out if you're free.
Summary from The Qube: In our first edition of 2026, we are honored to feature podcasting legend TK Dutes. TK will sit down with Chicago’s own award-winning host and producer, Anna DeShawn. She will take us behind the scenes of her newest project, The Secret Life of TK Dutes.
- 🗓️ Friday, April 10, 2026
- 🕖 6:30pm CT
- 📍 Affinity Community Services | 2850 S. Wabash, Suite 108 (enter in rear)
- 💰 $10, Tickets are limited to keep the vibe intimate.
Chicago Audio Jobs
This is a non-exhaustive list of audio related job postings in the Chicago area. It's pretty short this month, but if you've got a job to share, shoot me an email at ian@chiaudiocollective.comian@chiaudiocollective.com
- Data Journalist, Public Safety at Chicago Public Media (link)
We hope to see you at some of the events coming up this month!