Rural Voices Radio, Volume II

“These programs take us back to America’s roots, where language and place connect to ground listeners in the shared experience. I found them unforgettable.”

—Bill Moyers, PBS Host/Producer

Rural Voices Radio II is the second in a series of half-hour productions that features students and their teachers reading original poems, stories, and essays about the places we call home. The programs offer a rare glimpse of America’s back roads and countryside through the eyes of children, some as young as first grade. Contributions come from teachers and students in Hawai’i, Louisiana, Maine, and Mississippi.

Produced by the National Writing Project and award-winning producer Deborah Begel (Fresh Air, Selected Shorts), and narrated by Kim Stafford, the programs communicate the power each of us has to speak to the heart through words and sound. Each spoken anthology takes us to the seldom seen, from the fiery depths of volcanic Pele to the excitement of a first deer hunt. Exploring all that is unique to country living, Rural Voices Radio deepens a sense of place for authors and listeners alike.

Rural Voices Radio II is NWP’s second audio production celebrating excellence in America’s rural schools. The first compilation earned a Special Merit award in 2001 from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. Link here to learn more about the development of Rural Voices Radio from the Rural Voices, Country Schools Project, a three-year Annenberg Rural Challenge program that ran from 1996-1999 to strengthen “genuinely good, genuinely rural” education.

Building on the Rural Voices, Country Schools theme of bringing student voices and student writing to the public, NWP released the CD set to public radio stations across the country. The response to the programs overwhelmingly positive. Now, they are available to stream and download on our Soundcloud channel.

CD 1—Hawai’i and Louisiana

CD 2—Maine and Mississippi