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A hoarder’s daughter digs through the past. Performed by Amy Warren, Armando Diaz, Jackie Hoffman, Louis Kornfeld, and Noel Dinneen. Written by Louis Kornfeld, produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

An accidental love story. Performed by Chet Siegel and Peter McNerney, with Willy Appelman, Louis Kornfeld, Lauren Ashley Smith, Sebastian Conelli, Quinton Loder, Jon Bander, and Kim Ferguson. Written by Chet Siegel, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Who knows… maybe it’s true. Written by Diane McCorry. Performed by Phoebe Tyers and Dennis Pacheco, with Nick Mykins, T.J. Mannix, and Chris Dwane. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Edgar Allen Poe’s death has always been shrouded in mystery. In this episode, we imagine what may have happened. It was inspired by listener Matthew Mercier, who spent time as the caretaker of Poe’s last home. Performed by Christian Paluck, Ed…

Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story “Upon the Dull Earth,” originally published in 1954. Performed by Andy Moskowitz, Rebecca Robles, Diana McCorry, Ben Jones, and Al King. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

A psychic love story. Performed by Alex Marino, Christina Dabney, Blanche Ames, and T.J. Mannix. Written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

A teacher gives his students lesson about democracy that they’ll never forget. Performed by Peter McNerney, Russ Armstrong, Alexis Lambright, Fiona Bradford, Teddy Shivers, Oscar Montoya, and Ben Jones. Written by Louis Kornfeld, produced by Jonathan…

A game of Dungeons and Dragons is thrown into chaos. Peformed by Elana Fishbein, Jon Bander, Justin Moran, and Matt Shafeek. Written by Alejandro Kolleeny, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

The Voyager spacecraft has landed: meet the aliens who found it. Performed by Chet Siegel and Peter McNerney. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Keep your knees in, chest up, stay low, elbows soft… let’s go, let’s GO! Performed by Chet Siegel, Emily Tarver, and Ed Herbstman. Written by Chet Siegel, produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

The sounds we make don’t just fade away; they’re embedded in the wood around us. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Kevin Cragg, Annemarie Cullen, Dennis Pacheco, and Rebecca Robles, with Melanie Hoopes, Bea Herbstman, Alex Marino, and Kerry Kastin. Music…

If you’ve ever been alone on Valentine’s Day, this story is for you. It’s performed by Eliza Skinner, Birch Harms, and Curtis Gwinn, who improvised all of the dialogue. It was originally produced in 2009 for Weekend Amercia, Hillary Frank was the…

Live the death you’ve always wanted. Performed by Andy Moskowitz, Jackie Hoffman, Ben Jones, Damon Ketron, Phoebe Tyres, Shacottha Fields, Blanche Ames, and Rebecca Robles. Written by David Wilcox. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

Adam and Allie would do anything to have a baby. Performed by Tami Sagher, Ed Herbstman, Louis Kornfeld, and Kerry Kastin. Written by Ira Gamerman. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell. 

A collection of horror stories that take place in the world of electoral politics. This one-hour special was produced in 2012 for broadcast on public radio, and made possible by the generous support of the Public Radio Exchange (prx.org) and…

A father comes to the rescue when three teenagers take things too far. Performed by Christian Paluck, Dmitry Shein, Willy Appelman, and Elana Fishbein. Written by Louis Kornfeld, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

Two shock jocks make a big morning mess. Performed by Jon Bander, Alessandro King, Bianca Casusol, Brian Frange, and Elana Fishbein. Written by Ira Gamerman. Produced & directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

You’re cordially invited to spend New Year’s Eve with Walt Avery. To attend, simply play this podcast. Performed by Ben Jones and Tom Ligon, and produced by Jonathan Mitchell. 

A couple goes in search of childhood memories. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Lauren Ashely Smith, and Louis Kornfeld. Story by Jonathan Mitchell with dialogue improvised by the actors. Produced and directed by Jonathan Mitchell.

This is a re-edited version of a previoulsy released story. A taxi driver is working on his anniversary, and gets more than he expected when he picks up a couple in Lower Manhattan. Featuring: Christian Paluck as The Driver, Chet Siegel as Mary, Louis…

Two urban explorers enter an abandoned subway. What happens next is our secret. This is the complete version of a story that was previously only available in two parts.

What happens when a corporation becomes a person? In this satire by Tony Award-winning playwright Greg Kotis, we follow a company called Geneva Mutual that becomes a sentient being. Performed by Louis Kornfeld, Rachel Hamilton, Tom Ligon, Chet Siegel,…

A canvasser gets the donation she needs, but it will cost her… Performed by Chet Siegel and Tom Ligon, with Matt J. Weir, Quentin Loder, and Melanie Hoopes. From an outline by Chet Siegel. Produced & Directed by Jonathan Mitchell, with sound…

Produced at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Beyond Radio conference, featuring performances by Amie McKenna, Michele Durman, Michael Whalley, and Martin Dingle Wall. Produced by Ed Herbstman and Jonathan Mitchell.

Mike Coleman is an independent candidate running for Congress, and he’s finally getting some attention… from a serial killer. Performed by Ed Herbstman, Chet Siegel, Rick Adrews, Nick Kanellis, Louis Kornfeld, Amy Warren,…

This is a short story written and produced by Hillary Frank, made by combining fictional narration with real interview tape. It was edited by Julie Snyder, and orginally aired on This American Life.

Written by Kurt Andersen, this story was originally heard on PRI’s Studio 360. Narrated by Ed Herbstman, with John Ottavino as Nicholas, and Melanie Hoopes as Nancy. The story editor was David Krasnow. Produced and directed by Jonathan…

Two different approaches to making stories that combine improvisation with the recording studio. Total Transparency is a brand new piece, it was completely improvised and recorded in one take, and then edited. It was made up on the spot by Chet…

Terry Bisson’s classic short story “They’re Made Out of Meat” originally appeared in Omni Magazine in 1991, and our audio version was produced for WNYC’s Studio 360 in November 2011. We’ve re-mixed the story especially for this podcast, and it’s…

As we finish up some new stories for the podcast, here’s a selection of three short pieces from the archives. These pieces are a little different than the stories we normally present on The Truth. They were all made by taking different characters from…