The Big Listen ended production in May 2018. While this site is no longer updated, all the content remains available for archive purposes.
Written Inside takes you inside the walls of the The Stateville Correctional Facility in Crest Hill, Ill., about 35 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
If you’ve seen movies such as Shawshank Redemption and Dead Man Walking, you might think you have an idea about prison life in America. But if you’ve never been incarcerated, it’s hard to truly grasp what happens in prison on the day-to-day.
Author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz’s show, Written Inside, offers a glimpse into prison life that rarely makes it to the big screen. The cellmate challenges, the social isolation, the lack of opportunity for betterment.
Written Inside features stories crafted by incarcerated men with the help of Kotlowitz and then brought to life by voice actors. But the stories aren’t about the inmates’ innocence or the prison system writ large. They’re about prison cells. What emerges are beautiful and poignant stories about life behind bars, brought to life by voice actors. It’s a window into a world most of us know nothing about.
What Else Is On This Week’s Show?
This is just one segment from a whole show! Click here to explore our favorites from 2017, including interviews with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer of By The Book, and Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika of Uncivil.
Call Me!
Do you have a podcast recommendation you’d like to share with us? We want to hear it! Give us a jingle on the Pod Line at 202-885-POD1 and leave a message. Then we’ll put you on the radio and you’ll be famous.
Thanks for listening, pals! ‘Til next time…keep listening, America.
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