Valley podcast to explore triumphs and tragedies during pandemic
Feb. 28—LEWISBURG — A local podcast producer is calling on residents in the Susquehanna Valley to share memories and stories from the last year for a podcast episode that will be released in mid-March.
The Stories on Tap episode will coincide with the one-year anniversary of Pennsylvania shutting down for the first time. Participants will be interviewed via phone or video chat about their experiences and the most powerful moments will be shared online.
"We've all been through so much this year and we haven't had time to process that as individuals and a community," said Julie Louisa Hagenbuch, one of the hosts of Radio Free Lewisburg. "That anniversary will come with so many feelings. This will be a way of marking time and making space for our grief and everything we've lost this year, but it's also a space for our joy and moments of celebration."
The community's stories will be available online as an episode of the Radio Free Lewisburg podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Music, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and www.radiofreelewisburg.com. Radio Free Lewisburg is a podcast produced by Lewisburg Neighborhoods and Stories on Tap. It launched in March 2020 as a response to COVID-19.
Hagenbuch said she expects a variety of stories from heartbreaking and upbeat and positive. She will collect stories until March 6.
"I want to be sure it's a balanced episode," she said. "We will respect grief, but people have experienced triumph and celebration and we want to recognize that."
Hagenbuch said if residents are not sure what story they should share can use the prompts on www.storiesontap.org, including "Imagine your life from the past year was made into a movie. What's one scene from it?" and "Talk to us about being sick with COVID, or tell us about living through a loved one's illness," and "Tell us about a moment you received an unexpected gift during the pandemic."
"There's something cool about storytelling," she said. "Research shows us that people respond to people's stories even if they don't respond to data. We love to hear stories. That's why in general, it's important to build a community and get to know each other in a new way."
Stories on Tap events in the past have been live, in-person open mics with different themes at bars around the Valley. A virtual event that partnered with the Bucknell Humanities Center was held in October and was themed around flooding.
Johnny Tewksbury, of Muncy Hills in Montour County, has been a participant, observer and host at some of the past events. He plans to submit a story for the COVID-19 podcast.
"There's been so many ups and downs, and we've seen so many changes," he said. "It's important to reflect on how much as happened, how much has changed and where we're at."
Stories on Tap is special to Tewksbury.
"It's our community, it's our neighbors, it's our teachers, it's the mailman or the guy who runs the bakery," he said. "It's not outsourcing our entertainment. We're not allowing Hollywood to tell us what we see, we're telling it as we see it. By taking ownership it becomes more meaningful. You lose control when others tell your story."
Tewksbury, a teacher in Lycoming County and a farmer, said he scrambled to connect with his students last year when the original shut down orders were issued. He nor the students had appropriate technology at the time, he said.
To connect, he said he created a YouTube show where he produced episodic videos called "On the Farm With Mr. T." Those videos included recognition of student achievement, plant and animal life demonstrations, math challenges, lessons with sidewalk chalk on pavement and lessons on leadership.
Anyone interested in speaking about a moment from the pandemic should visit www.storiesontap.org to sign up. For full information, visit www.storiesontap.org. Any inquiries may be directed to Julie Louisa Hagenbuch at storiesontap@gmail.com.
