Ochenta Stories

“XMAS 2021” by Kate Oczypok.beautiful home portrait. This Christmas will be certainly different, but Kate’s story makes us reflect on gratitude, inviting us to never forget about the good things we have, even during the pandemic.

Kate Oczypok is a freelance writer based in the Washington, DC. She has written for The Georgetowner, The New York Times, Brides.com, Pittsburgh Beautiful and other publications. The two piano songs, Jingle Bells and Rockin around the Christmas Tree, were played by Kate’s sister and brother Sara and Matty. The ukulele’s version of Silent Night was played by Chiara Santella.

Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories throughout this crazy year. We're off next week but we'll back in 2021 with more stories from around the world. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season !

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This week’s story is about a local fundraising initiative for hospitals in Bergamo (Italy), one of the most hit cities during the Covid-19 pandemic. This story, originally produced in Italian, was also produced in english and you can find that version later on in the episode.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Gaia Lamperti, a London-based journalist focusing on environment, humanitarian issues, and culture. Gaia works as a freelance for print and online media, her pieces have been published on Al Jazeera, Smart Green Post, Global Hobo, and Gilt Magazine. On her website gaialamperti.com, you can find her recent works. Special thanks to Paul Ellis for voicing Giacomo in the English version of the piece

Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories. We are still accepting pitches UNTIL DEC 20 TH at [email protected]

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As the holidays draw near, we’re glad to bring you this story from Colorado, USA. Janice Jensen, Executive Producer, Writer and Director at Mt. Evans Pictures, sent us this short reflection on positive thoughts during this crazy year. This episoe has been produced in English and Spanish.

This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Janice Jensen. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on Twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project –which is still accepting pitches until December 20th – over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories.

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This week’s story comes to us from Buenos Aires, In Argentina, and is written by Pablo Rodriguez. “Aplausos” (in English “Clapping”) is an audio diary describing the ritual of applause for front line workers during the first lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As lockdowns went into effect around the world this year, clapping and music could be heard for brief moments every evening. Unfortunately, the ritual didn’t continue during the second round of lockdowns. So, in this episode we want to remember those times when humans showed solidarity for one another. This work has been produced in Spanish and English, and you can listen to that version later on in the episode.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by Spanish journalist and writer Pablo Rodríguez. Pablo has worked for Spanish International News agency EFE and newspaper El Mundo. His latest book “Posthumous Generation, a compilation of ten short stories”, is going to be available online starting tomorrow. You can follow him on Twitter: @pabrodri Or Instagram: @pablorgp. Special thanks to Rory Jones for voicing the English version of the piece. Rory is a young multimedia journalist and the founder of "The Sports Bubble", a new weekly sports podcast. Find it wherever you listen to your podcasts or @sportbubble on twitter.

Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project –which is still accepting pitches until December 20th – over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories.

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In this audio diary, the author describes her time working in a long-term care home in the Montreal area during the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis. This story has been produced in English and French.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalist Anne-Marie Provost. Anne-Marie works for CBC Radio Canada. You can follow her and find more about her work on Twitter @am_provost. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project (which is still accepting pitches!) over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories.

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In this short fiction from Barcelona, a woman with chronic insomnia contemplates her city from her balcony in a dreamlike state. The messages that other city-dwellers send to the popular night radio program “Radio Insomnio” keep her company. This episode has been produced in both Catalan and English.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalist Gemma Josep Arnau. Gemma is a freelance journalist. She also curates the communications of NGOs. She is working on a new podcast and on her dream of becoming a professional podcaster. You can follow her and find more about her work on Twitter @Gemma_Josep, and Instagram: @gemma.ja.

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In this short fiction a young boy and his grandmother in separate lockdown situations bond over a game of chess. This story links two generations and celebrates those working on the frontlines during the Covid crisis. This work was originally produced in English and has been adapted and translated into Spanish. You can listen to that version later on the episode.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta, written by Juleyka-Lantigua Williams and Lisandra Maria Ramos. Juleyka Lantigua-Williams is the founder and CEO of Lantigua-Williams & Co, a Peabody-nominated digital media company focused on elevating the work of people from the margins. She created "70 Million Podcast", the first Open Source Solutions journalism podcast chronicling how locals are tackling jail reform across the U.S.. Lisandra Ramos is a generative artist and teacher. Lisandra is constantly creating work using imagination, physicality, movement, text, images, reflection and collaboration. She's one of the co-founders and co-director of Fulana, a Latina video and satire collective. Special thanks to Renata Sago, Ronald Young Jr., Jubemi Lantigua Williams for their performances in the English version of this episode. And thanks to Luis Enrique Rodríguez Silva, Adriana Maria Mayo Naranjo, Juan Sebastian Martinez Olarte for their participation in the Spanish adaptation.

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Lockdown turns each individual into his own island. Primeiras Ilhas, meaning First Islands, is a collage of messages in bottles… that people in Belo Horizonte, Brazil send to the protagonist from their own island in lockdown…This work was originally produced in Portuguese and has been translated into English, and you can listen to that version later on in the episode.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalist, video maker and podcaster Felipe Ivanicska. Felipe’s work focuses on the socio-political implications of communications and his passion for video documentaries. His fascination for radio led him to experiment with podcasts… and to produce an audio-documentary called Histórias Vizinhas ("neighbouring stories"). Today’s episode was first released as a part of that series, and you can find the link to the whole episode in the transcript to this programme on ochentastudio.com

Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project (which is still accepting pitches!) over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories.

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In this short italian fiction story which translates to “the last aperitif”, two friends sip on their last beers before lockdown.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by writer (and wrestler) Stefano Tevini. Besides publishing the novels Catena Alimentare e Sulla Soglia in Italian, he also writes about books and comics. You can follow him on his facebook handle writingclasshero or on Instagram @Writing_Class_Hero. The friend’s voice is by Valerio Maggio, an Italian audio producer and videomaker. Born and raised in Siena, he now lives in Rome. Valerio works with broadcasting companies of the likes of the BBC, Italian state broadcaster RAI, newspapers and NGOs to help them tell their stories. You can hear Valerio in another episode of ochenta stories: Bonsai. Thank you for listening to Ochenta Stories. If you like what you heard, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts in whatever language you choose. Follow us over @ochentapodcasts on twitter and Instagram for updates. You can find transcripts and learn more about the project (which is still accepting pitches!) over at ochentastudio.com/ochentastories.

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In the fictional story “Vaticinios” ( which means omens in Spanish), a biologist receives messages around-the-clock about a strange animal that people have been spotting around Bogota since the beginning of lockdown.

CREDITS: This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta. Written by journalists and podcast producers Maru Lombardo and Rodrigo Rodríguez, who are based in Bogotá, Colombia. Their Spanish-language podcast “Recetario sonoro de ingredientes en peligro”, tells the history of the world’s most endangered ingredients. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, and you can follow their work on Instagram and Twitter @loropodcast. Sound design by Clizia Sala. Special thanks to Alejandra Algorta, Ana Cristina Bossa, Maru Lombardo, for their voice work in Spanish on this piece. Thanks also to journalists Louis Pouillon, Christina Diciu and Nikki Hudgins for lending their voice to the English version. The English voice of Brunina was done by Nikki Hudgins, a freelance audio and video journalist focusing on human-centred stories from around the globe - specifically in the context of climate change. Follow her at @nikki_hudgins.

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