Next Generation Radio
KUOW – July 2018

We are finding, coaching and training public media’s next generation. This #nextgenradio project for six competitively selected, early-career journalists is created in partnership with KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Illustrations by Sylvia Li

Pawnee comic Howie Echo-Hawk wants to see you squirm

Howie Echo-Hawk’s “punishment comedy” draws on family stories, Pawnee oral tradition, and his experiences as an Indigenous man living in Seattle. Native folks love it. White liberal audiences don’t know what to do with it.

By Savannah Maher

One former drug user is on a mission to help the most vulnerable on Seattle’s streets

While maintaining her own sobriety, one woman works to change the lives of people experiencing homelessness and drug addiction.

By Jasmine Aguilera

The Duwamish isn’t just a river to this lifelong steward – it’s part of his family

The Duwamish River is almost invisible to most of the city of Seattle, but not for James Rassmussen.

By Min Xian

Erika Davis delivers hope for Puget Sound’s marginalized mothers

Erika Davis wants more black moms to receive postpartum care. As a doula, she supports the parents and family members who are going through the pregnancy and birth. For her, it’s deeply personal.

By Esmy Jimenez

That Brown girl cooks – and makes her name in the food business

Kristi Brown is the owner of That Brown Girl Cooks! For the past six years, her black-eyed pea hummus has been sold in Seattle grocery stores. What’s the secret ingredient? Love.

By Samantha Guzman

First she got the flu, then she needed an organ transplant

“Oh wow,” the doctor said, “she just won the lottery – in a bad way.” That started Jana Morelli’s nine year journey to a new heart.

By Monica Rivera

Our Reflections

For every project, we ask our students and fellows to share their thoughts on what they learned and how they grew. These are their reflections.

‘It allows us to just get to work’

Journalism is inherently painful. We write about the crime in our neighborhoods, wildfires burning across the state, the family who lost a child. And while not all stories are like this, some of the most powerful ones are about loss. But this week, I learned that just...

It’s all fun and games until Wednesday

My first listen felt like a scene straight out of "Rocky." After three hours of listening to my “sh*tty first draft” with my mentor and then my editor, I could have sworn I heard Tony from "Rocky 3" shout from the corner, “Throw in the towel. Throw in the damn towel.”...