Radio host to share storytelling techniques

Ira Glass, the radio personality behind "This American Life," will bring his nasally, unconventional fast-talking voice, made famous over the airwaves, to Syracuse University Tuesday.

Glass created and hosts "This American Life," which is broadcast on National Public Radio and was made into a Showtime television series.

Glass will share his experiences with students today in Hendricks Chapel at 7:30 p.m. The storyteller will give the audience a behind-the-scenes explanation of the show, followed by a presentation of clips from "This American Life," said Mark Stern, a graduate student in the School of Education, who initially invited Glass to campus.

"I think what makes him interesting is that he's not just a journalist," Stern said, "but a storyteller who narrates from a human sphere."

The University Lecture series event is sponsored by the Syracuse Symposium in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

The School of Education and Newhouse will host a closed question-and-answer session with Glass this afternoon. Afterwards, some faculty and students will join Glass for dinner before the talk. The event will begin with an introduction by Stern. After the lecture, audience members will have an opportunity to ask Glass questions, said Esther Gray, senior administrator of academic affairs and coordinator of the event.

"I'm not sure whether 'This American Life' changes the way Americans perceive each other, but I bet it probably plants seeds for thought and consideration," Gray said.

Each episode of "This American Life" highlights a specific theme, ranging from babysitting to superpowers, health care to testosterone. Glass finds relevant stories involving average people, which evoke a range of emotions in listeners.

"You hear about people that you would otherwise think are totally crazy, as sympathetic characters, and I find that to be very powerful," said Brad Horn, a public communications graduate student who is helping with the event. "The show has helped me to feel like the world is a little bit less scary."

Glass's talk, "Radio Stories and Other Stories," will also explain how radio conveys a story in a way that other forms of media cannot, Stern said.

"There's something very intimate about just someone's voice," Stern said.

Chicago Public Radio broadcasts the hour-long show, which reaches 1.7 million listeners each week. During its 14-year lifespan, the show has won Peabody, DuPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow and Overseas Press Club awards. In 2001, Time magazine awarded Glass with "Best Radio Host in America," according to his show's Web site.

Glass breaks the traditional mold of journalism to create a new style of storytelling that the changing media landscape is beginning to embrace, said Bruce Strong, public communications professor and co-moderator of the question-and-answer session.

"I think Glass's message encourages students to take the time to listen to the stories of those around us," Strong said.

vtcrowde@syr.edu