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Allison Swaim
Intro from Jay Allison
Allison Swaim writes, “Next week, I board a cargo ship and set sail on a yearlong adventure. My plan? Circumnavigate the globe by ship. Spend time in port cities en route. Document global trade from the perspective of people who carry out the actual, physical process. You’re probably thinking “Whoah whoah whoah, you’re doing what?! How’d you come up with that crazy idea?”
Allison received one of our Donor Fund grants and she’s going to be blogging and posting audio and photos from her imminent epic voyage. She’ll tell about the experience itself, but also about the challenges of documenting it—what are the boundaries between her life and the story?
Come follow along. Her first postings describe her motivation:
and her shake-down cruise on a freighter in the Great Lakes:
About Allison Swaim
Allison Swaim caught the radio bug during a month-long stint as a reporter at Radio Victoria in rural El Salvador. She learned how to tell stories with sound at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in the fall of 2008. Discovering radio was like getting her license. Holding a microphone gives Allison an excuse to do what she loves: talk to people, hear their stories, learn their perspectives. Allison grew up in Salisbury, NC and is proud of her Southern roots. The Midwest became a second home in her five years in Oberlin, OH. She graduated from Oberlin College in 2010.
Congratulations Allison. What an amazing experience this must be to travel and then to effectively communicate your experiences through media. Hearing any great music up there in the Great Lakes?
Congratulations Allison!
I have been on board of ships myself (mostly Panamax ships) since I was a child and I am not a seafarer.It is an amazing experience!!!
Congratulations Allison. What an amazing experience this must be to travel and then to effectively communicate your experiences through media. Hearing any great music up there in the Great Lakes.