This American Life

This American Life captures contemporary culture in fresh and inventive ways that mirror the diversity and eccentricities of its subjects. Each week, the program presents an hour of stories that range from the amusing (such as a profile of a professional Tom Jones impersonator), to the whimsical (the feeling of worshiping someone from afar), to the significant (such as the cruelty which marks too many childhoods). Host and producer Ira Glass, along with producers Peter Clowney, Alix Spiegel, Nancy Updike, and Dolores Wilber, among other, juxtapose fictional and nonfictional elements to create a captivating collage which takes full advantage of the creative powers of the sound medium. For weaving original monologues, mini-dramas, original fiction, traditional radio documentaries and original radio dramas into an instructional and entertaining tapestry now heard on more than 60 stations throughout the country, a Peabody to WBEZ-FM Chicago, for This American Life.