Valley Voices brings culture-focused program to Upper Valley radio
SOPHIE NOVACK/The Dartmouth Staff
With guests such as Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award winner Louise Erdrich, Congressman Ron Paul, and College President Emeritus James Wright, Valley Voices takes advantage of the great resources and connections that Dartmouth has to offer, inviting academics, journalists and economists from around the nation to come onto the program. In serving the Upper Valley community during election season, Valley Voices hosted the three candidates for governor of New Hampshire to speak about their platforms for the then upcoming election.
“An amazing number of amazing people come through campus that we can talk to," Elizabeth Faiella '12, the host and producer of Valley Voices, said. "Not all students are able to go to all the talks and hear the kinds of stories they have, and I think it’s really important that people have the opportunity to hear these stories and engage with these people. That’s part of what Valley Voices is about, a lot of untold stories that are really important. Only when people here these stories, can they bring about change.”
Valley Voices was revitalized in 2010 by Faiella, who was inspired by a lack of a journalism major at Dartmouth. A self-proclaimed “fiddler, singer, writer, historian and radio-maker” with a keen interest in both history and journalism, Faiella has both hosted and produced the program for the past three years and will continue to do so “for the foreseeable future.” Operating from Dartmouth Broadcasting on the third floor of Robinson Hall and Jones Media Center, Faiella and three current Dartmouth students, conduct all stages of the investigation, interview and production for the program.
“We’re very self-motivated,” Faiella said. “We try to keep on the cutting edge, looking ahead. The contributors decide what to research and interview and they take it from there. It’s a great opportunity for students to get hands on experience in radio production.”
With election season over, Valley Voices is looking forward to a few arts- and culture-focused programs. There is also great possibility of a documentary in the works.
“We would love to keep doing what we’re doing," Faiella said. "There are so many wonderful people to talk to about politics and arts. It’s a great opportunity to be at Dartmouth to have all those people at your doorstep.”
Valley Voices archives their program on their website— check out some of their past programs!
Correction:The original version of this article incorrectly identified Louise Erdrich as a Pulitzer Prize winner. She is, in fact, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award winner.