Coss ’11, Kuebrich ’10 Contribute to Alumni-Produced Podcasts

Plug in those earbuds, crank those dials, and tune in to some of the many podcasts written, produced, and hosted by Wesleyan alumni. Two more alumni-produced podcasts are making their debut this summer.

Ian Coss ’11, a producer for PRX and Radiotopia, is the host of the new podcast Forever is a Long Time (August 2021). In the five-episode series, Coss interviews every living member of his family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced: parents, grandparents, and all his aunts and uncles on both sides — some of them twice. The series weaves reflection and original music through Coss’s conversations with his wife and divorced family members — a look at love with people who have made mistakes. The show also features Coss’s wife, Kelsey Tyssowski ’11, who he met at Wesleyan. Coss also is the producer of Over the Road (2020) and Ways of Hearing (2017-18), and is the sound designer for the podcast Great God of Depression (2017-18).

Ben Kuebrich ’10 is the host and producer of Algorithm (June 2021), a 13 episode podcast that explores how technology can be used to identify and track serial killers, and how an algorithm can influence the way homicides are investigated all across the country. Kuebrich, a neuroscience major, says the project “finally feels like the synthesis of my training as a scientist, journalist, and true-crime podcast producer, and I feel grateful for the training I received at Wesleyan which helped me adapt and succeed in a number of different environments.”

Previous podcasts, which were reported on in March 2020, are below:

Marysol Castro ’96, broadcast journalist and New York Mets PA announcer, is the host of CTbites Hot Dish! (2020). The podcast, now with 13 episodes, sizzles with Connecticut chefs, farmers, bartenders, food writers, and local food activists. Guests have included Food Network Star winner Chef Christian Petroni, Connecticut Chef of the Year Tyler Anderson, and Westport Farmers Market Director Lori Cochran.

Adam Peltzman ’96 and Koyalee Chanda ’96 are co-writers of the six-episode scripted comedy for kids titled This Podcast Has Fleas (2017). Fleas features rivals Jones the cat and Waffles the dog, who are each creating their own podcast. They’re joined by other household pet characters Benny the gerbil and Mr. Glub the goldfish. In each episode, Jones and Waffles navigate a daily drama, such as a chaotic sleepover party, a trip to the vet, and the dreaded cone of shame. Read more in this past News @ Wesleyan article.

Avery Trufelman ’13 is a host and producer of three podcasts:
99% Invisible (2020), now at 385 episodes and counting, is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about—the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world. Trufelman serves as a producer of the show, which has more than 400 million downloads.

Articles of Interest (2019), a seven-episode podcast based off 99% Invisible, investigates the stories behind many clothing styles. Hosted by Trufelman, the show addresses punk style, blue jeans, kids’ clothing, fake pockets, Hawaiian shirts, and more.
Nice Try! (2019) is a nine-episode podcast that explores stories of people who tried to design a better world—and what happens when those designs don’t go according to plan. Season one, Utopian, is about the quest for the perfect place. Trufelman hosts the show. Read more in this Wesleyan Magazine article.

Andrea Silenzi ’07, a Webby award-winning podcaster and producer, is the host of The Longest Shortest Time (2018–19), a 219-episode parenting show about the surprises and absurdities of raising other humans—and being raised by them. Silenzi ’07 holds the world record for having booked the most guests (67) for an hour-long radio show.

Silenzi also hosts Why Oh Why (2017), a 59-episode series about dating and relationships. In each episode, Silenzi speaks with friends, experts, and guys in bars about where love and sex meet technology. The show tells stories about relationships by blurring the lines between memoir, documentary, and fiction.

Elizabeth Schneider ’97 hosts a podcast called Wine for Normal People (2011-present). According to the podcast’s webpage, it’s “for people who want to learn about wine in a way that makes sense. We treat the subject with respect, accuracy, and candor but also a sense of fun. We know that wine is a hobby, not the only thing in your life, so we don’t over do on wine jargon or take something that is ultimately made for pleasure too seriously.”

Jon Ellenthal ’87 is the co-host of Smart Drivel (2020). In this new, ongoing podcast, Ellenthal and Kurt Schneider explore different topics in 20-minute episodes. Their website says, “We promise the drivel, we hope for the smart.”

Julie Magruder ’17 is the producer of HISTORY This Week (2020). This Week “turns back the clock to meet the people, visit the places, and witness the moments that led us to where we are today. Every week, the show magnifies something that happened that very week in history, that we should all know about,” Magruder explained. On March 30, the topic was “The Deadliest Pandemic in Modern History.”

Magruder also produced Deepak Chopra’s Infinite Potential (2019). In the 17-episode podcast, Chopra speaks with Jane Goodall, Russell Brand, Christopher Wylie, Jean Houston, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and others who have paved new paths for understanding our present and future.

Mia Lobel ’97 is the producer of Empire on Blood (2018), a seven-part serialized podcast that investigates a 1992 double homicide in the Bronx, exploring the judicial process that led to a conviction. That conviction has now been overturned, after Calvin Buari spent 22 years in prison for murders he did not commit. The show is based on veteran journalist Steve Fishman’s six-year quest to determine the facts of the case. Read more in this Wesleyan Magazine article.

Lobel, the executive producer for podcast company Pushkin Industries, also created the chart-topping Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History, a four-season podcast that reinterprets events, people, and ideas from the past.

Marian Wells Higgins ’00 is the creator and host of Dive In (2019-20), a podcast for career development professionals. Higgins invites guests to join her for conversations related to diversity, inclusion, values, and equity.

Mike Goodman ’05 is the co-host of The Double Pivot (2016-2020), a 220-episode podcast featuring analysis, analytics, and commentary on soccer.

Two-time Peabody Award-winner Doug Berman ’84 is producer of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! (2020). This weekly podcast tests your news knowledge while figuring out what’s real and what is made up.

Bobbito Garcia ’88 is the co-host of What’s Good with Stretch and Bobbito (2017–18), a 33-episode podcast on NPR featuring Garcia ’88 (aka Bob Kool Love) and DJ Stretch Armstrong, who were known for their late-night hip-hop radio in the ’90s. Now reunited, the duo interview cultural influences with a fresh perspective. They discuss art, food, music, politics, sports, and “what’s good!” Guests include actor/writer/director Jonah Hill, Italian chef Massimo Bottura, musician Lenny Kravitz, activist/author/actor Hill Harper, and more. Read more in this past News @ Wesleyan article.

Naomi Ekperigin ‘05 is the host of Couples Therapy (2020) which includes live sets by comedians as well as interviews with different actors/comedians/ and writers.

(Frances) Heidi Mastrogiovanni ’79 is the co-host and co-writer of Movies Not Movies (2019), a 10-episode podcast that discusses movies that don’t exist and the people who don’t exist that made them. Chip Phillips ’80 is one of the voice actors on the podcast.

Adam Sobel ’89 is the host and co-producer of Deep Convection (2020), a podcast that Sobel describes as “therapeutic,” and offers “a chance to talk with friends and colleagues through the purpose and meaning of being a scientist at a time when so much, and especially climate, has become intensely political, and the relationship between science and the rest of society is contentious and unstable.” Sobel is a professor of applied physics and applied mathematics and of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University.

Eric Molinsky ’94, a public radio reporter and producer, is the host of the bi-weekly podcast Imaginary Worlds (2020), which focuses on science fiction and other fantasy genres. Molinsky talks with novelists, screenwriters, comic book artists, filmmakers, and game designers about their craft of creating fictional worlds.

Andy Nordvall ’93 is the co-host of Burn After Pitching (2020), a comical podcast about pitching ideas with special guests.

Hannah Rimm ’15 writes social media copy for podcasts including Radiolab (2020), Death, Sex, & Money (2020), and 2 Dope Queens (2020).

(Do you have a favorite podcast that’s not listed? Email your idea to newsletter@wesleyan.edu.)