Ashland University Professor Launches Audio Podcast

2/28/13 ASHLAND, Ohio - Matt Tullis, Ashland University journalism and digital media assistant professor, has launched an audio podcast, titled “Gangrey: The Podcast,” that is all about narrative journalism.

The podcast takes its name from Gangrey.com, a site dedicated to showcasing the very best in narrative journalism, and, according to Tullis, the podcast has a very similar goal.

“The goal for the podcast is to create a forum for narrative journalists to talk about their work, how they reported the stories and how they wrote the stories,” Tullis said.

Tullis is the host and co-creator of the podcast. The podcast has just released its fifth episode but has already had very talented and high profile guests.

“In our first five shows, we've had two reporters from The New York Times Magazine and one from the Tampa Bay Times,” Tullis said. “We have a writer with a piece in Esquire lined up, as well as one from ESPN.com.

“Fortunately, I've got some connections that have made getting guests for the show relatively easy,” he said.

Tullis got the idea for the podcast while he was teaching a narrative journalism course in the fall of 2012.

“The idea for the podcast actually came from a student,” Tullis said. “Glenn Battishill, who is the managing editor of The Collegian, suggested that I do a podcast that features talks with nationally known reporters about stories that they have out.”

Battishill serves as producer for the podcast and edits the episodes along with Ashland University’s WRDL radio adviser Steve Suess.

The podcast releases two new episodes every month and has a steadily growing audience. For Tullis however, the audience isn’t as important as promoting creative non-fiction.

“Journalism gets short-shrift as a form of creative writing despite the fact that some of the best creative nonfiction that I've read in the last couple years has been journalism,” Tullis said. “In the future, I'd like to expand the format by adding longer readings of full stories.

“I would also like to do some themed shows, where instead of focusing on one story, we focus on a specific question that narrative journalists are asking about the reporting or writing process,” he continued. “The podcast has a lot of momentum, and I'd like to keep that momentum going.”

Those who are interested can download the podcast for free on iTunes or listen to it on Stitcher Radio. The website for the podcast is www.gangreythepodcast.com and you can follow the podcast on Twitter@gangreypodcast. For more information about Ashland’s journalism and digital media department, visit www.http://ashlandmedia.blogspot.com/

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2013, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.