Radio Church at Salt

The brainchild of radio instructor Rob Rosenthal, "Radio Church" happens each semester at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. In a softly lit room at the end of a long hallway, each semester's graduating radio students, their friends, family, and sometimes subjects sit together in silence, and listen to the packages that have been recorded, reported, edited, and produced all semester. They're stories large and small, about all sorts of aspects of humanity, focused largely on life in Maine, but with reach far beyond the state's borders. The presentation usually lasts close to three hours, much longer than any normal religious service, though with a break for wine and snacks -- sort of like non-Eucharistic Communion. The compelling nature of the stories, whimsical and dramatic, thought-provoking and sad, makes Radio Church an almost spiritual experience.

Salt Institute | 561 Congress St, Portland | 207.761.0660 | salt.edu