152: ASBX 2021 Wrap Up

Transcript:

Hey friends, it’s Tamara here.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time again when we shutter Artist Soapbox until next year.

This episode is a very short year- in-review and update, but before that, I want to send a shout out to some supporters I haven’t yet thanked for their contributions to Jesus Pancake, our audio drama in development. Big hugs and thanks to: Laura Webb, Ken Wetherington, Jules Odendahl-James, J Evarts, Neal, Bell, Linda Kissane, Edith Snow, Barbette Hunter, Rebecca Martin, Allan Maule, Michael O’Foghludha, Eric Johnson, and Meg Defoe. I am so grateful for your support. We literally could not make work without you.

Fun facts:

This year, Artist Soapbox was listened to in six of the seven continents — we’re not currently big in Antarctica, but that might change! That’s 46 countries, and 42 of the United States. As in years past, we still cannot crack Wyoming or Hawaii — so if you have friends there, then please encourage them to listen. As of this recording, we have almost 24,000 downloads total.

In 2021, Artist Soapbox released 12 regular podcast episodes, including 2 solo episodes by the wonderful Mara Thomas. That brings us to 151 episodes!!

On the audio drama front, we did so much! We released 6 episodes of the full length audio drama,The New Colossus on the Artist Soapbox feed; shared Creekside with Winona, a short audio piece for kids by the Curious Theatre Collective, and we released 6 ASBX Shorts — new audio plays under 10 minutes written and performed by North Carolina artists.

In addition to all of that, we recorded excerpts of 3 new audio dramas written by writers in the Food for Thought Project, and we are currently recording the first season of Jesus Pancake, our newest serial audio drama. We were able to begin recording Jesus Pancake thanks to the fundraiser we ran this fall and thanks to the Manbites Dog Theatre Fund. The Food for Thought Project was supported by a grant from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation.

I’m really proud of the work that we did this year as the COVID pandemic continued and continues. We did so much, and these projects buoyed my spirit and kindled my creative spark in ways I desperately needed. I’m deeply thankful for the teams that produced all of our content. Hire them, they are amazing. And, I hope you enjoyed listening. If you missed something, then you now have time to scroll back and catch up!

What else?

This year, I led multiple workshops on writing scripted audio fiction and how to start a podcast, often with the amazing producer and director, Aurelia Belfield. I’m so grateful for her and for those opportunities to discuss what I’m passionate about. I’ve had a couple of my plays read and produced over 2021, I was commissioned to write a musical, and I’ve been taking online classes thru the Dramatists Guild Institute, and LWC Studios which I highly recommend.

Also, I’ve been listening a lot. There’s so much incredible audio content out there, and I’ve been delighted to soak it in while I walk, fold laundry, drive carpools, and ease into my bedtime routine. The podcast world is exploding right now, and I am here for that! If you are still listening to me right now, then know that I’m thankful that you spend your listening time with Artist Soapbox.

What’s next in 2022 for Artist Soapbox?

Well, I’m recording this just as we are getting news about another COVID variant, so it’s hard to predict what the New Year will look like. Our plan is to record episodes 6-9 of Jesus Pancake in early 2022, and then release all 9 episodes mid-year. Our plan is to finish post-production on the Food for Thought excerpts and release those in the spring. And, our plan is to make strides toward production of our other serial audio drama, The Glacier Hotel. Of course, we’ll need to raise some money and/or make some money to pay the incredible people who work on these projects, so that’s on the plan too, and I’m sure we’ll have some interview episodes in there too.

Hey, also, 2022 is the 5th year anniversary for Artist Soapbox! There should be some kinda celebration for that, don’t you think? We’ll need some bubbles….and some bubbly drinks, right?

Otherwise, I’m going to wait and see what makes sense for Artist Soapbox as the year turns over. This season is always a time for reflection for me, and my birthday’s in a few weeks, so that’s always soul-searching time. If you’d like to give me a birthday present, please see the links in the show notes for how to contribute to ASBX

Alright friends, in conclusion and most importantly, thank you for listening this year. Thank you so much. I’m honored to do this work and to work alongside the people who have contributed to Artist Soapbox this year. I’m so grateful.

I hope your transition thru the end of 2021 is easy, peaceful, and joyful. I’ll be in touch in 2022, but in the meantime you can reach me at artistsoapbox@gmail.com and check out the website for blog posts or announcements at www.artistsoapbox.org.

Thanks and love!