LOOSE FISH features stories of everyday people whose lives and labor take on the luster of the extraordinary. The show is made by Ben James, a multimedia documentarian working in audio, photo, and text.

Ben holds mic up to a chicken

At LOOSE FISH, you get knockout stories, immersive sound design, and the satisfaction of holding a visually-stunning analog product in your hands. That’s because every LOOSE FISH story comes in four forms: a sound-rich podcast episode; a visually-immersive web page; a hand-made photobook; and an 8” x 4” zine.

Ben with head obscured by large-format analog camera

I’m an award-winning writer and reporter based in Northampton, Massachusetts. My stories have aired on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here and Now, PRI’s The World, and on numerous podcasts. My essays and articles have been published in The Atlantic, Kenyon Review, and other magazines and journals. I won a National Edward R. Murrow Award for this story, and I won a National Public Media Journalism Award for this series. I teach at Northfield Mount Hermon School and at Smith College.

Find more of my work at www.benjabirdy.com

Find me at benjabirdy@gmail.com