Folashade Olatunde’s dad went to prison when she was two years old. She used to visit him all the time with her mom — until her parents got divorced. Now, it’s been more than a decade since she saw her father. In this extended version of an installment of Radio Rookies, Folashade shares a series of open and honest audio diaries and invites listeners on her journey to rebuild her relationship with her dad. This segment received a 2022 Gracie Award for best radio documentary.

As the lead producer for Radio Rookies, WNYC’s youth media program, I worked with 24-year-old Folashade over the course of a year. As a mentor, editor and producer, I worked with Folashade to come up with a direction for her story, which was highly personal and sensitive. Folashade wanted to share her journey to reconnect with her father, who’s incarcerated — since recording devices were not allowed inside the prison, she recorded her drive and her reaction after the visit. For the bulk of the story, we used months of personal and intimate audio diaries. I created an initial structure for the piece and added light scripting to weave pieces of her audio diaries together.

An eight-minute version of this piece aired locally on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. I pitched a longer version to Notes from America with Kai Wright and worked with the show’s producer, editor and engineer to create an 18-minute version.