Mia (M.R.) Raquel

Storytelling through audio to build community has been central to my life since before I can remember. As a bilingual (Spanish and English) kid, I grew up asking to hear stories from my family in El Salvador and from my Jewish relatives in the states. I thank my grandma Ina for instilling in me a curiosity to learn from the stories of my ancestors, as well as from desconocidos (strangers.) Nowadays, I am an audio-storyteller, justice-based producer, and storytelling consultant. For 15 months from 2019-2020, I was a Bilingual Field Producer for StoryCorps. I have also worked in professional kitchens with folx from diverse backgrounds— together we shared recipes and stories. Critical to me is the work of de-centering myself as a producer/ interviewer as a queer white Latinx person in this field. My ethos is to honor storytellers and the knowledges that stories behold and to share narratives by, for and from the community. By handing the microphone to folx in the community, this becomes a reality. The work is then collaborating to guide these stories into public spheres to make an impact, be celebrated and live on.

In 2019-2020, at StoryCorps as a Bilingual Field Producer for the Mobile Tour, I recorded and archived 250+ oral histories into the Library of Congress— conversations replete with current cultural relevance. Two NPR StoryCorps broadcasts featured pieces I recorded. One aired on 1/3/2020, recounting the impact a grandma Holocaust survivor had on her descendants—the other aired on 4/9/21, between a daughter and her nonagenarian mom who was a fixture to all the neighborhood kids. At StoryCorps, I recorded stories by and for asylum seekers, formerly incarcerated individuals, QTBIPoC folx, immigrants, first-generation Americans, Spanish-speaking folx, veterans, folx from the AAPI community, and LGBTQIA+ folx. At StoryCorps, I cut tape in production department shadow shifts and edited tape I recorded and pitched to the production team. Through this editing, I learned to successfully turn 1-hour interviews into 3-minute non-narrated narratives. Additionally, to honor my commitment to Spanish-language accessibility, a colleague and I created the first Spanish-language audio montage for the StoryCorps Mobile Tour. Together we produced a 7-minute piece from six narrators, to celebrate a mosaic of Spanish StoryCorps conversations. Another aspect of the StoryCorps role was community outreach. I developed collaborative relationships with community organizations around the U.S. so that participation in these recordings is accessible to diverse groups.

Over the 2021 winter, I freelanced for StoryCorps to produce a 10-minute audio montage for KNPR Las Vegas using remotely recorded tape (from 10+ recordings) from the 2020 “Virtual Tour.” The montage features a love story that hinged on a chance meeting and a stick of gum, how a United Methodist community stood up to Covid challenges, and how two budding lawyers- from Cuba and Guatemala respectively- have bonded through their passion for education. I just wrapped up collaborating as a bilingual storytelling consultant and Spanish interview facilitator for “The Ongoing Revolution,” a social justice interview project from Temple University.

I bring an intuitive, sensitive, collaborative nature, diverse background, curiosity, desire to produce compelling stories, and human-connection skills to my work community. Through finding recording participants, developing story ideas, pre-interviewing, interviewing, and trusting their ear to produce impactful content, I help make stories come to life. From in-studio, to in-the-field, to through the screen, I am adaptable and step-up to create solutions when unanticipated moments arise. I am proficient in ProTools with a keen ear for sound and love cutting tape. As a skilled interviewer, I am committed to centering the experience of the narrator and practice before + aftercare so that all parties feel seen, heard and respected. Being a native Spanish speaker helps me create accessible interviewing spaces and means I am sensitive to cultural nuances. Inspiration is sourced for me by bouncing around ideas to share, challenge and grow. I stand in solidarity with community action and advocate for what I believe in. By letting trust grow through mutual respect, asking, and listening, I am dedicated to helping storytellers make a difference in and out of the workplace.