Listen to New Limited Series Oral History Podcast

Written by Karla Moeller, Youth Librarian, North Central Branch Library

Explore connections to the history of our neighborhoods through the oral tradition of storytelling in a new podcast produced by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. The My Stories Podcast Project is a limited series podcast featuring three residents from the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Avondale and College Hill.

Inspired by "There There" by Tommy Orange and the West End Stories Project Podcast, this podcast delves into the lives of longtime urbanites and their experiences as their hometowns transformed over the second half of the 20th century.

Listen to all three episodes of the My Stories Podcast Project below or on Spotify and Google Podcasts.

Mary McNeill

Shortly after she was born in Newberry, South Carolina, Mary McNeill's family moved north to Cincinnati. Mary shares what it was like growing up in Cincinnati and what her life was like as a resident of College Hill for 34 years.

Sybil Daniels

In 1972 Sybil Daniels and her family moved to Finneytown as the only black family on their street. Listen in as Sybil reflects on her memories of giving birth to her children, her teaching career, finding her own "Cincinnati" family, and the changing landscape of her neighborhood over the last five decades.

Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Brown first moved to Avondale in 1968, just after the neighborhood's riots in 1967 and 1968. She returned decades later and has since lived there for over 15 years. In this episode, Elizabeth shares her experiences exploring her Shinnecock heritage, living in Brussels in 1971, and her hopes for Avondale as the neighborhood grows.

View all the podcasts produced by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library on our website and listen to all three episodes of the My Stories Podcast Project on Spotify and Google Podcasts.

The My Stories Podcast Project is made possible through the NEA Big Read Grant in collaboration with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and The Library Foundation. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.