Al Letson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Al Letson
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | August 8, 1972 |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Reveal |
Al Letson was born on August 8, 1972. He is an American writer, journalist, and a host for radio and podcasts. Since 2013, he has been the host of the popular radio show and podcast called Reveal. This show comes from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. Before Reveal, Al Letson created and hosted another show called State of the Re:Union. This show was shared by National Public Radio and PRX.
Contents
Al Letson's Early Life and Journey
Al Letson was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. His father was a minister. When Al was twelve, his family moved to Orange Park, Florida. This town is near Jacksonville. As a teenager, Al became very interested in recording music and hip hop. He spent a lot of time in music studios. He was also a big part of the music and art scene in Jacksonville.
After high school, he worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines. This job let him travel a lot. He used this chance to take part in poetry slams all over the country.
Becoming a Performance Poet
Al Letson was well-known for his slam poetry. He performed across the country and even on TV. He appeared on shows like Russell Simmons's Def Poetry Jam and CBS's Final Four Pre-Game Show. In 2000, he won the Atlanta Grand Slam. He also placed third in the National Poetry Slam competition that year.
Writing Plays and Acting
Al Letson also started writing plays and acting. In 2001, he put on his first one-man show in Jacksonville. It was called Essential Personnel. This show was very successful. It led to him being asked to write more plays and perform them around the country.
In 2004, the Baltimore School for the Arts asked him to write a play called Chalk. This play mixed acting with poetry. He also wrote other plays like Griot and Julius X. Julius X was a new version of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It was set in Harlem in 1965. His solo show Summer in Sanctuary opened in New York City in 2011.
In 2007, Al Letson made a short film. He put it online for everyone to see. This led to him appearing on a reality TV show about films called On the Lot on the Fox channel.
Al Letson's Radio Career
In 2007, Al Letson found a radio contest called the Public Radio Talent Quest. This contest was created by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). They were looking for new voices for public radio. More than 1,400 people applied for the five-round contest. Fans, radio experts, and famous judges voted.
Al Letson sent in a sample show for State of the Re:Union. He was chosen as one of the three winners! Because of this, Al Letson's State of the Re:Union and Glynn Washington's Snap Judgement Radio received money from the CPB.
State of the Re:Union Show
The first season of State of the Re:Union started in 2010. The show ran for six seasons and ended in 2015. State of the Re:Union won many important awards. It won three Edward R. Murrow awards in a row. It also won two NABJ Awards, three NLGJA Awards, and a Peabody Award in 2015.
Hosting Reveal
In 2013, Al Letson hosted some test shows for Reveal. This was a new podcast and public radio show from PRX and The Center for Investigative Reporting. The very first test show of Reveal won a Peabody Award! Because of its success, the show started full production in 2014. Al Letson became the full-time host of Reveal. In 2020, he won the Gerald Loeb Award for Audio. He won it for an episode called "Amazon: Behind the Smiles."
In 2016, Al Letson also started his own storytelling podcast. It was called Errthang Show!.
Al Letson and Comic Books
Al Letson says that comic books helped him a lot. He credits them with teaching him how to read. They also helped him overcome dyslexia, which makes reading difficult. He worked on two independent comic books. They were called Imperfect and Planetfall.
In 2016, DC Comics chose him for their second writer's workshop. Al Letson and other writers learned how DC Comics makes its books. They also got the chance to write stories for the company. His first story for DC Comics came out in November 2017.
Rally Against Hate Incident
On August 27, 2017, Al Letson stepped in to help someone. He stopped a man from being beaten during a protest. He was covering a "Rally Against Hate" demonstration in Berkeley, California. During the event, he saw five masked protesters hitting an unarmed man with sticks. Al Letson was worried for the man's safety. He used his own body to protect the man. He also told the protesters to stop their attacks.
