Karen Brown's voice is familiar to New England Public Radio listeners -- the senior reporter covers science and mental health for NEPR and is regularly featured on NPR's nationally syndicated news magazines, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Recently, she's been working as the co-producer of a new podcast, The Great God of Depression, which will be heard on Showcase from PRX's Radiotopia with support from New England Public Radio. All five episodes of the podcast drop Friday, August 3, 2018.
"When my co-producer Pagan Kennedy, an experienced print storyteller, brought me the story, I immediately wanted to help tell it through an audio lens," said Brown. "Having covered mental illness for two decades, I recognize it's a challenging and stigmatized topic, but also incredibly compelling. Depression, in particular, affects so many people and can't be reduced to a quick soundbite. That's why a serialized podcast -- with its capacity for narrative and creative sound -- was so appealing."
The Great God of Depression tells the true story of a literary genius, a brain scientist, and their shared quest to understand the secrets of madness and creativity. In 1998, a brain scientist named Alice Flaherty developed a rare form of madness. She felt so compelled to write that she scrawled sentences across the walls of her house and her own skin. Flaherty's quest to understand her own bizarre behavior led her to William Styron, one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century. Styron had documented his own suicidal depression in a memoir that transformed modern psychiatry. Styron seemed like a remote genius -- until one day, he showed up in Flaherty's office, begging for help. Could she save Styron from a depressive relapse and the pathological writers block that had silenced him?
"This summer we have seen the fatal outcomes of depression in at least two public figures, shocking their friends, family, and fans," said Brown. "Those cases have sadly underscored the importance of the mental health revolution we talk about in this podcast. It traces the transformation of depression as a source of shame to a condition that deserves to be met with compassion and scientific curiosity."
The Great God of Depression is written and co-produced by Pagan Kennedy, a contributing writer at the New York Times, and Brown, with sound design and original music from Ian Coss.
Follow along beginning Friday, August 3 at @Radiotopia and #RTShowcase on Twitter and Instagram. Listeners can subscribe to Showcase from Radiotopia at Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic or wherever they like to listen. The podcast is also available on NEPR's new Podcast Hub, at nepr.net/greatgodofdepression.
"It is incredibly exciting for us when members of the NEPR team are able to take on special projects like this," said Martin Miller, New England Public Radio's CEO and general manager. "Karen is a tremendous talent and we are happy to support her, Pagan and the team behind The Great God of Depression."
New England Public Radio recently launched its new "Podcast Hub" at nepr.net/podcasthub. Listeners can explore all eleven NEPR-produced podcasts on the site, from JazzBeat, a jazz and blues podcast from Tom Reney, host of NEPR's Jazz à la Mode to In Contrast, which explores culture in the making with host Ilan Stavans. Listeners can also subscribe to all of NEPR's podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher as well as through NPR One.
For the Press: Interview opportunities are available with Karen Brown and podcast host and co-producer Pagan Kennedy. Please contact Karen Brown directly at 413-735-6632 to schedule
About Radiotopia: Radiotopia is PRX's curated network of extraordinary podcasts, anchored by 99% Invisible from Roman Mars. The network has quickly grown to over 18 million users. Showcase from Radiotopia is a podcast that features original, limited-run series of all stripes, from emerging and leading producers around the world. Learn more at radiotopia.fm.