Radiotopia Presents: My Mother Made Me
5.0/5
Critic Rating
In 2004, a racial controversy erupted at a small, mostly white performing arts high school in rural Massachusetts. There were protests. TV news crews. A tense all-school assembly. And then, an announcement: the school would stage an iconic American musical that no one saw coming. This is the story of that production. Coming June 2025. Radiotopia Presents premiers short multi-episode series in one podcast feed, unified by bold, inclusive storytelling pushing the boundaries of audio. Learn more at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Devin • Podstack • Feb 9, 2023
"...a podcast written by a poet just hits different. The narration is descriptive, rhythmic, and raw. t’s personal journal that’s written poetically and scored perfectly. I think the words would sing without the music and sound design, because Jason Reynolds is just that good, but they elevate his words to their full potential."
Score: 4.9
PR Staff • PodcastReview.org • Aug 3, 2022
"...flows freely from that starting point...light and playful, following a casual Sunday morning of conversation between Jason and Isabell. My Mother Made Me is structured and heavily-narrated despite its focus on the mother-son dialogue. "
Score: 5
Nicholas Quah • Vulture • Jul 20, 2022
"Four episodes, delicate, mines precious wisdom from a vibrant parent-child dynamic."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Jul 18, 2022
"(Host: Jayson Reynolds) His careful words roll through your ears and his voice takes over your brain. I don’t know how else to tell you that this show is magical."
Score: 5
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Jul 17, 2022
"This series wears its heart unapologetically on its sleeve and functions partly as an audio memoir and partly as mother-son therapy. Reynolds is a contemplative host and his writing chops are evident in the narration, which paints evocative pictures of his life, past and present. It is a tender portrait of a mother and son taking stock and understanding what moulded them into the people they became."
