Peabody for Teen Contender!!!!

April 23, 2013

We are beyond thrilled to announce that Teen Contender, Claressa Shield’s radio diary about her Olympic journey was honored with a Peabody Award. Congrats to our whole team: Joe Richman and Samara Freemark of Radio Diaries, Marianne McCune, Ben Shapiro, Deborah George, and of course, Claressa Shields.

Women Box wins POYi Sports Feature Award

March 7, 2013

We’re so thrilled to be honored by POYi and included in this list of incredible sports reporting.

Claressa Shields preparing for a fight

Lessons from the Dark Zone

November 14, 2012

An essay I wrote fo WNYC.org (Friday, November 02, 2012) about life in the East Village during Hurricane Sandy.

On day four of Sandy, I cooked a hot meal for a neighbor who hadn’t yet left his apartment, dropped off the last of our candles with friends, loaded the car with a bag of clothes, a transistor radio and the remains of our freezer and headed out of the dark zone.

Within 30 minutes, I was fighting with Upper East Siders to get into the turning lane, stopping at red lights and gaping at shops with lights on and shoppers inside them. Shops that sold running shoes! Frozen yogurt! Coffee!

From our roof

Avenue C on the night the storm surge crested the East River.

“Teen Contender” — Claressa Shields’ radio diary wins Gold

October 17, 2012

It was a huge honor to receive the Gold Medal Award from the Third Coast Audio Festival. A jury of our peers and a roomful of love.

And Claressa onstage, teaching 500 radio producers how to jab topped the night.

Women’s Boxing Project Moves to China

May 14, 2012

I am in Qinhuangdao, China following the women who will be the first ever to box in the Olympic Games. Alex Love, Tiara Brown and Claressa Shields who I have been following every since the New York Times profile are all here boxing their way to a World Title. Fierce and determined. We’re doing some reporting from the tournament over at WomenBox.com.

Claressa Shields, 16 year old from Flint, MI is on her way to the Olympics

March 14, 2012

I have been following Claressa Shields since I first saw her box at the Police Athletic League Tournament in Toledo, OH last November. I had never heard of her before. Most people hadn’t. She was just 16 and that was her first open tournament with women ages 17-34. I stopped mid-conversation with someone to go photograph her and I have been documenting. She won that tournament. In fact, won Most Outstanding Boxer of the whole tournament. Then she went on to do the same at the Olympic Trials in Spokane, WA in February.

The New York Times Magazine published my first story about Claressa in February. WNYC’s WomenBox series the next endeavor. Along with Marianne McCune, we have documented many of the women on their way to be the first women to box in the Olympics. And then I collaborated with Joe Richman and Samara Freemark of RadioDiaries.org to produce this gem of a story with Claressa.

The Women Box project in the New York Times

January 17, 2012

The New York Times Magazine is running a portfolio of the Women Box project on Sunday January 29th.

Learn more about these women and many others who are trying to make it to the Olympics at Women Box

Lindeka in Aperture

December 15, 2011

Iliso Labantu photographer Lindeka Qampi’s work was featured in Aperture Magazine.