A little more than 16 years ago, Radio Diaries equipped a group of teenagers with tape recorders to report on their own lives. The groundbreaking series, Teenage Diaries, produced some of the most personal and memorable stories heard on NPR, and helped to pioneer a movement of first-person narratives on public radio. Since then, listeners have often asked: Where are those teenagers now?

“Hi JOE. Hope u remember me. I recorded my pregnancy with my son Issaiah in 1996. I ran into ur email and if u ever wonder about us we turned out ok.”
— 2011 email from Melissa Rodriguez to Joe Richman

I met Melissa Rodriguez in 1996. She was 18 and seven months pregnant. I gave her a tape recorder and asked her to document the months leading up to and following the birth of her baby for our Teenage Diaries series on NPR. She was game to record everything; she even brought the tape recorder into the delivery room.

Melissa’s diary was an intimate window into a difficult life. She had spent her childhood bouncing between foster care and group homes. With the birth of her son, she was hoping to create the family she never had.

At the time, I had no idea how Melissa’s life would turn out. But the odds seemed stacked against her.

When I got her email, after being out of touch for more than a decade, it made me realize two things:

1. I still thought of Melissa as a teen mom. She had been frozen in my mind, and perhaps the memory of some NPR listeners.
2. Her son, Issaiah, was now old enough to do his own “teenage diary.”

As Melissa told me: A lot of life happens in 16 years.

That email inspired me to try to track down all 12 of the original teenage diarists. Over the years, I’ve stayed close with some of them; I’ve lost touch with others. They are now in their 30s, the same age I was when I first worked with them. A lot has changed in my own life — and in the world — during that time. So I figured I’d find some surprising changes in their lives, too. And I did.

Fast Forward, Pause, Rewind

When I met Juan* 16 years ago, he had crossed the Rio Grande illegally with his family and was living in a trailer home 300 feet inside the U.S. border; now he has a wife, three kids, two cars, a good job — the American dream — even though he’s still undocumented.

Frankie Lewchuk was a clean-cut high school football star when I knew him as a teenager; he’s the last person I would have thought would become addicted to crystal meth.

For the past year, Melissa, Juan and Frankie, along with Amanda Brand and Josh Cutler, have carried around recorders to once again document their lives. Their personalities, and their stories, couldn’t be more different. But the process was the same as it was in the mid-1990s. They recorded more than 40 hours of sound: scenes, conversations and late-night thoughts. All this was edited and shaped into the documentaries that make up Teenage Diaries Revisited.

As a radio producer, going through hours and hours of raw audio diary tapes is like mining for gold. Ninety percent of what a diarist records doesn’t end up on the radio. But every so often they capture moments from their daily lives that are completely unexpected, and say so much. There are some stories that can only be told by those who live them.

Lucky Accidents

Over the years, many listeners have asked about Josh, who recorded his teenage diary about his struggle with Tourette’s syndrome. One of the things that made Josh a great diarist is that I never knew what he was going to say next. Sometimes he didn’t, either. I always thought he was kind of a metaphor for an audio diary. There is something magical about handing someone a tape recorder, because you never know what will happen. Lucky accidents are part of the DNA of radio diaries.

Amanda was the first diarist I ever worked with. She taught me why teenagers make good diarists. Amanda — in her self-described “industrial gothic” style — drove around with her friends aimlessly on a Friday night; she burped while walking around her house; and she recorded an intimate and difficult conversation with her parents about her sexuality.

The teen years are a time when people are beginning to discover themselves and their world. They are curious and impatient for their life story to begin. Unlike many adults, teenagers have an inherent belief that whatever they say is important, and that people should pay attention.

As a teenager, Amanda knew she was gay. Her parents told her it was just a phase. Today, Amanda’s new diary reflects how far her parents — and the country — have come since the project debuted in 1996.

Teenagers All Grown Up

Another advantage in working with teenagers is that they have a lot of time. That’s one thing you lose in the transition to adulthood. The diarists in Teenage Diaries Revisited are busy. They have jobs, some have children. They have less time to play around with a tape recorder. And that’s another thing that’s changed: They aren’t using tape recorders anymore.

The other difference, this time around, is that the diarists not only created portraits of their present-day lives, they also revisited their teenage diaries. All the diarists told me it was both uncomfortable and mesmerizing to listen in on their teenage selves, knowing how things would turn out.

As Melissa says in the beginning of her new diary: “[When you're a teenager] you never think what could possibly happen.” Teenage Diaries Revisited reveals what did happen over more than 16 years. These are the extraordinary stories of ordinary life.

*We are not using Juan’s last name.

**This article was originally published on npr.org

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Melissa and her son Issaiah in 1996 / Melissa and her sons Issaiah and Tyron in 2013. Photos by Radio Diaries and David Gilkey/NPR.

Today, NPR will broadcast the final segment of Teenage Diaries Revisited. We’ve been working for a year and a half on this project, so it seems like a good opportunity to tell you the story of how it all began.

It started with an email from Melissa Rodriguez in 2011:

“Hi JOE. Hope u remember me. I recorded my pregnancy with my son Issaiah in 1996. I ran into ur email and if u ever wonder about us we turned out ok.”

I met Melissa in 1996. She was 18 and seven months pregnant. I gave her a tape recorder and asked her to document the months leading up to and following the birth of her baby for our Teenage Diaries series on NPR. She was game to record everything; she even brought the tape recorder into the delivery room.

Melissa’s diary was an intimate window into a difficult life. She had spent her childhood in eight foster homes, five residential homes and seven group homes. With the birth of her son, she was hoping to create the family she never had.

At the time, I had no idea how Melissa’s life would turn out. But the odds seemed stacked against her.

When I got her email, after being out of touch for more than a decade, it made me realize two things:

• I still thought of Melissa as a teen mom. She had been frozen in my mind, and perhaps the memory of some NPR listeners.
• Her son, Issaiah, is now old enough to do his own ‘teenage diary.’

That email inspired me to track down all 12 of the original teenage diarists. Over the years, I’ve stayed close with some of them. I’ve lost touch with others. They are now in their early 30’s, the same age I was when I first worked with them. A lot has changed in my own life–and in the world–over that time. So I figured I’d find some surprising changes in their lives too. And I did.

As Melissa told me: a lot of life happens in 16 years. Of all the diaries, Melissa’s is the one that represents that idea the most.

Listen to Melissa’s new diary—and all the stories in the series—at npr.org.

Amanda in 1996 / Amanda in 2013. Photos: Radio Diaries and David Gilkey/NPR

Right now I am staring at an old open reel. I saved it from the days when some of us made radio with razor blades and splicing tape. On the reel, there are two pieces of masking tape. One says “Teenage Diary,” the other “Amanda Elements.”

This reel is an artifact from a long time ago. But I’ve been carrying it around with me for the past week…as a reminder.

Amanda was the first teen diarist I ever worked with (and the last before the world went digital). Now, more than 16 years later, Amanda is back on NPR as part of our Teenage Diaries Revisited series.

Listen to Amanda’s new story on npr.org.

Thanks for listening,

Joe

Photo: Adrianne Mathiowetz/This American Life

On Monday, May 6th, we hosted a live event for Teenage Diaries Revisited at BAM’s Fishman Space. Ira Glass and Joe Richman were on stage with three of our diarists, Melissa, Josh and Amanda. As Ira said, “We made radio history!” We want to thank everyone who came out to support us and especially give a big thank you to our event sponsor Bookish.com who made the evening possible.

The editors at Bookish.com have made a Teenage Diaries Revisited Reading List with recommendations that correspond to the themes in diarist’s story. Check it out!

Bookish.com is an all-in-one book resource powered by book experts. By leveraging its deep knowledge, Bookish delivers a dynamic discovery platform with original content, a rich catalog of book and author information and a unique recommendation tool.

Josh in 1996, and Josh in 2013 (Photo: David Gilkey/NPR)

One of the things that makes Josh Cutler a great diarist is that I never know what he is going to say next. Sometimes he doesn’t either.

Josh has Tourette’s Syndrome. More than 16 years ago, I gave Josh a tape recorder to chronicle his attempts to live a normal teenage life with a brain that often betrays him. (Listen to his Teenage Diaries.)

Since the original Teenage Diaries series aired more than 16 years ago, many listeners have asked: “Where are they now.” And the diarist I get asked about the most is Josh.

High school wasn’t easy for Josh. But he has accomplished a lot in the past 16 years. He is more in control of his tics, he graduated college, got a masters degree, and became a third grade ESL teacher in New York City. But a few years ago, Josh was suspended from his teaching job. He is fighting the charges, but as he waits for a decision in his case—spending his days in New York City’s infamous “ Rubber Room“— Josh has begun to wonder:

“Whether I really have been doing such a good job of appearing normal to the outside world.”

Listen to Josh’s story on  NPR.org

Thanks for listening,

Joe

Frankie in 1997 / Frankie in 2013. (Photos by Radio Diaries and David Gilkey/NPR)

In high school, Frankie Lewchuck was number 44 on the Tigers football team in Valley Head, Alabama. The team was terrible. They only won one game his senior year. But Frankie was one of the team’s star players. It was the best time of his life.

Sixteen years ago, I gave Frankie a tape recorder to chronicle his team’s losing season for Teenage Diaries. Frankie also did a radio diary about the time his dad spent behind bars. As a clean-cut, sports-obsessed teenager, it seemed unlikely that Frankie would ever end up there too.

But he did.

Listen to Frankie’s new diary—and all the stories in Teenage Diaries Revisited—on npr.org.

Juan looking at a photo of himself as a teenager. (Photo: David Gilkey/NPR)

I met Juan more than 16 years ago. I gave him a tape recorder to document his life for our Teenage Diaries series.  Juan was living illegally on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande in a small trailer with his parents and nine brothers and sisters. More than 16 years later, Juan has achieved a version of the American dream: a good job, happy marriage, three kids, two cars, and his own home. But he’s still undocumented.

Listen to Juan’s new diary in our series Teenage Diaries Revisited on npr.org.

Thanks for listening,

Joe

Teenage Diaries Revisited from Radio Diaries on Vimeo.

Video edited by Victor Lazaro.

How to enter:

Submit the title you would give your own coming-of-age mini-memoir, along with a summary of up to 100 words, to contest@bookish.com. Bonus points for humor…

Deadline:

Midnight ET on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

And while you’re at it, (if you’re between the ages of 13-19) add your story to the Teens Saga on Cowbird for a chance to be on NPR as a teenage diarist!

Bookish, our event sponsor for Teenage Diaries Revisited, is an all-in-one book resource powered by book experts. By leveraging its deep knowledge, Bookish delivers a dynamic discovery platform with original content, a rich catalog of book and author information and a unique recommendation tool.