The Edmond Town Hall speaker series, “Newtown Talks: Conversations on Culture, Society, and Change,” will continue with an engaging evening featuring Brian Reed, the award-winning journalist and host of the acclaimed podcast S-Town.

The event will take place Thursday, December 19, at 7 pm, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street.

Brian Reed is celebrated for his groundbreaking storytelling, which blends investigative journalism with profound reflections on life, culture, and human connection.

S-Town won widespread critical praise and shattered audience records with more than 100 million downloads. Reed spent three years reporting and writing S-Town, which began after a man named John B. McLemore asked Reed to investigate an alleged murder in his small Alabama town.

S-Town won a Peabody Award for being a “pioneering classic of the form,” is being developed into a feature film by director Tom McCarthy and Participant Media, and received broad acclaim for elevating audio storytelling into the realm of great literature.

As Rebecca Mead wrote in The New Yorker, “Among the half-million products released in podcasting’s brief history, it is S-Town ... that seems most likely to endure as a work of art.”

Reed was also a longtime producer at the public radio show and podcast This American Life, where he oversaw the show for years as its senior producer alongside host Ira Glass. He is now co-host and co-creator of The Trojan Horse Affair, the new hit podcast from Serial Productions and The New York Times.

His new project, a bi-weekly series titled Question Everything (September 2024), is produced by his own company Placement Theory (started with fellow This American Life veteran Robyn Semien) and KCRW. Question Everything is an exploration of journalism itself, asking what it is and what it should be.

In his “Newtown Talks” conversation, he will share insights into his creative process, the impact of S-Town, and the art of storytelling that resonates on a global scale. Audience members will have the unique opportunity to hear from one of today’s most influential voices in podcasting and journalism.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at edmondtownhall.org or in person at Edmond Town Hall. Following the discussion, attendees will be invited to participate in a Q&A session and later meet Brian Reed.

“Newtown Talks” is moderated by Newtown residents Suzy DeYoung and Lee Shull. The series aims to foster meaningful dialogue on topics that shape the understanding of culture and society.

For more information about this event or the Newtown Talks series, visit EdmondTownHall.org or contact Edmond Town Hall at 203-270-4285.