'This American Life' host Ira Glass fills Zankel

At 7 p.m. on March 9, the Filene Ladd Music Hall in the Arthur Zankel Music Center was packed with students waiting for a presentation by "This American Life" producer and host Ira Glass. Glass spoke about his show and the journey that brought him to his position at NPR.

Aviva Ariel '10, president of the Speakers Bureau, and Janet Casey, an English professor at the college, introduced Glass to the audience. "Most know Mr. Glass as a disembodied voice," Casey said.

The lights dimmed as he walked out onto the stage and for a moment, Glass was hidden in the dark. "Not seeing gains power in and of itself," Glass said.

He explained that he tried to get the Bureau to let him do the whole presentation in the dark. "They wouldn't go for it," he said.

Glass's presentation focused on the educational journey he had taken on his way to "This American Life". "I was once told that the job of journalism is not just to tell us what's new, it's to tell us what is," Glass said.

While he received his bachelor's degree in semiotics from Brown University, it took a substantial amount of work to become good at writing and reporting.

He explained that when one starts on a creative path, there is a large gap between what one likes and what one creates. "I took longer to get good at my job than anyone I've ever met," Glass said.

Glass started working as an intern at NPR at age 19, but he explained that it was not until he was 28 or 29 that he became decent at his job. "You have to fight your way through it," Glass said.

To improve, he had fellow colleagues read and interpret his work. "It's cheaper than grad school," he joked.

Glass also had some smaller roles in the world of radio and hosted several shows for years, including "The Wild Room".

Not until 1995 did he begin to host and produce the hit show "This American Life," which can be heard on over 500 radio stations around the country weekly and averages close to two million listeners.

Though mainly a journalistic show reporting on a specific theme each week, "This American Life" also features essays, short fiction, recordings and guest speakers.

The show usually covers contemporary events through anecdotal narratives. It was through his readings on this show that David Sedaris gained the name recognition he needed to become a renowned writer.

Sedaris lectured at the college last year, and it was through the college's relationship with him that the Speakers Bureau was able to get in contact with Ira Glass.

The Speakers Bureau, composed of Ariel, Maggie Schepcaro '10 and Jessie Garretson '12, contacted Steven Barclay, Glass's agent, who has helped bring many speakers to campus, including Sedaris.

"Sedaris was such a hit that Skidmore was grateful to be able to use this connection again," Ariel said.

The Bureau has been trying to bring Ira Glass to campus for a long time, as he is known to be an engaging speaker and has celebrity appeal.

"I've been waiting for four years for Speakers Bureau to bring Ira Glass to Skidmore and I am so thrilled that in my final year at Skidmore, and in my role as chairwoman of the Bureau, that our committee is finally able to bring him here," Ariel said.

The rest of the students reacted quickly to hear Glass speak as well; tickets went on sale Monday, March 1 and were sold out by Thursday.

"The basis behind this anticipation is the fact that, as a speaker and as a person, he appeals to everyone," Ariel said.

Glass's presentation included one device for playing quotes from interviews and one of hand picked music, which he alternated throughout the show. He shared information about his show and the journey that brought him to his position at NPR.

Glass explained many of the shows past and present projects, such as reporting John C. Stennis' air craft carrier that sent planes to Afghanistan. "It's really like being on a giant floating nuclear powered-dormitory," Glass said.

Glass also discussed the more technical side to "This American Life".

He explained about the search for topics when one story about reading the fine print fell through. "Once we had the theme, we did searches and when those failed we asked our friends," Glass said.

The output of each Friday show is a multi-step and sometimes imperfect process. "To get something good you have to go through tons of material," Glass said.

Some of Glass's final thoughts included the proper form and function of a story. Glass explained that a story must have a sequence of action and then something grander and more universal.

"There's something more in the telling of it that makes it more interesting than just the facts that are depicted," he said.

"I thought it was really unique. I didn't know that story telling could be so complicated," Anne Wisan '10 said.

Glass urged audience members who are interested in creative work to start working now. "Ideas come from other ideas. View it as a job," Glass said.