Through Sound and Story: Marina Hart Donahue's Audio Essay on Anger Across Generations

By: Bora Cecia 

 

Digital Media and Storytelling (DMTS) master’s graduate student, Marina Hart Donahue, under the supervision of Program Director Professor Richelle Rogers, crafted an auditory journalistic experience with the launch of an audio essay entitled, “The Angriest Generation.” Examining the complexities of human nature in relation to impactful events through time, Donahue combines science, art, and communication to discover which generation is the angriest. The audio presentation, spanning 10 minutes, transports listeners through time while integrating scientific information to craft an inventive and engaging narrative. 

 

“I wanted to create an experience,” Donahue said.  

 

Drawing inspiration from previous projects as a student in the program, Donahue landed on anger as the subject for her research.  

“At first, I had to find out what anger means to me and how to quantify anger. Because at the end of the day, anger means something different for everybody,” Donahue said. Through various databases and extensive research, Donahue provided the listeners with an answer to a subjective question. 

 

The auditory medium played a key role in the storytelling aspect of this essay. 

 

 “For me, anger resonates more through auditory. You can see somebody angry but when you hear them, to me, it is the scariest,” Donahue said when asked about the chosen style of narration. The combination of sound and research led to the creator’s intent, which was not only to share knowledge but to also convey a captivating story. 

 

“Instead of just talking about people screaming [and reminiscing on moments of conflict throughout history], when you are able to put data behind it and have them married together, you are able to create an experience that is valid but also interesting,” Donahue said.  

 

In her piece, Donahue aims to juxtapose her personal narration with the various sound effects presented in the audio essay. “I want for you [the listener] to close your eyes and for 10 minutes think about something you maybe have never thought about before, but it affects your life every day,” Donahue said in response to creators’ intent.  

“I wanted to create layers of an experience, so you were able to take out what resonated with you, but you weren’t told you had to think or feel this one way” Donahue said.  

 

In addition, Donahue credits Loyola’s Digital Media and Storytelling program and the support of her advisor, Professor Rogers, as instrumental components in learning how to tell impactful stories.  

“I learned so much about how to tell a story. I learned that it doesn’t have to be packaged perfectly and if you have a solid story there, it will kind of lead you,” Donahue said. She adds that her collaboration with Professor Rogers taught her to always trust her instincts and always share the story you want to share.  

 

Donahue is among the first to receive the Faculty Mentorship Award in honor of this outstanding project. “I was very excited to receive this [Faculty Mentorship Award], and it taught me how important data is to storytelling,” Donahue said.  

 

In the future, Donahue expressed the desire to continue to share impactful stories through various journalistic mediums. She aims to continue the journey of “telling stories about art and how it impacts people.”