For Circuit 08: Confection we welcome bite-sized audio stories about unexpected conversations, close-to-home discoveries, and the people who quietly shape our lives. And dessert.
Circuit 08 brings together three remarkable partners: award-winning chocolatier Kate Shaffer of Ragged Coast Chocolates in Westbrook, Maine; Transom, whose The Listeners project champions audio stories about ordinary lives that are grounded in place and told with depth and artistry; and media sponsor Maine Public, a longtime supporter of powerful stories rooted in the everyday lives of Maine people.
Additional support for Circuit 08 is provided by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Together, our partners are drawn to what's right in our midst: ingredients, neighbors, history, communities—and the surprising stories that emerge from them. Audio Flux Circuit 08 is going local.
PROMPTS
Each Audio Flux circuit includes a set of prompts to creatively guide submissions. For Circuit 08, each fluxwork must:
Respond to the theme “Confection”
Last three minutes on the dot
Include a conversation with someone who you don’t know yet, and who lives or works within one mile (or kilometer) of where you live or work.
Mention chocolate or another sweet treat.
Incorporate an audible sonic fluctuation inspired by the chocolate-tempering process of repeated heating and cooling. (See video ) This fluctation may be conveyed through volume, pacing, tone, language… or something else entirely.
Ragged Coast Chocolates founder Kate Shaffer explains “tempering” with an excellent high school dance metaphor. (4:27)
MORE INFO:
The Circuit 08 open call runs July 27 through August 31. Shortly after the deadline, twelve submissions will be selected as Finalists. The pool of Finalists will be shared at these fine audio gatherings:
— Transom 25 (September 17-19, Woods Hole MA)
— XMTR Audio Arts Festival (September 25-27, St. Leonards on Sea, UK)
— RESONATE (October 15-17, Richmond, VA).
Each time, audiences will be invited to vote on their top four submissions. Each tally will figure into our Selection Committee votes. From the twelve finalists, six will be chosen as Circuit Selects. Each Circuit Select will:
— Receive $750 USD
— Be honored in November at a listening event in Portland, ME, hosted by Maine Public & featuring Kate Shaffer
— Be featured online, on this website, and on the Audio Flux Podcast
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
All prompts may be interpreted widely, but should be audible in submissions. All formats and genres are welcome, as long as your submission follows the prompts listed above. We recommend listening to Fluxworks from Circuits 01 through 07 to get a sense for the range of style and approach these may take.
Your submission should include:
Mp3 audio file (if we select your work we’ll request a higher resolution audio format)
Title for your fluxwork
One sentence description
Brief bio, location, social handles
A brief explanation of how your fluxwork responds to each prompt
An image that represents your fluxwork
If your submission is chosen as a Circuit Select we’ll request a headshot and additional information.
(No) Fee: There’s no cost to participate in Audio Flux! But as part of the entry process, we’ll ask you to acknowledge reading our official rules, which include relevant terms for if/when your fluxwork is chosen as a Circuit Select.
✨ Fab opportunity ✨
Big thanks to AIR for offering free one-year memberships to all four Circuit Selects, free three-month trial memberships to everyone who submits a fluxwork, and a 15% discount off membership renewal for all participants who are already AIR members.
Questions? Check out our FAQ and if you don’t find your answer, shoot us an email: info@audioflux.org.
MORE ABOUT OUR CIRCUIT 08 PARTNERS:
Kate Shaffer is an award-winning chocolatier, author, and founder of Ragged Coast Chocolates in Westbrook, Maine. Since 2007, she has created chocolates inspired by the forests, farms, and coastlines around her, earning national recognition for both her craftsmanship and her commitment to local, sustainably sourced ingredients. A four-time Good Food Award winner and the author of three cookbooks, Kate approaches chocolate as both a culinary art and a way of telling stories about place, season, and human connection.
Transom fosters the art of audio storytelling, honoring the original public service, educational, and creative goals of public broadcasting. We are a training center, a collaborative space, an online and on-the-ground workshop, a showcase for new work, and an archive of resources. Our aim is to be useful and inspiring. We pass the baton of mission and good practice in podcast, broadcast, and performance through tools, techniques, values, and community.
Transom Story Lab’s year-long project, The Listeners is a huge inspiration for Circuit 08, and shares many of the creative and philosophical values that Audio Flux aspires to inspire throughout the audio community. The Listeners is a movement to make “short, hyperlocal, documentary-style portraits that help us listen to one another again” and stories that are “real, rooted, artful, and true.” Read more about The Listeners and how you can get involved!
Maine Public is Maine’s premier, independent media resource, dedicated to creating exceptional opportunities for the communities it serves to engage with critical issues, compelling stories and quality entertainment. Maine Public connects the people of Maine and our region to each other and to the world through the open exchange of information, ideas, and cultural content. Maine Public is renowned for creating award-winning programs, as well as airing content from PBS, NPR, and other independent producers.
