The Place of Sound

this episode takes us into Ottawa's social and musical landscape through Cinq à 7: Neo-Soul and Wine Night, an event hosted by Hors Pair Social. our new host Rebecca explores what happens when music, community, and place come together, speaking with the event's organizer Sharlene Clarke and attendees about what makes spaces like this meaningful. through live music, conversations, and the atmosphere of the event itself, the episode asks what makes a gathering feel like more than just a night out, and what these sounds can tell us about the people and communities that make up Ottawa.

🎙️ this is episode 115 of The Place of Sound.

in this episode, host Charlie speaks with Carleton Communication and Media Studies alum Manhattan MacLennan, founder and director of Give Dance A Chance, an Ottawa-based dance company focused on making dance more accessible and inclusive.

Give Dance A Chance originally began as a group project in an event management course at Carleton before Manhattan decided to continue the project independently. since then, the company has grown to offer bimonthly workshops for adults and programming in schools.

Manhattan and Charlie talk about how her time in the C...

🎙️ this is episode 114 of The Place of Sound.

it explores the Ottawa Trans Library (OTL), a volunteer-run library and community space in Ottawa.

the OTL was founded by a Carleton alum, Tara Sypniewski, who recently spoke about this with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).

as a queer student, I wanted to use this episode to highlight a local queer community space during Pride season and explore what spaces like this can offer beyond their physical location or collection.

I visited the Ottawa Trans Library and spoke with volunteers Alice...

This is episode 113 of the Place of Sound.

In this episode, Charlie takes listeners on an audio journey across Prince Edward Island. Through field recordings captured in Charlottetown, North Cape, West Point, and along Confederation Bridge, the episode explores themes of home, belonging, and memory inspired by Anne of Green Gables. Together, these sounds reveal how places can be understood not only through what we see, but through what we hear.

this is the third and last episode in a three-part series all about urbanism. students from Dr. Harris-Brandts' fourth year "theories of urbanism" course were tasked with producing short audio projects highlighting what they saw as important theoretical avenues in urbanism.

in this episode, Alexis, Faeza, Haseena, and Krisha explore humanitarian urbanism, focusing on climate-amplified disasters. they start by discussing two earthquakes of similar magnitude that resulted in very different spacial and urban outcomes.

this is the second episode in a three-part series all about urbanism. students from Dr. Harris-Brandts' fourth year "theories of urbanism" course were tasked with producing short audio projects highlighting what they saw as important theoretical avenues in urbanism.

in this episode, Dominic, Callum, and Sarah discuss the impacts of mobile urbanism. they cite moving tree-planting camps and trailer park communities as examples of this type of urbanism. additionally, Angela, Gurleen, and Thalia take a closer look at theme park urbanism and the balancing act that is curating experiences without making them feel manufactured.

this is the first episode in a three-part series all about urbanism. students from Dr. Harris-Brandts' fourth year "theories of urbanism" course were tasked with producing short audio projects highlighting what they saw as important theoretical avenues in urbanism.

in this episode, Julianna, Lauren, and Megan dive into the world of aquatic urbanism, a type of planning and designing that treats water as a permanent part of a city’s infrastructure. the group examines the coastal cities of Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Miami (USA) to explain what does and doesn’t work in regards to aquatic urbanism.

this is episode 109 of The Place of Sound with your host, Charlie (Chloe Rahman).

Charlie created a soundscape composition exploring Dow's Lake just before the tulip festival because they were interested in re-discovering the city they've called home their entire life, but haven't explored much.

in this episode, you will hear reflections about listening and paying attention to small details in your surroundings, and memories of high school and childhood.

this is episode 108 of The Place of Sound with your host, Charlie (Chloe Rahman).

this week's show features work produced by students in the MPAD 4000 Capstone course.

you'll hear from Liam Horner, Julia Rhymes, and Hannah Lalonde as they explore the music scene in Ottawa, specifically Electronic Dance Music or EDM, through a conversation with MPAD graduate, DazeyLanes.

tune in to a special transition episode of the place of sound as we pass the mic to a new host.

Kateryna Kalynovska has been hosting and producing the show since may 2025, and this episode marks her final time behind the mic. over the past year, she’s brought sharp listening, strong field recording, and a clear point of view to every episode, building new collaborations and following stories through the city with curiosity and care.

as Kateryna wraps up her year with the show, we’re excited to welcome Chloe Rahman (Charlie) as the next...

in this episode, the place of sound steps into carleton’s communications industry night, hosted by the carleton communication society (ccs). recorded on-site, this episode brings together voices from organizers, students, alumni, and career support staff to capture what networking looks and feels like in real time.

through short conversations from the room, we hear why ccs created the event, what students are hoping to find as they navigate a broad degree and an uncertain job market, and what alumni and professionals wish they knew when they were in the same position.

the result is a...

in this episode, the place of sound continues our exploration of Ottawa through the lens of urbanism and everyday city life. host and producer Kateryna Kalynovska speaks with Dr. Tonya Davidson, associate professor of sociology at carleton university and author of ottawology, about what it means to study Ottawa sociologically and why a “sociological way of seeing” can change how we move through familiar places.

together, they discuss how her teaching approaches the city as a classroom, the value of fieldwork and shared experiences in learning, and what she hopes readers notice differently once they start paying clos...

in this episode, the place of sound visits the Ottawa Public Library for a meeting of the urbanism book club, hosted by Strong Towns Ottawa. through two conversations recorded at the event, the episode explores how local residents are thinking about transit, housing, infrastructure, and what it means to build a city that is more affordable, sustainable, and livable.

in the first three episodes of 2026, we’re listening back to some of the student work that aired on the place of sound throughout 2025, one project type at a time. today’s episode marks the third and final part of that retrospective series.

this episode focuses on audio documentaries. it begins with a brief overview of the format, before revisiting two longer-form pieces that explore what it means to build a life that feels stable, supported, and sustainable — through community, housing, and the realities of place.

featured audio documentaries:

🎧 Harris Blake Widdicombe — “The Heart of The...

in the first three episodes of 2026, we’re listening back to some of the student work that aired on the place of sound throughout 2025, one project type at a time. this episode marks the second in that three-part retrospective series.

today’s episode focuses on soundscape compositions. it begins with a brief overview of what soundscape compositions are and how they’re produced, before revisiting four compositions that aired on the show in 2025. together, these pieces use environmental sound and narration to explore work, the body, routine, and the quiet textures of everyday life.

featured compos...

in the first three episodes of 2026, we’ll be listening back to some of the student work that aired on the place of sound throughout 2025, one project type at a time. this episode marks the first in that three-part retrospective series.

today’s episode focuses on the audio portrait. it begins with a brief overview of what audio portraits are and how they’re produced, before revisiting four audio portraits that aired on the show in 2025. together, these pieces explore ideas of home, memory, migration, and belonging through intimate, voice-driven storytelling.

featured audio portraits:

🎙️...

This episode concludes our three-part collaboration with Dr. Ilyan Ferrer and his students. It features a podcast project created by Arden Chan during a social work practicum under Dr. Ferrer’s supervision at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work. Through dialogue, shared definitions, and lived experience, Arden explores polyamory and consensual non-monogamy, challenging dominant assumptions about relationships, intimacy, and care. The work invites listeners to reflect on communication, consent, and the many ways people form meaningful connections.

This episode continues our three-part collaboration with Carleton University’s School of Social Work. This episode features Autistics Speak, a podcast series created by Lauren Moyer during her social work practicum under the supervision of Dr. Ilyan Ferrer. Through long-form interviews and reflective storytelling, Lauren challenges dominant narratives about autism and centres the lived experiences of autistic individuals. Her work offers a nuanced, thoughtful exploration of voice, identity, and representation.

Episode 98 marks the first in a special three-part collaboration with Carleton University’s School of Social Work. In this feature conversation, host and producer Kateryna Kalynovska sits down with Dr. Ilyan Ferrer to explore how podcasting, audio storytelling, and digital media shape his teaching and his students’ engagement with key issues in social work. Dr. Ferrer reflects on the value of listening, collaboration, and creative practice in the classroom, offering insight into the two student-produced podcast series that will be showcased in the next episodes of The Place of Sound.

tune in for a special episode of audio storytelling, hosted and produced by communication and media studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this week’s show steps outside the classroom and into Ottawa’s first Felabration—a midsummer celebration of afrobeat, art, and community at Club SAW.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ voices from creators, artists, and performers who brought the night to life,

🎧 reflections on legacy, sound, and belonging,

🌍 and the rhythms that transformed an Ottawa art space into a world of its own.

together, these sounds explore how community and creativity turn...

tune in for another episode of student-produced audio storytelling, hosted by communication and media studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this week’s show features three creative works from COMS 4501: digital media production — an audio portrait and two audio documentaries.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ Ava Konopliff – “Finding Home Away from Home”

🎧 Avery Smith – “Horne’s Ferry”

🌊 Nimi Oladipupo – “Making Waves on Slater Street”

together, these pieces explore the meaning of home in the face of illness, the legacy of a cross-border ferry, and the power of community built around a downtown swimming school.

hit...

tune in for another episode of student-produced audio storytelling, hosted by communication and media studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this week’s show features three creative works from COMS 4501: digital media production — an audio portrait, a soundscape composition, and an audio documentary.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ Sam Millette – “Mother Hen”

🔊 Rosemary Robillard – “Muscle Memory”

🎧 Caitlin Reid – “Harbouring Community”

together, these pieces trace themes of family memory, grief and routine, and the resilience of independent bookstores.

hit play and discover how carleton students are using sound to reflect on love, loss, and community.

tune in for another episode of student-produced audio storytelling, hosted by Communication and Media Studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this episode features three works from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production—an audio portrait, a soundscape composition, and an audio documentary.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ Nimi Oladipupo – “Borders and Belonging”

🔊 Calla Lily Barei-Fabris – “The Spaces Between Us”

🎧 Destiny DeJong – “Help for Family”

from leaving Iran and creating a new sense of home, to the quiet rhythms of apartment life, to a neighbourhood pet store turned hub for community care: these stories explore resilience, connection, a...

tune in for another episode of student-produced audio storytelling, hosted by communication and media studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this episode features three creative works from COMS 4501: digital media production — an audio portrait, a soundscape composition, and an audio documentary.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ Abby Stewart – “Audio Portrait of Oma Liz”

🔊 Ava Konopliff – “Nostalgia in Motion”

🎧 Rosemarie Robillard – “Dunrobin Dreams: The Reality of Rural Retirement”

together, these pieces explore intergenerational memory, the ache of growing up, and what it really takes to live well outside the city.

hit play and discover how Carleto...

tune in for another episode of student-produced audio storytelling, hosted by communication and media studies student Kateryna Kalynovska.

this episode features three distinct works created in COMS 4501: Digital Media Production—a soundscape composition and two audio documentaries.

you’ll hear:

🔊 Grace McClintock Luft – “Come back?”

🎧 Harris Widdicombe – “The Heart of the City”

🎙️ Keven Boudriau – “ByTowne Cinema”

together, these pieces trace emotional disconnection, collective resilience, and the unexpected power of local gathering spaces.

hit play and discover how Carleton students are using sound to reflect on place, identity, and community.

tune in to episode 91, hosted and produced by Kateryna Kalynovska, a fourth-year student majoring in media production and design with a minor in communication and media studies.

this episode continues our collaboration with the bachelor of media production and design program and features the final two episodes of "the city that fun forgot: Ottawa’s nightlife dilemma" — a podcast series created in the course civic engagement and public institutions ii, taught by professor Caroline O’Neill.

you’ll hear:

🎙️ Mackenzie Charbonneau – “last call”

🔊 Habone Omar Hassan – “politics of partying”

from creative careers and cu...

this is episode 90 of the Place of Sound, and the first in a two-part collaboration with the media production and design program at Carleton University.

hosted and produced by Kateryna Kalynovska, a fourth-year student majoring in media production and design and minoring in communication and media studies, this episode brings together journalism, civic engagement, and audio storytelling.

you’ll hear the first two episodes of a four-part student podcast series titled The City That Fun Forgot: Ottawa’s Nightlife Dilemma,

created in the course MPAD 3003: Civic Engagement and Public Institutions II, delivered by Caro...

this is the first episode hosted and produced by Kateryna Kalynovska, a fourth-year student with a passion for storytelling, sound, and all things audio. welcome, Kateryna!

this episode showcases the creative work of students from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production, exploring sound in three distinct audio media genres: soundscape composition, audio documentary, and audio portrait.

you’ll hear three unique audio productions:

🎙️ Roger Chan – “Peter’s Place”
🔊 Noor Ghalab – “Sonder by the Canal”
🎧 Ava Campanelli – “A Jail Turned Hostel”

from wartime memories to ambient reflections and an unexpected slice of Ottawa history, this episode invi...

tune in to a special episode that marks Natalie Hall’s final time hosting and producing the place of sound!

Natalie’s been at the helm since May 2024, and this is her 23rd and final episode. she’s brought care, curiosity, and real polish to the show, and while we’re sad to see her go, we’re thrilled she’s off to begin an MA at Concordia University in Montreal. onward and upward!

but as Natalie moves on, we’re also excited to welcome Kateryna Kalynovska, a 3rd year communication and media studies minor with a strong...

Tune in for part two of our two-part Ottawa housing series. In this episode we hear from Bank Block Tenant volunteer, Andrew Braithwaite. Andrew and Natalie talk the mundanity of community organizing, the housing crisis and share a few laughs.

If you want to hear more from BBT go to https://bankblocktenants.ca/ or @bankblocktenants on instagram. Also, check out the Ottawa Neighbourhood Organizing Centre @ottawanoc on instagram. If you are in Sandy Hill also have a look at Tenants of Sandy Hill @tenants_of_sandy_hill.

on episode 86 host, Natalie Hall, sat down with Ben Emond. ben is one of the tenant’s in 227 bank street, undergoing a mass eviction by Smart Living Properties. gathering in Ben’s apartment we talk the beginnings of Bank Block Tenants, personalizing the housing crisis, and the power of love and community.

This episode is the first in a two-part series that follows @bankblocktenants community organizing. If you want to hear more from BBT go to https://bankblocktenants.ca/ or @bankblocktenants on instagram. Also, check out the Ottawa Neighbourhood Organizing Centre @ottawanoc on instagram.

Tune in to hear more student work, hosted and produced by Communication and Media Studies student Natalie Hall. This episode showcases the creative work of students from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production, exploring sound in three distinct audio media genres: soundscape composition, audio documentary, and audio portrait.

You’ll hear three unique audio productions:

🎙️ Harris Widdicombe - “Sorry Mom, I'm a Pacifist”
🔊 Keven Boudriau - “Missed Opportunities”
🎧 Harvey Mafuta - “Building Bridges”

You'll also hear a PSA about Bank Block Tenants, a tenant’s organization fighting the forced eviction of residents from 178 Nepean St and 227 Bank Stre...

Tune in to hear more student work, hosted and produced by Communication and Media Studies student Natalie Hall. This episode showcases the creative work of students from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production, exploring sound in three distinct audio media genres: soundscape composition, audio documentary, and audio portrait.

You’ll hear three unique audio productions:

🎙️ Niki Tavassoli - “A Better Life”

🔊 Aidan Stringer - “I Used to Wish”

🎧 Roger Chan - “Brewer Park(ing Lot)”

you'll also hear a PSA about Bank Block Tenants, a tenant’s organization fighting the forced eviction of residents from...

Tune in to hear more student work, hosted and produced by Communication and Media Studies student Natalie Hall. This episode showcases the creative work of students from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production, exploring sound in three distinct audio media genres: soundscape composition, audio documentary, and audio portrait.

You’ll hear three unique audio productions:

🎙️ Grace McClintock-Luft - In Two Places

🔊 Afshan Shaikh - Twice Two Many

🎧 Ava Campanelli - Cells to Suites

Listen now and experience the creative audio work coming out of Carleton University!

Tune in to the first episode of new content for the year, hosted and produced by Communication and Media Studies student Natalie Hall. This episode showcases the creative work of students from COMS 4501: Digital Media Production, exploring sound in three distinct audio media genres: soundscape composition, audio documentary, and audio portrait.

You’ll hear three unique audio productions:

🎧 Dillon MacNeil – Cacophony of Machines

🔊 Nour Ghalab – Through the Lights: the Lansdowne Christmas Market

🎙️ Rayna Siddique – Identity Crisis

Listen now and experience the creative audio work coming out of Carleton University!

this is the third episode of a three part year-in-review series. throughout it, we’ve listened back to some of the work that aired on the place of sound in 2024, one project type at a time.

this episode features the audio documentary/podcast: a longer-duration storytelling format than the previous two. the episode includes only two projects, but both of which are great examples of the type of work you’ll hear on the place of sound. stay tuned to what the show has in store for 2025!

Jason Scott: “where did you come from?”
Hannah S...

this is the second episode of a three part year-in-review series. in it, we’ll listen back to some of the work that aired on the place of sound in 2024, one project type at a time.

this episode features the soundscape composition. it begins with a quick overview of the soundscape composition: what it is and how they’re produced. we’ll then listen to five soundscape compositions that aired on the show in 2024. enjoy!

Lucas Turnball - "ripples of resilience, navigating the inner tides"
Aidan Donnely - "inside and anxious mind"
Grace Nevins...

in the first three episodes of 2025, we’ll be listening back to some of the work that aired on the place of sound in 2024, one project type at a time. this is the first episode in that three-part series.

this episode features the audio portrait. it begins with a quick overview of the audio portrait: what it is and how they’re produced. we’ll then listen to five audio portraits that aired on the show in 2024. enjoy!

Aidan Donnelly - “hometown”
Jake Andrews - “men of nature”
Jannelle Hamstra - “cell memory”
Natalia Saghbin...

On this episode of The Place of Sound, host Natalie Hall takes listeners on a reflective journey through some of the standout moments from 2024. Anchored by her personal exploration of sound, oral history, and memory, Natalie weaves together clips from Drone Day, her time in Pico, and a selection of compelling interviews. This retrospective showcases her unique perspective and curates a collection of stories and sounds that highlight the diversity and richness of The Place of Sound. Tune in to revisit these unforgettable moments and gain new insights into the art of listening.

On this episode of The Place of Sound our host, Natalie Hall, explores book arts by diving into the archives of her first radio show, Easier Said Than Done. You will hear Natalie in conversation with Mater Printer, Larry Thompson. The discussion includes what the book arts are, the sounds you would hear from a printing workshop, and the importance of moving slowly. Larry also provides a tutorial in letter press printing! If you want to hear the full conversation with Larry from Easier Said Than Done you can check out our archived episodes on CKCU! Happy listening.