Award-Winning Audio Drama Inspires New Civic Engagement Series in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (Jan. 14, 2026) — An acclaimed Kansas story is getting a powerful new chapter.

A new scriptbook edition of the Audie Award–winning audio drama, The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline, blends reading and listening to foster empathy, reflection, and shared civic conversation.

The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline, winner of the 2025 Audie Award for Best Young Adult Audiobook, will be released in a new scriptbook edition on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. The launch marks the beginning of a yearlong series of public listening events designed to reconnect communities through story, dialogue, and civic reflection.

The first of these events will take place at Watermark Books & Café on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m., featuring a community read-and-listen experience co-hosted by author Grant Overstake and public historian Jillian Forsberg, with special guests and live audience participation. Admission is free and open to the public.

From Award-Winning Drama to Civic Listening Tool

Co-authored, produced and directed by May Wuthrich and recorded at John Marshall Media in New York, the full-cast audio drama earned national recognition—including the Audie Award, an IPPY Gold Medal, and an AudioFile Earphones Award—for its powerful portrayal of 1968 Wichita, a city divided by race and redlining.

Now, that story returns home in scriptbook form, not only as a literary work, but as the centerpiece of a unique “read-and-listen” model—where participants follow the printed script while listening to the full production.

The goal? To make art a civic act.

A Nonprofit Mission to Build a Culture of Listening

This initiative is spearheaded by The Real Education Project, a Wichita-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Overstake and fiscally sponsored by Nonprofit GO. The organization’s mission is to build a culture of listening through story-based civic learning and community storytelling.

The Real Education Project is supported by a 2026 Cultural Funding Activation Grant from the City of Wichita’s Division of Arts and Cultural Services.

Supported by a 2026 Cultural Funding Activation Grant from the City of Wichita—as well as national partners, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission—the project centers its work around community listening events that offer a shared space for reflection, education, and connection.

A Local Story, National Resonance

Set in the summer of 1968 in a redlined Wichita neighborhood, The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline follows the moral awakening of a white teenage boy as he witnesses the deep injustices of the world around him. The work draws from Overstake’s extensive historical research and is recognized by local historians for its civic value.

“In local history, fiction can give you tone, connection, identity, and place—and this novel meets all of those criteria,” said Dr. Jay M. Price, chair of the history department at Wichita State University. “It should be an entry into a discussion, a starting point to a broader conversation.”

Wichita’s ARISE Ensemble delivers the rich harmonies that give The Real Education of TJ Crowley its spiritual heart.

Wichita Voices Anchor the Production

The script-book format highlights the contributions of the 15-member voice cast, including local talent Sheila Brown Kinnard, who portrays a character inspired by her family’s civil rights legacy, and veteran broadcaster John Wright, who voices a 1968 radio announcer.

Wichita’s own ARISE Ensemble, a multicultural choir rooted in the legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, performs the spirituals and gospel music that form the emotional core of the production. AudioFile Magazine praised the choir’s “rich harmonies” for giving the story its “soul.”

A Timely Antidote to Division

With recent data showing a 40% decline in reading for pleasure over the past two decades, these events offer an alternative: a structured, empathetic space to engage with literature—and with each other. In the words of Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander, this work responds to an “atmosphere of dehumanization” and “coarseness of language” that threatens the civic fabric.

“The superpowers of literature,” Alexander says, “are the ability to help people see each other.” The Real Education Project takes that idea seriously, using the script-book and audio drama as tools to help participants confront the enduring legacy of systemic racism and dismantle the metaphorical “fences” that still divide many communities.

Event Details

What: Scriptbook Launch & Community Listening Event
When: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 – 6:00 p.m.
Where: Watermark Books & Café, 4701 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, Kan.
Admission: Free
Advisory: Contains racist language and depictions of violence. Recommended for mature YA readers and adults.
RSVP: RESERVE YOUR SEAT

About the Creators

Grant Overstake is an award-winning journalist and novelist whose books explore personal growth, justice, and moral courage. His work draws on his own 1968 upbringing in Wichita and has earned recognition from the Kansas Authors Club, Audio Publishers Association, and more.

May Wuthrich, the director of the audio drama, is an Audie Award-winning producer whose credits span major literary works adapted for audio, including projects with Penguin Random House and Macmillan.

Jillian Forsberg is a public historian and novelist whose debut The Rhino Keeper was named a 2025 Kansas Notable Book. Her work bridges historical research with moral imagination and community storytelling.

About The Real Education Project

The Real Education Project is a Wichita-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit initiative that uses story-based civic learning to build bridges and foster empathy. Through its innovative “read-and-listen” programming, it brings people together to listen—on the page, in the room, and to each other.