Paperless
Vespucci
Immersive true stories, narrative non-fiction and tales inspired by true events. Written by award-winning journalists and storytellers. This is Paperless, an audio magazine from Vespucci.
Esquire's Best Podcasts Of 2022: “It’s your weekend long read, but pretty much any day you like and you don’t actually have to use your eyes.”
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Top 10 Paperless Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Paperless episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Paperless for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Paperless episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Joy Boy
Paperless
03/04/22 • 35 min
Narrated by Steve Buscemi, this is the story of Gosnell Duncan and the silicone dildo. After suffering a work-related accident, Caribbean-born Gosnell Duncan was paralyzed from the waist down. An engineer by trade, and determined not to let his disability come between him and the love of his life, Angela, Gosnell poured his knowledge and energy into crafting a new invention from his Brooklyn basement: the world’s first silicone dildo. His invention was intended for others too; specifically, he sought to bring pleasure to people with disabilities. Letters would come from all over the country with specific requests for his custom-made sex toys - letters telling Gosnell intimate secrets and hoping he could help. Despite many obstacles — including laws that could send him to prison just for advertising his products — Gosnell changed the world, one dick at a time. This story brings overdue recognition for an inventor like no other.
Journalist: Hallie Lieberman
Voice: Steve Buscemi
Production: Christopher Hooton
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The Battle of Bamber Bridge
Paperless
10/12/21 • 28 min
1943. While World War II rages, a different kind of battle takes over a British village in Lancashire where US troops are stationed. Throughout their service, Black American troops had faced daily bigotry and racism from their own countrymen. One night, the tension erupts into violence and the sleepy, unremarkable village of Bamber Bridge becomes a battleground between two Americas.
This story contains explicit language and racial slurs. Listener discretion is advised.
Inspired by true events.
Writer: Brianna Porter
Journalist: Ian Leslie
Voice: Gregory Holmes Jr
Production: Christopher Hooton
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Blood & Wine
Paperless
08/26/21 • 33 min
As tensions over South Africa’s white-owned farmland escalate, Midas Wanana and other Black residents take matters into their own hands, creating a new settlement on the edge of a white-owned vineyard. They call the settlement Azania, a precolonial name for South Africa. When the white farmer, Stefan Smit, is murdered in his own home, the finger is immediately pointed at the Black occupiers and tension in Azania reaches a boiling point, ultimately costing Wanana his life. But something isn’t adding up. To catch the real perpetrator, detectives will need to look far closer to home.
Journalist: Christopher Clark
Voice: Anele Matoti
Production: Christopher Hooton
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The Conductor
Paperless
05/06/21 • 29 min
When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan, playing an instrument could be punished by death, and yet Negin finds herself as conductor of all-female orchestra, stepping into a power she didn’t know she had.
Journalist: Sahar Zand
Audio: Saskia Edwards
Additional Music: Subat
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04/30/25 • 32 min
In a case that stunned the FBI, a linguist assigned to a high-profile terrorism case disappeared—only to resurface behind enemy lines, married to her target.
WRITTEN BY: MICHAEL LAPOINTE
REPORTED BY: EMILY DISCHE-BECKER
AUDIO: DOMINIC GOZO
NARRATED BY: EMILIA CLARKE
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Portrait of a Spy
Paperless
11/04/21 • 36 min
The Chevalier d'Eon is a brave army captain, a sparkling dinner companion –– and a spy in King Louis XV's secret service, tasked with planning an invasion of England from within London's highest social circles. But the French government, having no idea that the Chevalier is working for King Louis, plots to assassinate the charismatic diplomat, who only narrowly survives. When the scandal subsides, the Chevalier returns to France with a request: to be recognized as a woman. This is the story of one of the 18th century's most remarkable characters: the spy who dared to craft her own identity.
Writer: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Production: Christopher Hooton
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The Drive
Paperless
03/02/23 • 31 min
It's 1974, and Richard Molfer has just started his own labor consulting firm and zeroed in on his first client: a hospital in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A union drive is about to start here, the employees are already organizing, and administrators are terrified. But Molfer, a seasoned veteran of hardcore union fights in the mines of Utah, has a plan. He's going to divide and conquer the staff, and make sure Local 1199 never sets foot in that hospital—all for a price, of course. Little does he know that he's about to meet his greatest protegee, a young man with an uncanny gift for gaining trust, and that blood will be spilled before this drive is over. A fictional story inspired by true events.
Writer: Naben Ruthnum
Voice: Eric Jason Martin
Audio Editing: Maddie Hickish & Aron Keller
Music, Scoring & Sound-Design: Dominic Gozo
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The Starlet Bandits: Part 1
Paperless
04/10/23 • 22 min
It's Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and Nina is chasing the LA dream. She falls into sex work and gets caught up in her boyfriend/pimp's latest scheme: robbing banks. A disparate group of sex workers are transformed into a gang of bank robbers named The Starlet Bandits...
Narrator: Jurnee Smollett
Journalist: Lexi Pandell
Audio Editing: Natalia Rodriguez Ford
Music, Scoring & Sound-Design: Dominic Gozo
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Afterword: Blinkers
Paperless
05/04/23 • 10 min
A conversation about fakes, hustlers, and how to rip off the Grateful Dead with Harmon Leon, author of “Blinkers.
Host: Michael LaPointe
Journalist: Harmon Leon
Audio: Natalia Rodriguez Ford
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May Peleg Approves of You
Paperless
08/06/21 • 30 min
This story contains potentially triggering subjects, including suicide, homophobia, physical violence, and misgendering.
In 2015, an exceptional trial took place in Jerusalem. The body of transgender activist and beloved community leader May Peleg was held in police custody. May’s request was that her ashes be divided in two: one half scattered into the sea, the other at the roots of an Illawarra Flame tree, a fiery red tree with both male and female blossoms. Meanwhile, her mother petitioned the courts, intending to ignore May’s wishes and bury her in a traditional way, under the male name given to her at birth. This is a story inspired by her life and her legacy.
If you or someone you know is suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. You can also call the Trevor Project’s free confidential suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386. These programs provide free, confidential support 24/7.
Writers: Rachel Chaya Zisser & Samantha Newton
Journalist: Naomi Zeveloff
Voices: Muriel Naim & Roey Victoria Heifetz
Audio and Original Music: Kyle Feehan
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FAQ
How many episodes does Paperless have?
Paperless currently has 35 episodes available.
What topics does Paperless cover?
The podcast is about News, Journalism, Investigation, Longform, Podcasts and Tv & Film.
What is the most popular episode on Paperless?
The episode title 'Joy Boy' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Paperless?
The average episode length on Paperless is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of Paperless released?
Episodes of Paperless are typically released every 23 days, 20 hours.
When was the first episode of Paperless?
The first episode of Paperless was released on Apr 30, 2021.
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