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SXSW PanelPicker 2019: Here Are Your NPR Choices

Have you been poking around SXSW PanelPicker portal lately? For 2019, NPR journalists and staff are hoping to participate or host panels on topics including smart speakers, education and tech, music and more. The voting period for SXSW's 2019 PanelPicker submissions runs through August 30, 11:59 pm.

Maternal Mortality in America: What's Going On?

Is pregnancy a sacred and revered experience in the eyes of society only for privileged, white women? The U.S. has the highest rate of deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth in the developed world. Half of these deaths are preventable, victimizing women from a variety of races, backgrounds and income levels. The spotlight on this issue has led groups to start working on solutions at community, healthcare and policy levels. This panel brings together leaders in this space to discuss what's being done to change the conversation from maternal mortality and disparity to birth equity for all.

Speakers:

Renee Montagne, Special Correspondent, NPR

Elizabeth Krause, Senior Program Officer, St. David's Foundation

Paula X. Rojas, Founder, Mama Sana Vibrant Woman

Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, Founder & President, National Birth Equity Collaborative

Podcasts In The Age Of Interactive Voice

The rise of smart speakers and voice assistants is creating new user expectations and needs around audio programming. For years, both radio and podcasts have centered around the idea of shows — packaged, branded, often led by personalities. But what happens as voice assistants and other new platforms take audio in new directions, ones that may require different types of content? What does that mean for the entire booming industry of people dedicated to making the best podcasts they can? How will some of these new developments change what we think an audio product can and should be? This panel will explore how the rise of smart speakers, voice assistants and other new platforms is changing audio, and what that could mean for both listeners and creators.

Speakers:

Sarah Gilbert, Acting Vice President for News Programming, NPR

Jessica Stahl, Director of Audio, The Washington Post

All Ears: Engaging Users Through Smart Speakers

Smart speakers are now in nearly one in four U.S. households, boasting one of the fastest tech adoption rates in history. With more and more of us looking up and away from screens — for information and entertainment — how can savvy content creators embrace new, immersive and interactive ways to engage audiences? What are the winning strategies for content that will emerge as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, who will be the leaders in the field, and what current approaches will drop away? We'll preview the leading new courses emerging as smart speakers and AI continue to change consumer behavior, and what and how we'll be hearing in 2019 and beyond.

Speakers:

Joel Sucherman, Vice President, New Platform Partnerships, NPR

Rachel Horn, Director, Thought Leadership, Consumer Technology Association

Sarah Hobbs, Senior Manager, Amazon News, Amazon

The Invisible Brand in an Audio-First World

Voice activated environments are becoming essential to the way we experience the world around us. Brands are adapting to a world where they no longer visually appear to their audience but must still communicate and make an impact. Are we returning to the tried and true traditions of our radio past? Or will our learnings from the last few decades of dedicated visual storytelling inform how we innovate this next wave of audio-led communication and experience? A lively debate is bound to ensue as radio stalwarts and emerging technologists discuss the future of content creation, branding, and the unique tie between sound and music that just might keep us all together.

Speakers:

Meg Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing Officer, NPR

Doug Robinson, Founder + CEO, Fresh Digital Group

Phillip Easter, Head of Emerging Technology, American Airlines

Kevin Perlmutter, EVP, Chief of Innovation, Man Made Music

Kids Listen: The Craft of Podcasting for Kids

From NPR to local public radio, form award-winning music makers to a guy recording out of a closet, how did four of the biggest podcasts for kids get their start and what keeps them going? Meredith Halpern-Ranzer of Tinkercast and NPR's Wow in the World, Sanden Totten of Minnesota Public Radio's Brains on and Smash Boom Best, Polly Hall of Ear Snacks, and Eric O'Keeffe of What If World discuss how kids listen and how to engage with an audience whose parents hold the smartphone. They'll teach you how to creatively package science, trivia, music, morality, and pure fiction into episodes that keep their shows growing, regardless of the size of their staff or budget. And you'll learn how the advocacy organization Kids Listen unites and supports kids-podcaster across the globe.

Speakers:

Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Chief Executive, Tinkercast

Eric O'Keeffe, Creator, Host, Producer, What If World

Sanden Totten, Writer, Bill Nye Saves the World

Polly Hall, Writer/Editor/Producer, Ear Snacks

Bringing Music History Out Of The Vaults

The National Archives grants program, carried out through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), recently awarded major grants to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame to fund the accessibility of significant resources of music history for scholars, writers, and music fans. Archives directors from both institutions will discuss their upcoming grant-funded projects and the importance of the historical materials being made available. Music writer Greg Kot, who has donated his extensive collection to the Rock Hall, and NPR Music correspondent and critic Ann Powers, who has conducted research at both archives, will address the importance of the projects and of making these kinds of resources publicly available in libraries and archives.

Speakers:

Ann Powers, Critic and Correspondent, NPR Music

Andy Leach, Senior Director of Library & Archives, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Greg Kot, Author, Columnist, Radio Host, Chicago Tribune, Sound Opinions

Lee Boulie, Executive Director of Digital & Library Collections, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

How Today's Technology Can Make Learning Fun

Over the past year, the conversation has shifted from how much time kids should spend using technology to how parents can be more involved in their child's technology use. From tablets and phones to new voice-based innovations today's parents are thinking about how they want their family to approach technology. In this panel, we'll discuss the role of technology, including screen time and voice-based innovations as an extension of education in the home. We'll also offer useful tools for parents.

Speakers:

Anya Kamenetz, Lead Education Blogger, NPR

Kurt Beidler, General Manager of Kids and Family, Amazon

The Art of Discipline In The Age Of Screens

Discussion of the science of executive function, attention, and self-regulation; how the increasing prevalence of technology is affecting children's brains and concentration both in and out of the classroom, and strategies to help them better self-manage. Panelists will describe trauma-informed practices, instructional tools and successful interventions for the most challenging children, and the impact on disproportionate discipline of children of color and those with learning disabilities.

Speakers:

Anya Kamenetz, Lead Education Blogger, NPR

Katherine Lewis, Author and Journalist, Self

Jelani Memory, Chief Product Officer, Circle Media Labs

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Hugo Rojo