Boston—September 12, 2022—Hub & Spoke, a nonprofit collective dedicated to promoting independent podcasting, is thrilled to welcome a new member into the ranks of its member-producers: Lori Mortimer, the creator and host of the podcast Mementos.
Mortimer launched the show in October 2019 with the tagline “Sometimes what you keep is on the inside.” On one level, it’s a show about objects. Each episode is built around specific keepsake that is or was personally meaningful to someone, be it a parrot feather, an old rum bottle, or a pair of roller skates. But as with many Hub & Spoke shows, it’s the story behind the story that really matters.
Why did a beloved mother, now deceased, keep this particular pair of skates for 60 years? How does a stack of letters sent by a soldier at the front lines of the Korean War fill in lost part of his granddaughter’s family history? To Mortimer, the things we keep always have emotional backstories revealing their owners’ passions, obsessions, fears, and loves.
“I got the idea for the show after my mother passed away,” Mortimer says. “As I was going through her belongings, I was surprised and moved by some of the things she had saved, like restaurant sugar cubes from early dates with my father, and the roller skates she had as a teen. With every discovery I learned more about her. I sometimes feel like I understand her better today than when she was here. Those are the kinds of stories I’m interested in. Stories about items that may seem inconsequential to strangers, but that to my guests are deeply meaningful containers of memories, emotions, and stories of personal growth. Although the stories are personal, the experiences and emotions resonate with all of us.”
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Hub & Spoke,” Mortimer continues. “I’ve had my eye on the collective since it formed, watching it develop its identity as beacon for indie podcasters who are passionate about the topics they cover. Over the years, Hub & Spoke has continued to attract more and more outstanding, independent shows to its orbit. I’m honored for Mementos to join them, and I can’t wait to help promote these unique voices and the stories they tell.”
“Lori has been active in the Boston-area audio community for almost as long as I have, and it’s been inspiring to watch as she mastered all the skills that go into podcasting and then created a show with such a compelling premise and high production quality,” says Wade Roush, producer of Soonish and a co-founder of Hub & Spoke. “I love Mementos because it’s so personal, heartfelt, and thoughtfully—almost obsessively—crafted. Lori is exactly the kind of passionate, curious, driven independent producer we aim to support and promote at Hub & Spoke. We’re so excited that she’s agreed to join the collective.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Lori to bring one of the touching stories she documents in Mementos to life,” says Charles Gustine, producer of the Hub & Spoke podcast Iconography. “I could not be more pleased that she’s accepted an invitation to bring her incredible show to Hub & Spoke, where we’ll be able to continue to collaborate and support each other’s work.”
All episodes of Mementos are available to download and listen for free at mementospodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Or check out two of Lori’s episodes on the the new Hub & Spoke show page for Mementos.
About Hub & Spoke
A project of the nonprofit Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Hub & Spoke is a collective of audio storytellers dedicated to promoting and sustaining high-quality independent podcasting, outside the structures of public media or the commercial streaming networks. We provide our member-producers with social and professional support and cross-promotional opportunities, and our nascent fundraising effort is aimed at providing members with direct financial support to offset the costs of independent audio production. Learn more about all of our shows at hubspokeaudio.org.