Galen Koch is an audio producer, educator, and sound artist based in Portland, Maine. After studying at Skidmore College and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Koch worked as a freelance journalist. She has written and produced stories for BBC World Service, NPR’s Morning Edition, The New York Times, and various nationally-syndicated podcasts. Koch has worked on oral history projects for the Smithsonian (a collection of interviews from adults living with Hemophilia), Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and, in 2017, she founded the community storytelling project, The First Coast, to document the lives of coastal Maine residents.

In her position as the Coastal Community Engagement Lead + Researcher at College of the Atlantic, Koch teaches Sound Studies Practicum, Within Living Memory, Navigating Change, and Audiocraft: Longform Narrative Storytelling. She also co-leads the Mapping Ocean Stories project, produces the Island Institute’s podcast “From the Sea Up,” and creates audio exhibits and immersive sound installations in Maine. In 2021, she founded Maine Sound + Story, an online database of Maine oral histories and stories. She has interviewed over 200 coastal Maine residents for Maine Sound + Story, and has worked with local historical societies and community development organizations to create meaningful exhibits and immersive audio experiences for Maine residents.

Contact:    gkoch - at - coa.edu