This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Neighbor News

Audible Amplifies Black Voices at CultureCon 2025

A powerful conversation highlighting how storytelling, sound, and culture continue to shape the future of Black creativity.

Journalist Gia Peppers, Randy McKinnon, creator of The Prophecy Season 2, and Chené Lawson, writer of All Things Undone during panel conversation at Culture Con.
Journalist Gia Peppers, Randy McKinnon, creator of The Prophecy Season 2, and Chené Lawson, writer of All Things Undone during panel conversation at Culture Con.

Audible showed up and showed out at CultureCon 2025 with one of the weekend’s most powerful panels “Unmuted: Black Voices Amplifying Audio’s New Frontier.”

The conversation, led by journalist Gia Peppers, brought together Randy McKinnon, creator of The Prophecy Season 2, and Chené Lawson, writer of All Things Undone. Together, they gave the audience a behind-the-scenes look at how they bring their stories to life through sound. Stories that don’t just entertain, but deeply reflect the Black experience.

McKinnon’s The Prophecy Season 2, starring Kerry Washington, pulls listeners into a supernatural world full of mystery, faith, and questions about purpose and power. Lawson’s All Things Undone takes listeners back to 1850s Mississippi, where a solar eclipse changes everything giving enslaved people an unexpected power to rise up. Both creators spoke candidly about the power of representation and what it means to write stories where Black characters lead, love and live boldly.

Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

As they spoke, one theme came through clearly: Black stories are not a genre, they’re the heartbeat of culture.

What made the panel stand out wasn’t just the projects themselves, but the honesty in how both creators shared their creative journeys, the challenges, the triumphs and the responsibility of telling stories that will outlive trends.

Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Audible’s presence at CultureCon wasn’t just about promoting new releases; it was about amplifying the next wave of Black voices in media. The audience left inspired, reminded that storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have and that sound can move us just as much as sight.

In a weekend filled with major moments, Audible’s “Unmuted” panel was a masterclass in purpose-driven creativity, a reminder that when we control our narratives, we don’t just tell stories; we shape history.

We left reminded that storytelling in our community is sacred, it’s how we preserve legacy, pass on power, and remind the world that our voices will never be silenced.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?