The limited five-part podcast and radio series from Snap Judgment launches August 21
August 19, 2025; San Francisco, CA – The acclaimed podcast and radio series Snap Judgment today released the trailer for “A Tiny Plot,” a new five-part documentary series following a group of homeless people in Oakland fighting for an ambitious mission: their own plot of land from the city, where they could live in community.
Hosted by producer Shaina Shealy, “A Tiny Plot” takes listeners inside an against-all-odds story of scarcity, community, and what it takes to have decision-making power over one’s own life. The premiere episode of the series publishes August 21.
“I stuck with this group for over a year,” said Shealy. “I kept showing up at their meetings and at their build-days. Each time I was with them, something happened that was not at all what I had expected. I think our listeners will find that the story of trying to get un-homeless is not the story they think it is. What happens in this group is not something I or anyone else could have predicted.”
“A Tiny Plot” centers on the story of Mama D, who has been homeless for more than ten years. Mama D and her cohorts invite listeners into their worlds to witness high-stakes decisions, devastating failures, and wild successes–all in service of getting people off the streets in Oakland. It offers an intimate and personal perspective on our nation’s deeply entrenched homelessness crisis. In episode one, residents of Union Point Park use broken refrigerators, mattresses, dishwashers, and sandbags to barricade their tent-city. Then, they earn a promise from the city. The City of Oakland called it an “experiment in co-governance.” If it worked, this small group of homeless people believed it could be a model that would help others across the state.
Listen to the trailer here
Co-created by Glynn Washington and Mark Ristich in 2010, Snap Judgment was recently named one of the “Top 100 Podcasts of All Time” by TIME, for bringing listeners “captivating stories with rhythm and music” that illuminate human drama. The production team for “A Tiny Plot” also includes Marisa Dodge, Anna Sussman, Renzo Gorrio, Nancy Lopez, Jen Chien, and Catherine Winter.
“A Tiny Plot” is available as part of the Snap Judgment podcast feed. Find Snap Judgment wherever you get your podcasts. The “A Tiny Plot” podcast episodes will be released August 21, 26, 28, September 2, and September 4. Additionally, “A Tiny Plot” will air on more than 400 public radio stations across the U.S. weekly.
Snap Judgment is a production of Snap Studios at KQED in partnership with Pulitzer-winning public media distributor PRX.
About KQED
KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. www.kqed.org