Folklorist Rachel Hopkin Wins Award from Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists

Folklorist Rachel Hopkin wins the first place award in the Radio Outstanding Feature category of the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists Pro Chapter’s 2025 Awards for her podcast episode “How did Oklahoma become the location of a real-life Lord of the Flies?”

“This is an excellent exploration of a complex experiment in human nature. It asks good questions, not accepting answers at face value. This complex story is explained well, using archival material and interviews.”

Judges’ comments

Rachel Hopkin is the host and producer of How Curious, a KGOU Public Radio production dedicated to Oklahoma legends, tall tales, and other aspects of the state’s folklore.

Hopkin will also present on this episode at the upcoming 2025 AFS Annual Meeting Tuesday, October 21, 8:30–10:00am in a session titled “Restorying oral history traditions.”