Gabriella Gladney

Hi! I’m Gabriella Gladney, one of The 19th’s reporting fellows and I have a background in audio and reporting. I was most recently a producer at SiriusXM, where I worked across shows like 99% Invisible, Atlas Obscura and Brown Enough. I wrote and produced more than 50 Atlas Obscura episodes on cultural history, geography and overlooked places. I also supported editorial workflows for 99% Invisible and produced an episode on Black beauty supply stores.

I began my audio career as a student at Spelman College, where I created The Blue Record, a podcast and media platform for student-led storytelling.
In 2024, I was a reporting fellow for City Bureau, where I focused on how unhoused residents in Chicago navigate voting and civic life. I later helped produce a live community forum connecting local leaders with impacted residents. My freelance writing and reporting have since appeared in Block Club Chicago and Windy City Times.

I publish a personal newsletter, Lazy Natural, where I deconstruct modern beauty culture. In 2025, my newsletter was the recipient of the Ann Friedman Weekly Fellowship.

I hold a bachelor’s from Spelman and am an alum of Spelman’s Social Justice Fellowship. I’m from Houston and now live in Chicago.

My work is free to consume and free to republish because of contributions from readers like you. A donation of $19 goes a long way toward sustaining our nonprofit newsroom.