Soundings

Mao Zedong’s 1950s China was the world’s bicycle production capital. In the 90’s, when the economy opened up, bicycle manufacturing was commoditized and anyone could start a bicycle factory, right in their backyards. We immerse ourselves in the rural town of Wangqingtuo, one of the towns that transformed itself from a backwater agricultural village, to a bustling center of bicycle production. What did bicycles do for this town, and the people in it? Listen on for a tale of their hustle, of inspired imitation, and how bikes changed the lives of the people in this town. Featuring: Chinese: Yu Heyong, Cao Jianqin, Liu Xinnian, Zhu Shaobo Voiceover: Jay Huang, Jake Warga, Dennis Chang, Mike D’Andreas, Rachel Ren, Albert Chen, Jackson Roach, Daniel Hu, Claire Schoen Producer(s): Gloria Chua, Alice Fang Music: ● "百花魁~綠萼梅" by 史志有, 楊秀蘭 & 歐陽謙 (YouTube), Standard YouTube License, link here ● "Destiny Day" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ● "Odysse

Jim Yount is chief operating officer of the American Cryonics Society. Produced by: Nicole Bennett-Fite

Iceland’s Concealed Conservationists is about the elf population in Iceland and how Icelanders’ tradition of hidden creatures living in the landscape encourages a deep respect for nature and a sense of responsibility to preserve the wilderness which is an essential part of Iceland’s culture and identity. But over the past few years the numbers of tourists travelling to Iceland has increased drastically as people from other countries seek these rare and dramatic locations and so Iceland’s untouched wilderness is at risk of losing its essential character. This story is about the landscape of Iceland and the magic and life that it holds, and Icelanders’ efforts to ensure that it is not lost. Produced by: Michaela Elias Featuring: Michaela Elias, Steinar Kaldal, Olof Yrr Atladottir, Oddur Sturluson, Ragga Jonsdottir, Terry Gunnel, Gudmundur Ögmundarson Producer(s): Michaela Elias, storytelling.stanford.edu Music: Two Stragers, Rachel Mason, Live at WFMU on Scoot Williams show Song Four, Bridget St John—Live at

Iceland’s Concealed Conservationists is about the elf population in Iceland and how Icelanders’ tradition of hidden creatures living in the landscape encourages a deep respect for nature and a sense of responsibility to preserve the wilderness which is an essential part of Iceland’s culture and identity. But over the past few years the numbers of tourists travelling to Iceland has increased drastically as people from other countries seek these rare and dramatic locations and so Iceland’s untouched wilderness is at risk of losing its essential character. This story is about the landscape of Iceland and the magic and life that it holds, and Icelanders’ efforts to ensure that it is not lost. Produced by: Michaela Elias Featuring: Michaela Elias, Steinar Kaldal, Olof Yrr Atladottir, Oddur Sturluson, Ragga Jonsdottir, Terry Gunnel, Gudmundur Ögmundarson Producer(s): Michaela Elias, storytelling.stanford.edu Music: Two Stragers, Rachel Mason, Live at WFMU on Scoot Williams show Song Four, Bridget St John—Live at

A body, a feeling, or an object—it’s possible to bury nearly anything. Sometimes, we bury because we want to forget. Other times, we want to remember. In this episode, we consider what it means to bury--and what happens when we fail. "Burying" from State of the Human: https://soundcloud.com/stateofthehuman/sets/burying

After I retired I thought… what do I do next?” We all the know the rags to riches story of immigration and the American dream – but what happens next? The East and West have clashing views of what it means to age, and each person has to define for themselves what it means to grow old in a country that’s not their own. This piece tells the stories of immigrants learning to grow old in America, and how they have found their homes in each other during that process. Produced by: Annabel Chen Featuring: Tei Decus, Ann Jordan, Nori Kobayakawa, Jean Yih, Gwen Yeo, Ousha Pancholi, Kusam Patel Music: Fragile, do not drop (Podington Bear, Tender); Gentle Chase (Podington Bear, Background), CSM (Podington Bear, Neoclassical), Triste (Podington Bear, Solo Instruments), Wilt (Podington Bear, Duets)

In the rural Himalayas healers called dhami have used local plants and mantras to treat the sick for thousands of years. However, westernized medicine is now coming into the area and rendering the traditional ways obsolete. The tension between between the two healing practices plays itself out in a surprising way. Produced by: Christopher LeBoa

Class Project Freshman Seminar History 50

Class Project Freshman Seminar History 50 Part 1: Crime, Victim and Suspects

“It was a makeshift circle in the tent and someone suggested that we play spin the bottle…” What is it about a first kiss that makes it so interesting? Everyone has a story to tell even if it isn’t romantic or mint flavored. This week, the Stanford Storytelling Project asked you to tell us about your first kiss. Featuring: Voices from Stanford University Producers: Sienna White, Rachel Lam, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, Claudia Heymach, Yue Li, Dustin Dienhart, Christine Chen, Eileen Williams, Alec Glassford, Hadley Reid, Kate Nelson, Jackson Roach, Tia Schwab, Max Pienkny, Claire Schoen, Andrea Lim, Rosie La Puma, Jack Alexander Herrera Music: Pretty Build, Chrom, Lola, Whiplash Sting Swell, Podington Bear http://www.soundofpicture.com/download/ Image via flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnfriedman/8859836877

“For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.”- Audre Lorde Featuring: Alfalfa Brown, Queens D. Light, Ericka Huggins, narrated by Natasha Mmonatau Producer(s): Natasha Mmonatau and the Braden Storytelling Department (storytelling.stanford.edu)

A Neglected Story - Hatred in Yemen highlights the story of Shoshanna Shechter, a 30-year-old Jewish woman who escaped Yemen at age 14. She speaks of physical abuse, verbal abuse, rape, murder, and kidnapping against herself and all Jews in Yemen. More symbolically, she brings to light the reasoning as to why we never hear about this silent war against Jews occurring in Yemen – escapees fear that if they share their story, the Yemeni government will kill them. As a result, they flee the country, and never look back at their past again. This podcast aims to share this silent story, and to teach us that the anti-semitic war still exists today. Narrated by Ariela Safira Producer(s): Ariela Safira and the Braden Storytelling Department (storytelling.stanford.edu)

In an isolated fishing village in Papua New Guinea, a linguist sets out to write the first dictionary of the Ende language. Not long after she begins, she finds that one word was more difficult to translate: mokwang, Ende’s word for love, which also means survival. In this story, we’ll hear how Ende women define what it means to love in Limol, Papua New Guinea. Featuring: Grace Maher, Lois Sadua (translator), Musato Giwo (translator), Joshua Dobola, Robai Reend, Donai Kurupel, Manaleato Kolea, Jenny Dobola, Pingam Uziag, Loni Garaiyi, Sandra Dikai, Merol Kwe, Wagiba Geser Writer: Kate L. Lindsey Producers: Kate L. Lindsey, with help from Claire Schoen Music: Women from Limol Image caption: Kate Lindsey listening to Limol women Image photographer: Grace Maher Production date: April 16th, 2016

Carolyn and Corina survived abuse, illness, addiction, crime, and prison. What ways have they found to successfully reintegrate into the world? This is a story of how we heal ourselves against the specters of our pasts. Featuring: Corina Shortall, Carolyn Crowley Producer: Chuong Phan, with help from Will Rogers Image: Meltwater Via flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/meltwater/578304919/

What is Rondon? What does it mean to be Creole in Nicaragua? In a world that increasingly seems to strive for uniformity, afro-descendant Creole people on the eastern coast of Nicaragua seek to hold on to their unique culture through their food. Join us as we travel between the farm, the lagoon and the city to explore how Creole food is changing due to outside pressures. "Why we appreciate Rondon, it is the strongest food in our gastronomy. And it comes from Africa. I have met many Africans and they cook rondon just like us. It’s a cultural thing. That makes me proud to be black. I'm proud of my Rondon." - Ms. Gay Sterling Featuring: Connie Tinoko, Kenneth Fox, Edward (Daha) Fox, Gay Sterling Producer: Maria Doerr Music: Take Dis Five, Run-Down Orchestra Bluefield Sound System 2009 Zion-O, Run-Down Orchestra, Bluefield Sound System 2009

Braden Grant Recipient Reade Levinson travels to Mongolia in hopes of witnessing a practice known as sky burial, in which the bodies of the dead are prepared for the afterlife. But as Reade learns on her journey, in Mongolia the forces of urbanization, modernization and environmental change may be threatening this sacred ritual. “The scene would be not very nice, when you look at a dog running around with someone’s hand in his mouth.” Featuring: Ganbat Namjilsangarav, Christine Murphy, Tsogbadrakh and Tuya Banzragch, and Dr. Keith Bildstein. Producer: Reade Levinson Special Thanks: Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, and Generation Anthropocene Music: All ambient recorded by Reade Levinson, sound effects downloaded from FreeSound. Image via thinkstockphotos: http://www.thinkstockphotos.com/image/stock-photo-mongolian-vultures-in-the-wild/469839700

Molly Antopol's debut story collection, The UnAmericans, won the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award and a "5 Under 35" Award from the National Book Foundation. It was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and others. She's a Jones Lecturer in Stanford's Creative Writing Program. http://storytelling.stanford.edu/index.php/off-the-page.html

A young man’s intuition guides him toward something in the woods. Producers: Jackson Roach, Margaret Wenzlau, Rachel Hamburg image via wikimedia: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Cougar_track.jpg

It wasn’t until she grew up that Lisa realized the extent of her Uncle Howie’s eminence in odd circles. Was his influence in her life a blessing or a curse? Producer: Mischa Shoni, assisted by Will Rogers Featuring: Lisa Medoff Music: Candlegravity (Blowing Up Seaford) Ending Satellites (Ellyn’s Melody) Long Hair (Yeti) Podington Bear (Happiness Is, Operatives, Jack, Spring Solstice, Whiplash String Swell)

This piece explores traditional healing in Native Hawaiian culture, examining the relevance of ancient values and traditions in today's society. Nicole details her journey throughout the Hawaiian Islands, presenting stories from Native healers who share their experiences in seeking truth, wisdom, and health. These stories delve into fundamental issues such as identity, balance, and nature, while showing how cultural complexity can be rooted in simple universal truths. Producer: Nicole Marie Rodriguez Featuring: Dane Silva, Puahi Chun, Kawika, Helen Special thanks: Stanford School of Earth Sciences, Prof. Peter Vitousek, Dr. Noa Lincoln, University of Hawaii, Waianae Coast Community Health Center Image courtesy of Nicole Marie Rodriguez