Soundings

In the past few decades, orphans in Africa have become defined by snapshots: snapshots of jutting ribs, ragged clothes, hopeless eyes. Those images have become the face of international charity work and have helped drive the idea that we should send resources to help. But there are things that can’t be captured in snapshots. In this story, Christine Chen travels to the West African country of Ghana, to talk with the people directly involved with orphan care there—the social workers, orphanage directors, families, and kids. There, she encounters narratives that put an unexpected twist on our understanding of orphanages—and push us to reconsider our assumptions about the children living inside them. This project was supported by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. For more information about the Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, go here: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/grants.html Producer: Christine Chen Featuring: Samuel Anaglate, Helena Obeng-As

What differentiates what is labeled as mental dysfunction—mania, psychosis, seizures—from what is magic, spirit, or simply … beyond the scientific method? Mischa Shoni embarks on a journey to understand her own brain. On the path, she meets dragons, gryphons, crystal-eyed snakes … and some extraordinary people who see the mind beyond the limited lens of psychiatry. This project was supported by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. For more information about the Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, go here: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/grants.html Producer: Mischa Shoni Featuring: Anusuya Starbear, Michelle Boyle Special thanks: Will Rogers Music: Man of Suit (Echos of Space, Fog Divided by 2, Quiet Mountaintop, Lost in the Forest, Trees of Mystery, Howling Wind, The Dancing Chairs, Wind Chimera, Redwoods & Skyscrapers) Image via Wikimedia

This story traces the origins of “We Shall Overcome” from the eighteenth century to the March on Washington, and to today. It focuses on the development of the song at the Highlander Folk School, a social justice center in Tennessee. This project was supported by a Braden Grant from Stanford Storytelling Project. For more information about the Braden Grant for the Study of Oral Narrative, go here: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/grants.html Producer: Beatrix Lockwood Featuring: Candie Carawan, Clayborne Carson, Pam McMichael Sounds: Martin Luther King, Workers in Selma, AL, March on Washington Music: Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, Charlie Haden & Hank Jones, The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, Paul Robeson, Rev. Gary Davis, Azuza Oacific Gospel Choir, Zilphia Horton, Dave Van Ronk, Fats Waller, Elizabeth Cotten Image via Wikimedia

It's easy to look around and see signs of social fragmentation, so today's show takes a different approach and examines a few instances of people coming together: community. We explore an off-campus house that aimed to be an intentional community devoted to sustainability and find out where they failed and succeeded. We meet a community of Burning Man devotees who came together for a floating party on the Sacramento River Delta. Also we hear music made by a community of people who'd never met each other. Plus, the solution to the dirty dish dilemma. Producers: Charlie Mintz, Rachel Hamburg, Matt Harnack Host: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Daniel Steinbock, Philip Narodick, Zuzanna Drozdz Music: Noah Burbank More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/201-community.html

Genetics promised us the book of life laid open. But even after the sequencing of the human genome, there's still a lot we don't know. How do people make choices based on the imperfect knowledge that genetic science provides? Today we look at a few examples of that. We hear a story about sperm donation and the perils of choosing your child's father out of a book. We hear a story about using genetics to make a decision about surgery. We walk into an MRI to investigate the genetic basis of personality. And a short story about cannibalistic vultures. Prepare for a show that will leave you doubled up in a helix of joy. Producers: Charlie Mintz, Matt Larson, Laura Chao, Angela Castellanos, Leah Bakst Host: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Max McClure Music: Cults, Boomsnake, Mothlight More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/199-genetics.html

We throw all kinds of things away without really thinking about it. These five stories take a look at where our trash goes, the creative things that people do with it, and even question what it means to throw something away. First, a story about small-scale composting and the worms who do it. Next, a story about what to do with all your old scraps of fabric lying around. Third, how what's left in a city dump can provide inspiration for an art movement. Fourth, behind the scenes at an estate sale. And last, a short story about bringing a box of forgotten photographs back to life. Producers: Hannah Krakauer, Lydia Santos, Killeen Hanson, Laura Chao, Rebecca Pfiffner, Matt Larson, Kasiana Mclenaghan Host: Hannah Krakauer Music: Noah Burbank, Japandi, Nimbleweed, Kissing Johnny More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/189-trash.html

What happens when we put people on pedestals? And what happens when we take them off? Host Killeen Hanson interviews her father about his estranged father. Andrew Altschul exposes the ordinariness of rock-stars in an excerpt from his novel Lady Lazarus. Lee Konstantinou interviews Arnold Rampersad about his biography of Ralph Ellison; his question is not What kept Ellison from publishing anything after Invisible Man? but rather, How did this author climb onto that pedestal in the first place? Producers: Killeen Hanson, Noah Burbank, Lee Konstantinou Host: Killeen Hanson Featuring: Brent Hanson, Andrew Altschul, Arnold Rampersad Music: Noah Burbank More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/195-episode-305-off-the-pedestal.html

Sometimes a simple question is all it takes to get someone telling a story. We begin this show by asking people to tell the story of their first kiss. Every story is the same. Every story is different. After that, changes of hearts and a deeper understanding of one's capacity to love. Then we have two glimpses into potential future realities, android love and a Valentinian Apocalypse. Have a great V Day. Producers: Aaron Thayer, Eme Akpabio, Claire Woodard, Charlie Mintz, Will Rogers, and Jonah Willihnganz Host: Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Max McClure, Heidi Thorsen, and members of the Stanford community who told us their story in White Plaza. Music: Daniel Steinbock, Max McClure, Fleet Street, and a spontaneous mishmash of singers who were out serenading people on the Saturday night before this story aired, in February 2009. More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/349-valentines-3.html

Childhood is a funny thing, especially since that window we call adolescence keeps getting longer and longer. When do we stop being children, and when do we become adults? We bring you an hour of radio built from a creative writing Stanford class--stories of growing up, not growing up and the moments that stick with us the most. Producer: Hannah Krakauer Host: Hannah Krakauer Featuring: Michelle Goldring, Lexie Spiranac, Sarah Grossman, Jeff Bauman, Chrystal Lee Music: Nataly Dawn More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/191-mollys-class.html

We're all talking about our relationship to food lately, thanks to everyone from Michael Pollan to Oprah (even Michael Pollan on Oprah). Fast food, slow food, smart food, food miles, food pyramids, food security. Yes, we're joining the fray, but turning the tables a bit to look at how food and food movements are a medium for forms of change—personal, social and otherwise—especially in the big city, where we so often rely on others for our food. We take the show to San Francisco, visiting the foggy gardens of the Sunset and the sunny fruit stands of the Mission, and even the rooftops in the Tenderloin. We talk to a new breed of urban farmer and we meet an earth scientist, a chef, a Salvadorian emigrant, a city rat, a country mouse, and a whole class of third graders. In our last segment we return to Stanford to find out how students are changing their own relationship to the their environment through our new favorite medium, food. Producers: Natacha Ruck, Charlie Mintz Host: Natacha Ruck Featuring: Page Chamb

This is a tale of the other. Things are changing and the LGBTQ communities that were formerly exiled are now, slowly, being noticed and accepted by the mainstream--whether or not these communities give a hoot about "normal" acceptance. Just because we live in a more open-minded era for gays, gender-benders, and women alike (and there are many who would find this idea contentious) does not mean that the turbulent story of how drag got to the spotlight should be glossed over, nor the deeply transgressive nature of gender-bending forgotten. Lest the contemporary “it-gets-better” ethos rewrite a subversive history forged outside the norm and by those who have always felt different, Brittany Newell have sought to record the oral history of 7 dazzling American queens and gender-artists working today. What is the trajectory from misfit to show-stopper, fringe to the spotlight, boy to beautiful woman or creature? Is drag the sparkling manifestation of an less-pretty past, the alchemy of the alienated? In documentin

Understanding someone who experiences the world differently than you can be hard. In fact, it can be downright scary. In this piece, Austin Meyer, a senior from Stanford University, visits the Earle Baum Center for People With Vision Loss to tell his story of what it's like to navigate the intimidating space between two opposite ways of experiencing the world... one with vision and one without. Producer: Austin Meyer Featuring: Denise Vancil, Scott Murray, and Sharon Brown Special thanks: Dan Needham and The Earle Baum Center Image via flickr For more information about the Braden Grant for Oral Narrative: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/grants.html

Rachel Kelley interviewed over two dozen activists, artists, and their friends as part of her effort to capture an oral history of Greenlands, an intentional community in Nashville, Tennessee. Their reflections ranged from the ethics of air conditioning to Occupy antics to the moral quandaries of gentrification. Here is a snapshot of Rachel's experience and some of the Greenlanders' stories. Producer: Rachel Kelley Featuring: Karl Meyer, DJ Hudson, Kate Savage, Tristan Call, Jena Robinson, Matt Christy, Keith Caldwell, Trevor Bradshaw, Megan Gilbreth, Rachel Kelley, and the Greenlands community Special thanks: community members and friends of Nashville Greenlands, Charlie Mintz Music links: "Bluegrass Banjo," "Insomnie", "Slide Cowboy," "Cerises," "Quasi Motion," "Hip-Hop 4," "La Toupie,” "Rae & Christian Remix dub 'Testify'," "We Shall Overcome,” Broke for Free Image courtesy of Matt Christy For more information about the Braden Grant for Oral Narrative: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling

On February 22nd, 2002 a train carrying 58 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya was attacked by a group of Muslims, resulting in the death of all of its passengers. What followed was a series of violent, retaliatory attacks against Muslims in the state and the death of over 1,000 people. In this piece, Stanford students Claire Colberg 14’ and Ravi Patel 13’ travel to Anand, India, to understand how these riots have affected Gujarat’s youth. Despite deep-rooted challenges, their conversations with both Hindu and Muslim students reveal the future vision of communal unity shared by Gujarat’s youth. Producers: Claire Colberg and Ravi Patel Featuring: The students of D.Z. Patel High School, D.N High School, the Hanifa School, and the Chaortar Institute of Technology - Changa. Special Thanks: Andrew Todhunter, Kiran Patel, and all the students who shared their stories with us in Gujarat. Image courtesy of Claire Colberg For more information about the Braden Grant for Oral Narrative: http://web.stanford.edu/g

There’s something special about theatrical improvisation. There’s a trust, a confidence, and a sense of risk that can help individuals grow and bring groups together. But what happens when you graduate and your source of improv (mainly, your college improv group) goes away? In this piece, Mona Thompson, Stanford class of 2013, explores the concept of improvisation in the “real world.” Would it be possible to create a whole life centered around improv? And if so, would it be meaningful? Producer: Mona Thompson Featuring: William Hall, Dr. Nika Quirk, & Patricia Ryan Madson Special Thanks: Charlie Mintz, John Lee, and everyone at Stanford Storytelling Project Image via Flickr For more information about the Braden Grant for Oral Narrative: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/grants.html

What makes young Australians such eager globe-trotters? Aliza Gazek and Kelly Vicars swung on their packs and set off “down under” to find out. The travelers they met along the way shared stories of their adventures and offered surprising insight into Australia’s history as a nation, providing a trail of clues to why it’s so easy to find an Aussie backpacker in any hostel in the world. Producers: Aliza Gazek and Kelly Vicars Featuring: John Grant, Prashan Paramanathan, Ashley Carruthers, Theo Ell, Mel Ronca, Sandra Ronca, Aileen “Nan” Grant Special Thanks: Andrew Todhunter and Jeanne Snider for their guidance, our generous Aussie hosts, and everyone else who shared their stories: Alex Dumbrell, Murray and Rosie Fisher, Robin Grant, and Paul Rowley. Music: Rusted Root, Men at Work, Grizzly Bear, Norah Jones, Sydney Children's Choir, Slightly Stoopid, River Ran, Enya, Lucius Image via flickr For more information about the Braden Grant for Oral Narrative: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bi

A Mississippi county fair, the real deal on Sarah Palin, high school elections, campaign calls to grandparents, and what happens when one same-sex couple finds their fate tied to the opinions of an entire state. In this show we look at the small side of big politics, "smallitics," or how the national stage is truly made up small actors with big roles. Host: Dan Hirsh Producers: Jonah Willihnganz, Clare Bennett, Charlie Mintz, Micah Cratty, Lee Konstantinou, and Dan Hirsch Featured: Bridget Whearty, Ronnie Musgrove, Jenna Reback, Allison Fink Music: Nimbleweed Following a surprising decision by the California Supreme Court, one couple decides to put their reservations aside and use the ‘M’ word. At the time, they had no idea that this very personal decision could turn into a discussion for an entire state. Producer: Lee Konstantinou Featuring: Bridget Whearty image via flickr More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-2/137

It's natural to want to be someone you're not. So why demonize the impostor? Today we have three stories of people who tried to pass themselves off as someone they weren't. First, a story about a degenerating mobster turned private investigator, with some very unorthodox ways of getting the job done. Then a story about a scientist who invented his data and got busted. Finally, a memoir about one woman's longing to have curly hair. Each one recalls an oh-so-typical journey of self-deception: after attempting to recreate themselves from the outside-in, they deal with the consequences. Host: Charlie Mintz Producers: Charlie Mintz and Matt Larson Featured: Lawrence Klein, Tommy Wallach and Maria Hummel Music: Pascalle, George Pritzker and Andy Seymour More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-2/105-episode-202.html

When you live in a place, it's hard not to take it for granted. But in California that’s almost impossible -- the landscape is simply too striking to forget or ignore. Today’s show is about what happens when you attempt to really appreciate the place you call home. Two travelers spend five days retracing the historic and unmarked trail of the Buffalo Soldiers. Then a portrait of backcountry life in Yosemite. Finally, a poem about a wild tree with a universe inside it. And in this podcast, a supplemental interview between poet Peter Kline and Storytelling Poetry Editor, Elizabeth Bradfield. Host: Bonnie Swift Producers: Justine Lai, Killeen Hanson, Liz Bradfield, Bonnie Swift Featuring: Shelton Johnson, Ward Eldridge, Peter Kline Music: Noah Burbank, Mt. Eerie, The Microphones, Kate Wolf Producers: Justine Lai and Bonnie Swift Featuring: Shelton Johnson and Ward Eldridge More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-2/123-episode-203.html

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a prize-less, month-long contest in which thousands around the world attempt to write their novel in one month. Thirty days, fifty thousand words minimum, and no prize at the end (save for their own satisfaction). On this week's show we follow of National Novel Writing Month and learn a little about the novel while we're at it. A class of Stanford students tries to finish their novels without flunking out, a San Francisco write-a-thon filled with wannabe novelists, and the elusive 150 thousand word woman. Plus interviews with a professor, a PhD, and a book critic on the history of the novel. Host: Charlie Mintz Producers: Lee Konstantinou, Charlie Mintz, Killeen Hanson, Dan Hirsch, Jonah Willihnganz Featured: Emily Rials, Bianca Ceralvo, Mark McGurl, Emma Ziker, Chris Baty, Noam Cohen Music: Max Citron URLs: Chris Baty Featured: Chris Baty More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/show