State of the Human

Untethered: Why We Run

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:09:49 +0000

In this episode, Emerson explores why people put themselves through the physically demanding experience of a run. Is it the flow state in running, the desire to feel untethered, or is it something else entirely?

Produced by Emerson Prentice

Untethered: When the Lights Turn Green

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 23:16:49 +0000

Matthew Mettias reads his piece “When the Light Turns Green”, about finding new people to call home. Following his reading, is an interview about how the piece came to be, and a near death experience.

Producers: Alex Strong

Music by Blue Dot Sessions:

Beyond the Cranberry House - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/377711

Pop Vibration - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355650"

Frontana - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355502

Gtks - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355189

KeoKeo - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/354689

Vulcan Street - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/354686

Milkwood - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355191

Felt Lining - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355412

Dawn Line Approaching - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355511

Play: Pioneer

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:43:37 +0000

On a school trip re-enacting the past, Coco tries to find themselves in the magic beyond who they are supposed to be.

In this episode, Author Lydia Conklin reads "Pioneer" a short story from Rainbow Rainbow, their collection of stories about queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters.

Produced by Alana Esposito

Play: Missing Pieces

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:48:21 +0000

After an accident left Becca with a skull fracture and concussion, she turned to an unlikely form of play to pick up the pieces.

Interview with: Becca Taylor

Producers: Arun Chhetri, Nardos Demilew, Gracielly Abreu, and Carolyn Stein

Narration: Nardos Demilew

Play: Adesuwa's Day Off

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000

After years of discipline and structure, Adesuwa takes a day off from productivity to remember how to have fun.

Producer: Adesuwa Agbonile

Host: Jacob Matlof

Invisibility, Story 6: The Cancer Fighter's Other Side

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 21:43:17 +0000

As a pediatric neuro-oncologist, Dr. Paul Fisher works with children fighting brain cancer. In this episode, he shares how invisible skills like empathy and human connection are central to his medical practice.

Producer: Alex Strong

Invisibility, Story 5: Hillbilly Highway

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 18:56:00 +0000

Viva Donohoe always saw her grandmother as the archetype of a sophisticated woman, modeled in the spirit of iconic country singer Patsy Cline. But an investigation into Cline’s life leads Viva to discover hidden truths about her grandmother and the woman she modeled herself after.

Story By: Viva Donohoe

Producers: Viva Donahoe, Eva Saenz, Ana De Almeida Amaral

Music: Internet Archive

Invisibility, Story 4: Willies on West 79th

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 22:51:00 +0000

In today’s episode, Sarah Lewis reads “Willies on West 79th,” a strangely moving tale about love, body dysmorphia, and why a rat ballet company might be the most honest place in New York.

Producers

Arun Chhetri

Sarah Lewis

Alex Strong

Story by: Sarah Lewis

Music by: Blue Dot Sessions

Invisibility, Story 3: Mousetraps

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 22:50:00 +0000

In today’s episode, Wallace Stegner Fellow Zach Williams reads his surreal story “Mousetraps,” where a simple errand spirals into a disorienting interrogation of masculinity, guilt, and moral performance.

Producers

Arun Chhetri

Zach Williams

Isabelle Edgar

Story by: Zach Williams

Music by: Blue Dot Sessions

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Langston Buddenhagen on New Flowers

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:47:00 +0000

As an added bonus to our Invisibility series, we’re including conversations with the creators who made them to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of audio storytelling. In this episode, Alex Strong talks with Langston Buddenhagen, the creator of New Flowers, the first story in our Invisibility series.

Invisibility, Story 2, New Flowers

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:46:00 +0000

Langston Buddenhagen takes us to Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa in order to explore how neighborhoods change and what that change means. In the process, Langston explores how his mixed racial identity dovetails into these same issues, and how is own hometown - Oakland, California - is changing too.

Invisibility, Story 1: Emotional Prosody

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 22:46:00 +0000

We all know what it's like to sense something unspoken in a conversation—the hesitation, the sharpness, the softness. It's not the words, but how they're said. This episode, we explore the invisible language of emotional prosody—the tone, rhythm, and subtle cues in our voices that reveal how we feel, often without us realizing it.

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Alex Strong on A Foot in Both Worlds

Fri, 30 May 2025 23:46:00 +0000

Alana Esposito and Alex Strong to discuss the process behind how A Foot in Both Worlds came to be.

Producers: Alana Esposito, Alex Strong

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (BLEEPED Version)

Fri, 23 May 2025 23:43:00 +0000

Paul Calvo has always been ambitious, but he hasn't always been on the right side of the tracks. This is his story.

Producer: Alex Strong.

Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Sounds by Free Sounds.

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (UNBLEEPED Version)

Fri, 23 May 2025 23:02:00 +0000

Paul Calvo has always been ambitious, but he hasn't always been on the right side of the tracks. This is his story.

Producer: Alex Strong.

Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Sounds by Free Sounds.

Breaking the Rules, Story 2: Scaling Stanford

Fri, 16 May 2025 22:40:00 +0000

A group of Stanford alumni recall their time in undergrad climbing buildings on campus – and the way it permanently altered their lives.

Producer: Alana Esposito

Music from Blue Dot Sessions

Breaking the Rules, Story 1: Statute of Limitations

Fri, 09 May 2025 18:23:01 +0000

When a group of students stumbles upon a mysterious plaque hidden beneath an oak tree, a late-night discovery turns into a real-time detective story. Their search for answers uncovers a decades-old secret, and a story that’s both forgotten and unforgettable.

Producers

Arun Chhetri: Host, producer, sound design With Will Briger & Henry Segal --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guests Gloria Gatlin: Stanford Alumni and Wife of Thane Plambeck. Gloria was the first person to respond to our email and put us on the right track. Christopher Wright: Key conspirator of the Wright K. Sexton Memorial Park. Chris runs a nonprofit organization called EarlyFamilyMath.com. https://www.earlyfamilymath.org/ Harlan Sexton: Key conspirator and placer of the Wright K. Sexton Memorial Park.
References 99% Invisible, Always Read the Plaque

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/always-read-plaque-mapping-10000-global-markers-memorials/

Nakedness, story 4: Naked Retreat

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 01:56:00 +0000

What would you do for the sake of a story? In this live story, recorded at the 2024 Senior Story Slam, Alina Wilson shares the story that spawned this series on Nakedness for State of the Human.

Nakedness, Story 3: Okay With the Gay

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 19:27:00 +0000

Growing up with Indian immigrant parents in a Wyoming college town, Aru was used to the tension of what her parents expected her to be and the person she was actually becoming. In this story, recorded at First Person Story in April of 2024, Aru takes the risk of emotional nakedness with her mom–even though it may leave her feeling exposed.

www.firstpersonstory.org
www.storytelling.stanford.edu

Nakedness, story 2: Stripping Down

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:22:00 +0000

Being naked–or seeing others naked–can evoke a firestorm of emotions . . . everything from freedom to vulnerability to sensuality to shame. In three stories pulled from the Storytelling Project archives (created in 2012) we explore the glory and grit of stripping down.

Nakedness, story 1: Exposure Therapy

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:09:00 +0000

Destiny Cunningham learned shame early. The comments that teachers, church leaders, and other kids made about her body led her to wear clothes like armor, hiding herself from others so she wouldn't be noticed. Years later, Destiny and her friends decide to visit a nudist retreat in the hopes that she'll learn how to become naked without feeling exposed.

Reclaiming, story 8: Back to the Garden

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:58:00 +0000

“Back to the Garden” tells the story of an organic farming couple, Jose and Rich, who are committed to sustaining the environment . . . and who don't believe in climate change. This episode explores how that dissonance might be possible, the power of language, and whether or not the term "climate change" will help save the planet. Produced by Anna McNulty, Shameeka Wilson, and Laura Joyce Davis.

Reclaiming, story 7: Orca Boy

Tue, 28 May 2024 21:55:00 +0000

Max Du is so obsessed with whales that his childhood friends call him Orca Boy. But when a SeaWorld trainer named Dawn is killed by an orca and there's public backlash against SeaWorld, his love for whales turns to shame. Years later he meets a whale trainer named Lyndsey, who was Dawn’s best friend. As Max and Lyndsey learn together the complicated dance of grief, loss, and healing, they find in their friendship a way to reclaim a part of themselves they thought was lost.

This story was produced by Max Du and Carolyn Stein with support from Laura Joyce Davis and the Stanford Storytelling Project. Max Du is a computer science Ph.D. student and Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University. By night, he is a writer interested in immigrant experiences and the human-animal relationship. In addition to working on pieces for the Storytelling Project, he is currently doing fieldwork for a non-fiction book that features the oral histories of whale & dolphin trainers. When he’s not wrangling robots or making friends with whale trainers, Max also enjoys improvising on the piano and listening to Jimmy Buffet.

Reclaiming, story 6: Friends in Liminal Spaces

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 23:15:00 +0000

In this story about connection outside the bounds of physical space, time, and life experience, an unlikely friendship buds during uncertain times. Producer: Anastasia Sotiropoulos Featuring: Adamu Chan, Michelle Chang, and Anastasia Sotiropoulos Referenced research:

“State can be held liable for San Quentin COVID deaths, court rules,” https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/covid-liability-prisons-18404372.php
“Another San Quentin Inmate Dies From COVID-19 Complications, CDCR Says,” https://youtu.be/3Tp--1L-5Gg?si=TAkNg0O9ZRkmOKhu
“Court Orders Immediate Release Or Transfer 1,700 San Quentin Prison Inmates Over Virus Outbreak,” https://youtu.be/UX-h-QkTPSs?si=hQXeIxFTv9MIptjO

Music by Blue Dot Sessions, tracks listed below: The Gran Dias, Highway 430, KeoKeo, For We Shall Know Speed, Scarlett Overpass, Valantis Vespers, Trenton Channel, Shepman, Hermes Gray, Pulse, JR Nara, Footsteps on Alden, A Little Powder, Gothrd

Reclaiming, story 5: Welcome to Paradise

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 22:23:00 +0000

Carolyn Stein grew up with music like Avril Lavigne and The Marianas Trench – classic, trashy pop punk. But she never considered herself much of a punk rocker, until she took a little trip to the East Bay to a tiny venue called 924 Gilman Street. But soon after Carolyn discovers this venue, she learns that it may be at risk of closing. What will be lost if this venue closes? Welcome to Paradise was produced by Carolyn Stein, Ana De Almeida Amaral, and Max Du, with support from Laura Joyce Davis and the Stanford Storytelling Project.

Reclaiming, story 4: Tattoos and Taboos

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 03:19:00 +0000

Whether you have a tattoo or not, we are all familiar with the stigmas that are commonly held against tattoos. Where does this aversion come from? What do these taboos say about history? What do they say about us? In this story, Keoni Rodriguez shares how his tattoos helped him reclaim his indigenous Hawaiian heritage, connect with his ancestors, and begin to heal a history of colonialism and erasure. Tattoos and Taboos was produced by Ana De Almeida Amaral, Natasha Charfauros, Mikayla An-Yee Chen, & Chloe Gabrielle Mendoza, with support from Laura Joyce Davis and the Stanford Storytelling Project. A special thank you to Keoni Rodriguez for sharing his story with us.

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Kaitlyn Auth and Charlie Darracott on Keep Stanford Wrestling

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 02:59:00 +0000

Alina Wilson and Alex Strong sit down with Kaitlyn Auth and Charlie Darracott for a story craft conversation about the story behind creating Keep Stanford Wrestling.

Reclaiming, story 3: Keep Stanford Wrestling

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the spring of 2020, Stanford University made the decision to cut 11 of their varsity teams due to financial issues and lack of success. This episode follows the men’s wrestling team and their coaches in the months following the decision to cut their team as they navigate the challenges of fighting for their spot back.

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Aru Nair on Journey Through Generations

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 23:23:00 +0000

As an added bonus to our Reclaiming series, we’re including conversations with the creators who made them to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of audio storytelling. In this episode, Alex Strong talks with Aru Nair, the creator of Journey Through Generations, the second story in our Reclaiming series.

Reclaiming, story 2: Journey Through Generations

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 22:00:00 +0000

In this episode, the 2nd in our Reclaiming What's Been Lost series, Aru Nair goes on a journey to India to understand how oral tradition preserves cultures. But when a surprise trip to her father's home town shows her a side if him she's never seen, she emerges with a new understanding of how the stories we tell shape the people we become.

Reclaiming, story 1: Home is Little Tokyo

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 23:02:00 +0000

Little Tokyo is a small neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles. Since 1905, it has been home to generations of Japanese Americans. Today, gentrification is threatening to destroy everything these families have built. This episode tells the story of one community's struggle for survival and the ways in which historical development has both fractured and solidified its people. For some, home is a bed one sleeps in. For us, home is Little Tokyo.

Feeding (Full Episode)

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 00:04:00 +0000

Eating is one of life’s great pleasures, but what about the pleasures that come with sharing your food with others? In this episode, we’re looking at how the act of feeding can bring people together. We’ll hear the tale of an unlikely pet, a meditation on cannibalism, and a story about children on a rooftop garden in San Francisco.

Gathering (full episode)

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:01:00 +0000

What do we gain from gathering? In this episode, we’re thinking about how coming together can change us. We’ll hear about a citizen-led clean-up movement in India, a Bay Area artist who forms an unlikely friendship with a church in Colorado, and a student who experiences the power of connection at a living museum on Stanford campus. Producers: Isabella Tilley, Tanvi Dutta Gupta, Regina Ta, Adesuwa Agbonile, Aparna Verma, Victoria Yuan, Patricia Wei, Hannah Scott, Jenny March Featuring stories produced by Tanvi Dutta Gupta, Regina Ta, and Adesuwa Agbonile. The stories feature the work of the Experience Sankofa Project (Venus Morris, Mizan Alkebulan-Abakah, Sizwe Andrews-Abakah), the artwork of Stanford professor Enrique Chagoya, and the grassroots-organized Ugly Indian Movement in Bangalore, India. Also featured in these stories are the voices of Frank Omowale Satterwhite, Jeanette Smith-Laws, Dereca Blackmon, and Persis Drell. “Le Songe d’Halcohii” - Sunhiilow - From There to Here “Awakenings” - Ketsa “Clouds at the Gap” - Blue Dot Sessions - Zander “Throughput” - Blue Dot Sessions - Holyoke “Louver” - Blue Dot Sessions - Holyoke “Willow Belle” - Blue Dot Sessions - Little Rock “Soothe” - Blue Dot Sessions - Bodytonic “Songe d’Automne” - Latché Swing

Preserving (full episode)

Sat, 09 May 2020 00:35:00 +0000

This episode investigates the act of preserving, a decision made in the present, regarding the past, looking towards the future. What can we learn from what we choose to preserve? What does preserving reveal about our values? Producers: Cat Fergesen, Karen Ge, Regina Kong, Liv Jenks, Andy Lee, Lola McAllister, Carolyn Stein, Allie Wollner, and Grace Zhang Music: Traveler by Alexander Nakarada http://oroclick.com/Celtic-music/3_Traveler.php Teals Descending Upon the Level Sand, Lo Ka Ping: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lo_Ka_Ping/Lost_Sounds_of_the_Tao/lokapingtealsmp3 Mountain Breeze, Purple Planet https://www.purple-planet.com/mountain-breeze

Learning Medicine (full episode)

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

We visit five places on campus where future doctors are learning how to practice medicine. We’re going to real classrooms: anatomy lab and wet lab, lecture halls, we visit a Stanford Free Clinic, bike across campus to the mausoleum, and head down the road to Webb Ranch. We’re asking: How are students learning to practice medicine, thoughtfully? Producers: Victoria Yuan, Aparna Verma, JJ Kapur, Sarah Griffin, Esha Dhawan, Linda Liu, Christy Hartman, and Gaby Li

Materializing (full episode)

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 18:12:00 +0000

What ideas exist behind material objects? In this episode, we’re going to look at stuff—things we can see or hear or touch—to try to understand the intangible, like memory, history, and bias. Producers: Adesuwa Agbonile, Jett Hayward, Yue Li, Jenny March, Isabella Tilley, Melina Walling, Val Gamao

Dying (full episode)

Wed, 29 May 2019 02:08:00 +0000

In this episode, we’re going to think about death. All things must come to an end, but that does not mean death is all ending. We ask -- what can death teach us about life? Featuring special reflections on death at the beginning and end of the show by Lazarre and Simone Elias, aged 6 and 9. Producers: Aparna Verma, Isabella Tilley, Will Shan, Lena Lee, Regina Kong, Alessandra Wollner Show Music: Téki (with Les Gauchers Orchestra), Lee Maddeford, Instrumentals kate bush, johnny_ripper, epilogue.

Mythologizing (full episode)

Tue, 21 May 2019 14:54:00 +0000

In this episode, we search for myths in the modern world. We ask-- where are monsters hiding, and who created them? What do the myths we circulate say about ourselves? Producers: Claudia Heymach, Morgan Canaan, Sophie McNulty, Ben Schwartz, Jett Hayward, Michaela Elias, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, Jenny March Music:

Solitude (full episode)

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 02:15:00 +0000

Stories about being alone, wanting to be alone, or feeling alone. What is that place we go to to protect ourselves? How and why achieve seclusion? Producers: Yue Li, Sofia Sanchez-Luege, Jett Hayward, Stephanie Niu, Sienna White and Adesuwa Agbonile. http://storytelling.stanford.edu

Broadcasting (full episode)

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Description: In this episode we ride the radio waves. We listen closely, digging deep in the static to hear stories of people following radio waves, of bouncing radio waves, but mainly stories of people listening to the voices. Producers: Cathy Wong ,Cameron Tenner, Victoria Yuan, Yue Li, Neel Thaker, Christopher LeBoa, Jackson Roach

Naming (full episode)

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000

We name people, places, and things out of necessity, but the labels we choose take on the weight of history, culture, and identity. In this episode, we talk about the names we use, and why they matter.

Survival (full episode)

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 18:08:00 +0000

Sometimes you have to keep your head down to stay alive. This is a show about playing the cello in the darkest hour, and returning to the site of the fire, and keeping your head down to stay alive. This is a show about what happens when the sun goes down, and when you get lost in the mall, and when you pick up the phone because you have nowhere left to turn. This is a show about the terrible and the beautiful. This is a show about survival. Producers: Jett Hayward, Bella Lazzareschi, Elisabeth Dee, Stephanie Niu, Cathy Wong, Dylan Cunningham, Hannah Nguyen, Jackson Roach, Melina Walling, Alec Glassford, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, Sam Greenspan, and Jonah Willinghanz.

Speculation (full episode)

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

What can we know about the future? And where do we look? We plan ahead by speculating. We can’t imagine not imagining the next hour, the next day, the next email. In this show we look at the nature of guessing, of predicting, and what that can tell us about the future. And the past. Host: Yue Li Producers: Chris Leboa, Cameron Tenner, Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow, Sam Kargilis, Risa Cromer, Sam Greenspan Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty, Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn, Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller Story 1: Miner Threat Meet the last Bitcoin miners of Stanford. Producer: Sam Kargilis Music (from Free Music Archive): Curves, Jhhhzzr Story 2: Vanquishing Vaccines During the 2017-2018 flu season over 60 million Americans were infected with influenza and an estimated 50,000 died. Why has there been so much sickness when a vaccine does exist? Producer Chris LeBoa investigates the process and guesswork that goes into creating the flu shot each year and what is being done to take guesswork out of future vaccines. Producer: Chris LeBoa Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty Story 3: The Coming Storm In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians Yue and Claudia wonder how future storms can be predicted. And if they can be predicted, whose responsibility is it to protect Houston? Producers: Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow Featuring: Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn Music (from freesound.org): vision- ambient gamelan by that jeff carter, Ambient Drone Solfeggio by Headphaze, Cosmos by pointpark cinema, cyclone hurricane hugo by solostud Story 4: My Dear Melville Herman Melville’s “great American novel,” Moby Dick, has fascinated, entertained, bored, and horrified audiences for the past 150 years, but … is Moby Dick gay? Was Herman Melville caught up in a same-sex-love affair? Producer Cameron Tenner searches for answers and learns about exploring queerness in the past. Producer: Cameron Tenner Featuring: Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller Music: Cylinder Five by Chris Zabriskie, Gentle Chase by Podington Bear, Skeptic by Podington Bear, Vanagon by Podington Bear, Little Black Cloud by Podington Bear, Waltz for an Imaginary Piano by Johnny Ripper, Lonesome by Podington Bear, Lucky Stars by Podington Bear, In My Head by Podington Bear, Sensitive by Podington Bear, Whaling Song by Paul Clayton

Caretaking (full episode)

Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:35:00 +0000

How do we take care of the past after it turns to ash? We visit with families digging through the rubble of their homes in Sonoma after the fires as they sift for memories. This episode asks how we care for people, and what to do if there's no obvious path to healing. Along the way, we meet a midwife, some worms, and a daughter caring for her mother and herself. Host: Claudia Heymach Producers: Claudia Heymach, Crystal Escolero, Emma Heath, Bella Lazzareschi, Helvia Taina, Sarah Jiang, Eileen Williams Featuring: Roshni Thachil, Ronnie Falcoa, Claire Mollard, Josh Weil Show music: "The Flight of the Lulu" by Possimiste Story 1: Midwife Crisis We don’t always think of caretaking in a professional terms, but for a homebirth midwife, the emotional and physical wellbeing of others is the whole job. Producer: Emma Heath Featuring: Ronnie Falcoa Story 2: From the Ashes We went to Sonoma County after the fires to help residents dig through the rubble of their homes. Along the way, we asked about what they took with them, what they wanted to take, and what they’re looking for now. Producers: Crystal Escolero, Helvia Taina, and Claudia Heymach Featuring: Claire Mollard and Josh Weil Story 3: Depression 1, 2, 3 Living with mental illness means living with the mysterious and mundane. Caretakers of loved ones with depression, anxiety or psychosis must come to grips with both sides, and resist the tug of their own demons in the process. This is an ongoing story about a mom, her daughter and the everyday work of love. Producers: Sarah Jiang and Eileen Williams Music: “Undersea Garden” and “Love Sprouts” by Podington Bear, "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page Show Image courtesy of Jake Warga

Immigrating: Crossings (full episode, part 1 of theme)

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

We hear a lot about immigrants. In this episode, we hear from immigrants – not as statistics, but as individual human beings crossing borders. Oscar gets deported and tries to return home. Maddie comes to terms with her family relationships. And Nisrin enters the U.S. from Sudan after the first travel ban takes effect. In this episode, stories of crossing. This is part one of a two part series. Host: Noelle Chow Producers: Carissa Cirelli, Noelle Chow, Jett Hayward, An-Li Herring, Julia Ingram, Louis Lafair, Rosie LaPuma, Yue Li, Jenny March, Kate Nelson, Jackson Roach, Helvia Taina, Melina Walling, Jake Warga, Eileen Williams, Cathy Wong Show Music: johnny_ripper (Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at https://storytelling.stanford.edu) Story 1: Oscar Oscar gets deported. He’s determined to come back, no matter what. Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, and Jackson Roach  Featuring: Oscar  Music: "Delican't" by Podington Bear, "Door knock" by taylorsyoung@gmail.com Story 2: Maddie Maddie searches for the formula to be an American. Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, and Jackson Roach Featuring: Madeleine Han  Music: "Fater Lee" and "James p . funk 2" by Black Ant, "No sudden movements" by Rui, "i'm not here" by johnny_ripper, "dan1 " by junior85 Story 3: Nisrin On January 27, 2017, the first travel ban takes effect. And then Nisrin lands at JFK. Producers: Helvia Taina, An-Li Herring, Eileen Williams, and Rosie La Puma Featuring: Nisrin Elamin Abdelrahman  Music: "80's Interlude" by Fanas; "Theme 4," "Sleep," "Intermission," "In a Dream," and "data" by johnny_ripper

Immigrating: Conversations (full episode, part 2 of theme)

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Immigrating is a conversation that happens across borders, generations, and versions of oneself. Grace and Justin talk across political differences. Unknown workers who forged the Transcontinental Railroad receive a new voice. Solmaz writes poetry to orient herself in the world. And Frankie and Francisco reflect on growing up in a new place. This is part two of a two-part series. Host: Cathy Wong Producers: Carissa Cirelli, Noelle Chow, Jett Hayward, An-Li Herring, Julia Ingram, Louis Lafair, Rosie LaPuma, Yue Li, Jenny March, Kate Nelson, Jackson Roach, Helvia Taina, Melina Walling, Jake Warga, Eileen Williams, Cathy Wong Show Music: johnny_ripper (Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at https://storytelling.stanford.edu) Story 4: Grace and Justin Grace and Justin send each other letters. Producers: Cathy Wong and Kate Nelson  Featuring: Justin Hsuan and Grace  Music: "When in the West," "Sage the Hunter," and "Drone Pine" by Blue Dot Sessions Story 5: Chinese Railroad Workers Producer: Yue Li Featuring: Hilton Obenzinger, Barre Fong, and Gordon Chang Music: "Everything Ends Here" by Johnny Ripper; "More Weather," "Waterbourne," and "The Summit" by Blue Dot Sessions Story 6: Solmaz Solmaz Sharif wants to have the conversation we’re avoiding. Producers: Jackson Roach and Jett Hayward  Featuring: Solmaz Sharif  Music: "c" and "m" by Gallery Six, "Krankenwagen im Stau" by rui, "Upward" and "It Moves Like A 500 Year Old Process" by junior85 Story 7: Frankie and Francisco After immigrating from Mexico, Francisco Preciado Sr. gets a job as a groundskeeper at Stanford University. When his son, Francisco Preciado Jr., applies to Stanford, they learn together what it means to carry on a family legacy in a new country. Producers: Louis Lafair and Melina Walling  Featuring: Francisco Preciado Sr. and Francisco Preciado Jr.  Music: "An opener" by Bitbasic, "motion (johnny_ripper remix)" by noah, "Selbstheilend" by rui, "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar and Miguel Flores

Crashing (full episode)

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:38:00 +0000

Sometimes, marching steadily through the steps of life—we crash right into something entirely unexpected. In one instant, the entire world changes, without even a word of warning. When a crash comes, that collision can destroy everything. But it can wake us up to what we truly need; we must decide what to raze and what to rebuild. How do humans move forward before the smoke is cleared? What happens after the crash? Host: Eileen Williams Producers: Eileen Williams, Claudia Heymach, Jackson Roach, Megan Calfas, Alex Cheng, Noelle Li Syn Chow, Jake Warga Featuring: Eddie Mazon, Michael Peskin, Miles Traer, Dr. David Radler, Dan Klein, Dehan Glanz Show music: "Darger's strawberry" by Exteenager, "opening credits" by Johnny Ripper (Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at storytelling.stanford.edu) Story 1: SLACing off Dr. Michael Peskin works in the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, home of the world’s longest linear accelerator. At SLAC, researchers crash X rays and particles, and a huge variety of things together, but not for destruction or for fun-- but for learning. Producer: Claudia Heymach Featuring: Michael Peskin Music: Original viola by Rosie LaPuma Story 2: Myth and Science Miles accidentally crashed the Stanford server, but as an earth scientist there’s a lot more at risk. Myth and science have been separated in the real world, but in fantasy and fiction they dance together to tell stories. Producer: Eileen Williams Featuring: Miles Traer Music: Soundtrack to “Game of Thrones” Story 3: Crash Cart Dr. David Radler is a senior resident in the department of emergency medicine at Stanford University. He tells us about one particularly memorable crash, and what it taught him. Producer: Eileen Williams Featuring: Dr. David Radler Music: Kai Engel Story 4: Car Crash In an instant, everything can change. When Dan and Danno got in a car crash in their sophomore year at Stanford, everything did. Now they’re both back at Stanford as professors and recount the event that shook and shaped their lives (and even inspired a Lifetime Movie). Their perspective is one you might not expect in light of the tragedy that unhinged their world. Dan says today, “That’s a great approach to life—to assume that there’s something lucky to every unlucky thing that happens.” Producers: Megan Calfas and Alex Cheng Featuring: Dan Klein and Dehan Glanz Music and sound: Kai Engel, David Szesztay, Podington Bear, De la Soul, The Clientele, "A Mother's Fight for Justice"

Navigating (full episode)

Wed, 17 May 2017 08:20:00 +0000

Ants navigate to and from food using pheromone trails; the stronger the pheromone trail, the more ants following it, like some kind of highway map. Humans use similar mapping strategies as we navigate through life, but how do we know that the paths we’re on will lead us to where we want to be? Today’s show is about navigating, with four stories and a poem about various ways that humans are moving through the world, with unique answers to these questions: How do we navigate through life without any instructions, or with instructions that might be wrong? How do we know which way to go to get whatever we’re going for? And how do we decide when to stop moving? Host: Connie Xiao Producers: Will Rogers, Alec Glassford, Rosie La Puma, Yue Li, Cathy Wong, Virginia Drummond, Katie Wolfteich, Aparna Verma, Jenny Han, An-Li Herring, and Connie Xiao Featuring: Chris Leboa, Deborah Gordon, Julie Sweetkind-Singer, Glen McLaughlin, Saptarshi Majumdar, Jennifer Johnson, and Louis Lafair Show Music: Noelle Li Syn Chow, Melina Walling, Sarah Jiang, Gillicuddy, Doctor Turtle, Podington Bear, Polyrhythmics (Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at storytelling.stanford.edu) Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisinplymouth/3601032456 Story 1: California as an Island When the Spanish explorers set out to discover the Americas, they came to find wealth and a new start. In this story, we hear about how the Spanish explorers navigated through these unfamiliar territory and how a myth turned into a reality that passed around for centuries. Producers: Yue Li, Virginia Drummond Featuring: Glen McLaughlin, Julie Sweetkind-Singer Special thanks: G. Salim Mohammed, of the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford Music and sound: Original music by Latifah Hamzah, "Rain Stops to Play" by Ketsa, "mutanterrante remix" by toiletrolltube, additional sounds from freesound.org Story 2: In Transit “Once you decide something, you kinda have to destroy everything else right? Your other options? You gotta let em go.” We spend an entire day at the Oakland Greyhound station and ask people where they are going. Mark Mendoza chases a cameraman. Cathy Wong learns when not to own a skeleton key. Hollie Kool talks to a Japanese pizza lover. Mimes are involved. Producer: Cathy Wong, Hollie Kool, and Mark Mendoza Featuring: Cathy Wong, Hollie Kool, and Mark Mendoza Music: "Night Owl" by Broke For Free, "Freak Mode" by Fleslit, "Dollar Theatre" by Jalen Warshawsky, "Unknown Variables" by Jalen Warshawsky, "El Fuego" by Polyrhythmics, "Cold Feet" and "I'll Miss You" and "Looking For That Moment When Time Stands Still" by Will Bangs Story 3: It's not a Sap Story Live the life of a savage adventurer. It’s a motto that Saptarshi Majumdar lives by as he travels across the globe, whether it’s from one continent to another or one coast to another. Sap’s journeys are wild and crazy, and the stories that he picks up even crazier. Why not sit back and enjoy the ride? Producers: Aparna Verma and Jenny Han Featuring: Saptarshi Majumdar and Aparna Verma Music: "Hex (Instrumental)" by Forget the Whale, "We'll Get Ourselves in TV-News" by Break the Bans Story 4: A Speck in the Ocean When she was 25, Jennifer Johnson sailed out of a Japanese harbor on a 27-foot boat with sights set on Hawaii. Sit in the cockpit with her as she charts her way through storms, fish colonies, and nearly capsized boats with only her partner for company, and re-experience the newness and stillness of land. “Adventure? Oh, I don’t know, adventure has too many positive connotations to say it was an adventure.” Producers: Katie Wolfteich Featuring: Jennifer Johnson Music: Weaves of K Story 5: If There Were a Manual "May I please have a manual for life?" Louis Lafair reads an original poem. Producer: Alec Glassford Featuring: Louis Lafair

Breathing (full episode)

Wed, 03 May 2017 19:35:00 +0000

Breath and spirit have been closely related in human thought—for millennia. In a lot of human languages, we use the same word to mean both things. Yet it’s easy to take breathing for granted, in spite of the fact it is maybe the most common human experience. In this episode, we’re going to think about every inhale and every exhale, and speak to people who have to think about breathing in a lot of interesting ways: a biathlete, a beatboxer, a dancer. We’ll dive deep underwater to a dark and dangerous cave in the Bahamas, travel to China to think about collective breathing, and reflect on the role artificial breathing plays in the perception of what constitutes life and what constitutes death. Host: Jackson Roach Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, Jenny March, Jake Warga, Jackson Roach, Melina Walling, Katie Lan, Jett Hayward, Claudia Heymach, Netta Wang, Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Brad Ross, Joanne Reid, Tom Johnson, Jace Casey, Janice Ross, Andrew Todhunter, Paul Fisher Show Music: johnny_ripper, Breakmaster Cylinder (Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at storytelling.stanford.edu) Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaellawton/15618435499/ Intro Story: Beat Breathing Brad Ross shares how he learned how to harness the rhythm behind the rhythm—the rhythm of the breath—and what he’s discovered from “using [his] lungs to make art.” Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, Jenny March, Jake Warga Featuring: Brad Ross Music: Brad’s sick beats Story 1: Shot Breathe Shot Breathe Shot Breathe After much trial and tribulation and many failed shots, Joanne Reid, biathlete of the U.S national team, learned that it’s all about the breath. Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, Jenny March, Jake Warga Featuring: Joanne Reid Music and Sound: "Epiphany" by Podington Bear, “Women 15 km Individual Race 2017 Biathlon IBU World Championships in Hochfilzen HD” by HQ Sport Story 2: Running out of Breath This is a recorded performance about breath, exhaustion, and struggle, written by a choreographer named Tom Johnson in the 1970s. Writer: Tom Johnson Producers: Jackson Roach and Jenny March Featuring: Jace Casey, Janice Ross Story 3: Stargate Andrew Todhunter, a writer for National Geographic, explores the underwater cave of Stargate in the Bahamas. Producers: Jackson Roach, Melina Walling Featuring: Andrew Todhunter Music and sound: "Oceans Between Us" by Maritime, "Falling" by Kamikaze Deadboy, "waiting (in the wet alley" by lost-radio, "Moon Morning" by Aymeric de Tapol, "A Million Worlds" by Andrew Odd, additional sound effects from Freesound.org and Archive.org Story 4: Breathing to Resist What if breathing could be used as a collective tool of resistance? Citizens in China show us just how they used qi gong, a healing form of breathing to empower themselves during an era of uncertainty. Writers: Katie Lan and Jenny March Producers: Katie Lan, Jenny March, Jake Warga, and Jackson Roach Featuring: Nancy Chen Story 5: Still Breathing Doctor Paul Fisher reflects on the role that breathing plays in the perception what constitutes life and death. Producers: Jett Hayward, Kate Nelson, and Jenny March Featuring: Paul Fisher Music: "Stay" by Igor Khabarov, "Three kites circling" by Axletree, "Dead Waters" by Rest You Sleeping Giant, "Harbor" by Kai Engel, "Stanford Doctor to Examine Jahi McMath" by KRON 4, "Hospital Ventilator Sound Effect | Sfx |HD" by n Beats Sound Effects

Inheritance (full episode)

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 00:35:00 +0000

In this episode, we explore inheritances’ many forms and unexpected outcomes. “You’ll hear the forgotten tales of hand-me down clothing, stories of family exploits that keep ancestors alive, how your genetic inheritance can define you...for better and for worse, and how even our values can get passed down from one generation to the next.” Host: Rosie La Puma Producers: Rosie La Puma, Luke Soon-Shiong, Hadley Reid, Jake Warga, Claudia Heymach, Christy Hartman, Annina Hanlon, Benjamin Philip Suliteanu, Jonah Willihnganz, Ethan Chua Featuring: Rosie La Puma, Deborah Wicks-La Puma, Deanna Wicks, Luke Soon-Shiong, Brooke McEver, Claudia Heymach, Marisa Heymach, Sierra Freeman, Matthew Porteus, Devon Cajuste, Amalia Saladrigas, McGregor Joyner, Emma Rothenberg Show Music: Proliferate by Podington Bear Image courtesy of Rosie La Puma Intro Story: Alice She’s over a century old, but still the size of a toddler. Meet Alice, the inherited family member that has been handed down for five generations of daughters. Producer: Rosie La Puma Featuring: Rosie La Puma, Deborah Wicks-La Puma, and Deanna Wicks Music: Proliferate by Podington Bear Story 1: The Stories We Wear An MFA art project reveals the hidden stories of inherited clothing. Producers: Luke Soon-Shiong with help from Hadley Reid and Jake Warga Featuring: Luke Soon-Shiong, Brooke McEver Music: Bensound.com Story 2: Abuelita A college student hears her late great-grandmother’s voice for the first time. Producer: Claudia Heymach Featuring: Claudia Heymach, Marisa Heymach, Rosie La Puma Music and Sound: Afterglow by Podington Bear, gunfight sound effect from Freesound (links at storytelling.stanford.edu) Story 3: We're All Okay Two siblings, one gene and a question that lasts a lifetime. Writer: Sierra Freeman Producers: Claudia Heymach, Christy Hartman, and Rosie La Puma Featuring: Sierra Freeman Music: Jackson Roach on mandolin Story 4: CRISPR-Cas9 Editing out the diseases in our genes. Producers: Claudia Heymach with help from Annina Hanlon and Rosie La Puma Featuring: Claudia Heymach and Matthew Porteus Music: Dark Waters by Podington Bear Story 5: Father to Son Stanford Football Receiver Devon Cajuste reflects on the family values passed from father to son. Producer: Rosie La Puma Featuring: Devon Cajuste Story 6: Call Me by My Old Familiar Name Three undergrads explore how loss of their fathers turned into inheritance. Producer: Benjamin Philip Suliteanu Featuring: Amalia Saladrigas, McGregor Joyner, Emma Rothenberg Music: Original scoring by McGregor Joyner

Burying (full episode)

Sat, 17 Dec 2016 20:47:00 +0000

As a society, we still maintain many ancient traditions and practices relating to the care of our dead. We invest tremendous resources and energy in maintaining cemeteries and sacred ground for the bodies of our beloved. In the face of death, we dig and scrape through dirt, mixing our emotions in with the earth. We create a grave--a hallowed space carved out for sadness and pain, but also for warmth and joy. We lay down what we carry from the person we’ve lost--the good and the bad. It doesn’t matter what we bury--a body, a feeling, or an object--we expect it to stay buried. We put it aside, and bid it farewell. And yet, when so much has changed, why do we still rely on this physical process? How can digging a hole--metaphorically or literally--help us to make sense of our loss? And what happens when things go awry? We may not like to admit it, but sometimes the grave is not a final resting place. In today’s episode, we’ll be investigating why we bury--and what happens when our attempts fail. Host: Eileen Williams Producers: Eileen Williams with help from Noelle Li Syn Chow, Kate Nelson, Yue Li, Jackson Roach, Nicole Bennett-Fite, Cathy Wong, Katie Lan, Reade Levinson, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, Jenny March, Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Naveen Kassamali, Xochitl Raine Rhodes Longstaff, Janet Voight, Barbad Golshiri, Magellan Pfluke, and the staff of Pet’s Rest Cemetery. Thanks also to Sofi Filipa, Charlie Gibson, Ben Cady, Ivy Sanders Schneider, Jackie Langelier, Kim McElwee, Marlon Antunez, Skye Mooney, Tudi Roche, Chris Gerben, Caroline Spears, Stephen Aman, Adnan Khan, Jim Yount, Milan Mosse Phil C’de Baca, Teresa Hernandez, Carlos Yuen, Ganbat Namjilsangarav, Christine Murphy, Tsogbadrakh Banzragch, Tuya Banzragch, and Keith Bildstein Show Music: Podington Bear Image via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copps_Hill_Burying_Ground_Headstones_Leaning.jpg Intro Story: Unburying Producers: Noelle Chow and Kate Nelson Featuring: Magellan Pfluke Special thanks: Xochitl Raine Rhodes Longstaff Music: Response Data, Standing Like a Tree - Part II, Doomflaffsonoria (Whale Mix by Eisenlager) Story 1: Vanishing Remains Producer: Reade Levinson Featuring: Ganbat Namjilsangarav, Christine Murphy, Tsogbadrakh and Tuya Banzragch, and Dr. Keith Bildstein Special Thanks: Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, and Generation Anthropocene Music: All ambient recorded by Reade Levinson, sound effects downloaded from FreeSound. Story 2: Pet Cemetery Producers: Yue Li, with help from Jackson Roach Featuring: Lackie Langelier, Ben Cady, Skye Mooney, Sofi Filipa, Milan Mosse (voice over for Ben Cady), Phil C’de Baca, Teresa Hernandez, Carlos Yuen Music: Alex Finch Seeking Clarity Pt. II, Ketsa Far From Home, Ketsa Clear and Present, Podington Bear Lonesome, Podington Bear Pink Gradient Story 3: The Cryonicist's Wager Producers: Nicole Bennett-Fite, Jake Warga, and Eileen Williams Featuring: Jim Yount, Acting President of the American Cryonics Society Music: Karma Ron (https://www.freesound.org/people/Karma-Ron/sounds/240624/) Story 4: Anger Box Producers: Cathy Wong, Jenny March, Jake Warga Featuring: Naveen Kassamali, Adnan Khan Music: Thread of Clouds - Blue Dot Sessions, Migration (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Migration/Thread_of_Clouds) Story 5: Unburying Iran Producers: Katie Lan, recorded with the help of Jackson Roach Featuring: Barbad Golshiri Music: Dropped Ticket by Podington Bear, Isolate by Moby Story 6: Through the Deep Producer: Kate Nelson Featuring: Dr. Janet Voight Music: Chris Zabriskie (We Were Never Meant to Live Here, Remember Trees?, The Oceans Continue to Rise), Podington Bear Story 7: Time Capsule Producers: Yue Li and Reade Levinson Featuring: Leslie Winnick and voices of Stanford's class of 2016 Music: Trellis , Golden Era, Dryness (by Podington Bear) Listen to the individual stories here: https://soundcloud.com/stateofthehuman/sets/burying

Imagining (full episode)

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 01:10:00 +0000

The mind’s ability to envision more than what is physically present in the world is an astounding fact of life. We’re always imagining, thinking, and living in our heads. Our thoughts and our imaginations shape how we see the world, they shape our words and our actions. This is nothing new. We’ve been doing this for all our lives. as far as we can remember. But that’s why we take a closer look and ask the question: how do our imagined lives shape our reality? What happens day to day at the frontier between the worlds we imagine and the worlds we inhabit. Host: Justine Beed Producers: Justine Beed and Natacha Ruck with help from Louis Lafair, Amabel Stokes, Alec Glassford, Tamu Adumer, Joshua Hoyt, Austin Meyer, Claire Schoen, Christy Hartman, Will Rogers, Albert Gehami, Jonah Willihnganz, and Jake Warga Featuring: John Rick, Tamu Adumer, Louis Lafair, Terry Root, Louie Psihoyos, WonGi Jung, Austin Meyer, Amabel Stokes, Alec Glassford, Max Whitmeyer, Nina Donaldson, Maria Doerr, Liam Bhajan, Jeffrey Abidor, Emma Fisher, Natacha Ruck, and Jackson Roach Music and Sounds: See storytelling.stanford.edu for full list of music and sounds used in this episode Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kainkalju/5894855297 Story 1: Birth of Imagination Description: What happened the first time humans used imagination to shape the world? Producers: Tamu Adumer and Natacha Ruck Featuring: Professor John Rick Image via Wikimedia: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bifa…o_(Madrid).png Story 2: One Quinoa Burger At A Time Description: Can imagination help one student tackle one of the biggest problems of our time? Producer: Louis Lafair Featuring: Terry Root and Louie Psihoyos Music: "T-Shirt Weather," "Little Dipper," "Pure Swell," "Funk," and "Boop" by Podington Bear Photo via the Stanford Review: stanfordreview.org/article/is-stan…conserve-water/ Story 3: My Imaginary Girlfriend Description: How hard can it be to break up with an imaginary girlfriend? Producer: WonGi Jung with help from Justine Beed Featuring: WonGi Jung Image via StoryNight Story 4: Double Banded Dream Description: In this story, we venture into the land of dreams and investigate how imagination can endanger reality. Producers: Austin Meyer and Joshua Hoyt Featuring: Austin Meyer Music: "Nothing Lasts" by Alexandre Desplat and "Gnossienne No. 2: Avec étonnement" and “Gynopédie No. 1”by Erik Satie Image via Wikimedia: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wedding_rings.jpg Story 5: The Periphery Description: In this story we dive deep into the head of a coffee shop vigilante and listen to her thoughts as she tries to save the day. Producers: Amabel Stokes, Justine Beed Writer: Amabel Stokes Featuring: Amabel Stokes, Alec Glassford, Max Whitmeyer, Nina Donaldson, Maria Doerr, Justine Beed, Liam Bhajan, Jeffrey Abidor, Emma Fisher, and Jackson Roach Music and Sounds: See storytelling.stanford.edu for full list of music and sounds used in this piece Image via Unsplash: unsplash.com/photos/k_RYBedEvDw

Teaching (full episode)

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 02:12:00 +0000

Teaching seems pretty straightforward: one person knows something better than someone else and teaches it to them. But there’s something important that happens to the teacher themselves. In this episode, a 3-year-old teaches his parents what he’s made of, a student defies expectations and becomes a teacher himself, teachers are surprised to learn what makes them tick, prehistoric people have to teach one of life’s hardest lessons (hint: there are llamas involved), a professor regrets a missed opportunity, and the cover of a Ghanaian newspaper does a whole lot of teaching. This week, we’re exploring how teaching shapes the teacher. Host: Kate Nelson and Hadley Reid Producers: Kate Nelson, Hadley Reid, Christy Hartman with help from Jake Warga, Will Rogers, Nina Foushee, Claire Schoen, Natacha Ruck, Joshua Hoyt, and Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Chris Andrews, Andrew Nelson, Gabe Lomeli, Madonna Riesenmy, John Kleiman, John Rick, Linda Paulson, and Emily Polk. Music used during transitions: Nick Jaina, Podington Bear, Broke for Free, Alex Fitch, Gillicuddy Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gracewong/141384577 Story 1: Training Wheels Description: When Kate’s parents set out to teach her and her brother how to ride bikes, they expected to take it step by step, using every precaution: helmets, kneepads, training wheels. What they didn’t expect was a lesson of their own. Producer: Kate Nelson Featuring: Chris Andrews and Andrew Nelson Music: Podington Bear (Ice Cream Sandwich, Bit Rio); Alex Fitch Story 2: See Me After Class Description: Gabriel Lomeli didn’t look like your typical A+ student. Problem was, he was getting A+’s. In this story, we follow Gabe as he reconciles others’ expectations with his own ambitions and achievements. Producer: Eileen Williams and Emmerich Anklam Featuring: Gabriel Francisco Lomeli, Junior Sounds: 76288__timbre__dramatic-violin-stab-long-decay Music: Kai Engel; Broke for Free (Golden Hour, Heart Ache, Something Old, And And, Something Elated) Story 3: The Power of Teaching Description: Professor Madonna Riesenmy was curious about what motivates teachers and decided to investigate. But other teachers weren’t too happy to hear about her findings. To be honest, we’re not quite sure how we feel about them, either. Producer: Emma Heath with help from Christy Hartman and Hadley Reid Featuring: Jonathan Kleiman, Madonna Riesenmy Music: Podington Bear (Caravan, Jettisoned), The Losers Story 4: Expulsion of the Yearlings Description: Stanford Anthropologist John Rick takes us to the highlands of Peru to discuss the impact of teaching at it’s most fundamental level. Producer: Jacob Wolf with help from Hadley Reid Featuring: John Rick Sounds: blouhond, 15050_Francois, kurono01, damiananache, felix.blume, JohnsonBrandEditing, sardan1972 Music: Original Scoring by Christina Galisatus Story 5: Tales from the RF Apartment Description: Linda Paulson is a Stanford faculty member who lives with eighty-eight teenagers in a freshman dorm. A late night knock at her door takes on new meaning years later. Producer: Vanna Tran with help from Kate Nelson Featuring: Linda Paulson Music: Alex Fitch (We Call this Home, Secret Place); Chris Zabriskie (Cylinder Six, It’s Always Too Late to Start Over); Broke for Free (Love is Not) Story 6: Just a Little Bit of Sweat Description: Emily Polk went to Buduburam refugee camp to teach journalism. But one newspaper photo ended up teaching the most memorable lesson of all. Producer: Hadley Reid Featuring: Emily Polk Music: Gillicuddy (Fudge, A Garden and a Rose ) Martin R, Original music by Man of Suit (Breathing Rhythm, Diagnosis)

Losing (full episode)

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 01:30:00 +0000

When you lose something, there’s an emptiness, a hole, where that something used to be. And you have to figure out a way to keep living your life with that loss. Even though the emptiness will always be there, what can be gained from trying to fill it? What can be gained from losing? This episode has four stories about people who lose something, and then look for new things to fill the emptiness. A lifelong dream gets derailed by a butterfly knife, an athlete’s passion for her sport crumbles after an injury, a girl searches for something she isn’t really sure she wants to find, and a woman slowly loses her ability to hear. Host: Jackson Roach Producers: Jackson Roach, with help from Jonathan Kleiman, Will Rogers, Nina Foushee, Jake Warga, Christy Hartman, Claire Schoen and Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Owen O Súilleabháin, Gabriel Lomeli, Amabel Stokes, Julia Berkson, Mitch Berkson, Olivia Berkson, Claire Richards, Daniela Roop, Jody Louise Music: All music in this episode originally composed by Owen Ó Súilleabháin Story 1: Hole-Hearted Description: When a policeman stopped Gabe Lomeli on the street, he thought he had nothing to hide, but that one interaction would shift the course of his dreams. Producer: Maddie Chang with help from Will Rogers Featuring: Gabriel Lomeli Story 2: Getting Off Track Description: As a successful track athlete, Amabel Stokes has crossed many finish lines. In this story, she learns to move beyond the red tape. Producer: Justine Beed Featuring: Amabel Stokes Story 3: An Eventful Brunch Description: A lovely meal in a small mountain villa is interrupted by a stumbling man with his hand tight against his stomach. Everyone spends the rest of the morning frantically searching for something they’re not sure they want to find. Produced by: Maddy Berkson with help from Nina Foushee, Jackson Roach, and Jonathan Kleiman. Featuring: Julia Berkson, Mitch Berkson, Olivia Berkson, Claire Richards, Daniela Roop Story 4: Forgiveness Description: Dr. Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, shares his story of loss, and how he learned to move forward. Producer: Jake Warga, Emma Heath, Jon Kleiman Featuring: Dr. Fred Luskin Story 5: Sound by Sound Description: In her twenties, Jody Louise started to lose her hearing, and her doctors couldn’t figure out why. Producer: Jackson Roach with help from Maya Lorey Featuring: Jody Louise

Secret-Keeping (full episode)

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 03:15:00 +0000

Nearly three decades ago, Psychologist James Pennebaker discovered a shocking correlation between secrets and health outcomes - that people who kept more secrets were dealing with more health issues. Today, secrets are generally considered bad. But in today’s episode, we’re going to discuss creative secret keepers. These people use secrets to form relationships, to explore worlds they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access, even to build new lives for themselves until - well - the secret’s out. Today we’ll explore what opportunities open up when someone keeps a secret, and what happens when that secret is revealed. Host: Chelsea Davis Producers: Rosie La Puma, Eileen Williams, Will Rogers, Claire Schoen, and Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: James Pennebaker, Jackie Chan and Justin Krasner-Karpen. Thanks also to Preet Kaur, Natacha Ruck, Joshua Hoyt, Tess McCarthy, Alexander Muscat, Lilly Gill, Shara Tonn, Dustin Dienhart, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga. Music used during transitions: Podington Bear, Revolution Void Image via Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/3292777771/

Healing (full episode)

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 02:25:00 +0000

We’ve come to think of healing in mechanical terms, as repairing something broken, like fixing a flat tire. But for most of human history healing has meant more than repairing the body. Healing has meant restoring a sense of wholeness to a person—or even a relationship or community. In today’s show we’ll hear two stories that explore this older sense of healing. First, a Bay Area woman diagnosed with breast cancer finds healing through a complementary medicine modality at Stanford Hospital called Healing Touch. Second, a Stanford student living with an incurable disease finds healing in an encounter with the ocean and one of its creatures. How do we heal when our bodies are irrevocably changed? Host: Preet Kaur Producers: Bonnie Swift, Christy Hartman, Taylor Shoolery, Preet Kaur, Alka Nath, Will Rogers, Julie Morrison, Mallory Smith, Natacha Ruck, Claire Schoen, Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Preet Kaur, Carolyn Helmke, Catherine Palter, Melissa Anderson, Rosa Fuerte, Marilyn Getas-Byrne, Anne Proctor, Laura Pexton, Margot Baker, David Wolf, Maggie Burgett, Maria Cacho, Katie Talamantez, Elizabeth Helms, Diane Wardell, Sue Kegal, Jim Batterson, Margaret Schink, and Mallory Smith Image via The Archeological Museum of Piraeus

Believing (full episode)

Tue, 10 Mar 2015 21:43:00 +0000

In this show, we are talking about a very special kind of belief—belief in something. Often considered a defining human characteristic, like language, belief shapes our lives. We put our confidence in something that is unseen; we understand the world in terms of a bigger, unknowable framework. This ability may not be unique to humans, but it does appear to be a very special talent. Today, we want to find out what this specific type of believing means for our lives. How are we changed by belief? What does it do to us? Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically: what can believing do? Host: Eileen Williams Producers: Eileen Williams, Rosie La Puma, Will Rogers, Claire Schoen, and Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Beth Duff-Brown, Krista Tippett, and Carol Dweck. Thanks also to Lora Kelley, Louis Lafair, Sonia Gonzalez, Natacha Ruck, Madeleine Chang, and Lisa Hicks. Music used during transitions: Broke for Free (XXV, A Beautiful Life) Image via Wikimedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Airplane_Window_View_6_2013-04-01.jpg

Promising (full episode)

Wed, 16 Jul 2014 14:38:00 +0000

Promises can be made about almost anything. From promising to be a knight of God, to promising to talk about sex... to promising to stay together until death do us part. In this show, eight different promises are made. Some are kept, many are broken. But every broken, these promises changed something. Because even a failed promise has the power to change the world. Host: Nina Foushee Producers: Nina Foushee, Hadley Reid, Christy Hartman Featuring: Nina Foushee, Will Hamilton, Liz Matus, Professor Jorah Dannenberg, Hadley Reid, Don Reid, Holly Russell, and Matt Rothe Music used during transitions: Chris Zabriskie, Kevin Macleod, A Smile For Timbuctu, The Kyoto Connection photo via flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/23733274@N06/14178850322/

Control: The Stanford Prison Experiment (full episode)

Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:24:00 +0000

In 1971, Dr. Philip Zimbardo created a mock prison in the basement of Jordan Hall, the psychology building at Stanford. Mentally healthy college students were randomly assigned the roles of prisoner and guard. Dr. Zimbardo was trying to test how situations control human behavior, but within days, the situation spun out of control. In this special episode, Drs. Philip Zimbardo and Christina Maslach tell the story of what ended up being one of the most infamous psychology studies in history - where young, mentally healthy participants turned brutal and desperate in only a few days. You'll learn surprising details of what inspired the Stanford Prison Experiment and how it ended, and hear how the experiment helped contribute to understanding the relationship between individuals and the situations they find themselves in. Note: The original version of this episode mis-identified the location of the pilot study that inspired the Prison Experiment. The Stanford Storytelling Project regrets this error. Featuring: Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Dr. Christina Maslach Host: Bojan Srbinovski Produced by: Rachel Hamburg, Bojan Srbinovski, Mischa Shoni, Charlie Mintz Interviews conducted by: Bojan Srbinovski, Natacha Ruck, Victoria Hurst Additional production help from:Justine Beed, Kate Nelson, Will Rogers Original Music by Rob Voigt Other music: Chris Zabriskie, Billy Gomberg, Gillicuddy, Tearpalm Audio clips of the Stanford and Toyon Prison Experiments are from The Philip G. Zimbardo Papers at the Stanford University Archives. News clip credit: http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/april-30-2004-abu-ghraib-prison-scandal-9120643 Photo credit: Chuck Painter

Datafying (full episode)

Tue, 17 Jun 2014 23:45:00 +0000

Today, we generate data with every mouse click, phone call, and even every breath. This week on State of the Human, you'll hear about how an 18th century historian, a poet, a computer scientist, a composer, and a mysterious future being are all trying to interpret that data to understand something about the human experience. We're asking: what do we learn from seeing ourselves as data? And what is lost in translation? Host: Kate Nelson Producers: Rachel Hamburg, Miles S, Charlie Mintz, Kate Nelson, Rosie La Puma Featuring: Dr. Daniel Rosenberg, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jonathan Berger, Raven Jiang, Alec Glassford Music used during transitions: Aboombong (Drag Along Behind), Chuzausen, Koona (Starkey), Kai Engel Story 1: Straws on the River of Time Description: Joseph Priestley was an 18th Renaissance man who helped discover oxygen. But he also invented something: the Chart of Biography. Here’s why he shouldn’t get too much credit for doing either of those things. It’s a story about one of the first times that people were turned into data. Producers: Jess Peterson and Charlie Mintz Featuring: Dr. Dan Rosenberg Music: Jared C Balogh, Ergo Phizmiz, Dexter Britain, and Circus Marcus. Story 2: Exposed Description: Kyle is on a mission to scrape every last piece of his data off the internet. He’s devoted to navigating cyberspace without leaving a trace - but privacy has a cost. Producers: Niuniu Teo and Charlie Mintz Featuring: Haha, like we’d tell you Music: Rod Hamilton (Bird); Pork Secret (Cool Crocs); Podington Bear (Operatives, Clouds Pass Softly); Marcel Pequel (Seven) Story 3: The Stories that Feed Us Description: Naomi Shihab Nye is a novelist, songwriter, and wandering poet. She tells a story about staring at people on planes, and how googling strangers can lead to a bigger life. Producers: Justine Beed, Jack Dewey, and Will Rogers Featuring: Naomi Shihab Nye Music: Podington Bear Story 4: Breathing Data Link to Image: composition Description: Jonathan Berger, a composer, teams up with a radiologist who needs to figure out a way to help calm anxious patients. His solution - have patients listen to their own data. Producer: Kate Nelson Featuring: Dr. Jonathan Berger Music: Advent Chamber Orchestra, SJ Mellia, deef, Plurabelle, ZOE.LEELA, Gustav Landin Sounds?: Coffee Shop, Deep Breath Story 5: A Single Lifetime Description: A new consciousness has just emerged - a product of all data and the interactions between it. That consciousness exists as a detached force, until falling in love teaches it to be human. Producer: Alec Glassford and Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Alec Glassford, Raven Jiang Music: YACHT (Ring the Bell (Instrumental), The Afterlife), Podington Bear (Rythn), The Shivers (Kisses, Only Mine)

Belonging (full episode)

Sat, 31 May 2014 01:46:00 +0000

Sometimes you’re in your own country, your own home, and you know in your bones you don’t belong. That feeling pushes you to change something. This week we bring you four stories of people who don’t quite belong in the world where they live, and who take matters in their own hands to construct their own belonging. A very young girl finds a sense of belonging while running away from an angry mob. A student creates a bridge between the Jewish and Irish sides of her family. Seven gender-defying divas share what it means to belong to yourself. And a young man discovers how to prove you belong, when the numbers are against you. Host: Leslie Nguyen-Okwu Producers: Will Rogers and Natacha Ruck Featuring: Justine Beed, Carla Lewis, Eileen Williams, Josh Hoyt, Winona Azure, Raya Light, Macy Rodman, Peaches Christ, Alexis Blair Penney, Heklina, Sissy Spastik, Mathu Andersen, and Cher Noble. photo via flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ganesha_isis/4439563089 Music used during transitions: Welcome Wizard, Monk Turner, Johnny Ripper, Zachary Cale, Mighty Moon, & Ethan Schmid, Blue Ducks

Beyond Human (full episode)

Mon, 19 May 2014 00:44:00 +0000

Humans aren’t the fastest or strongest animal, but we do make the best tools. From plows to pacemakers, we’ve always used technology to transcend our human limits. This week, we ask how far that project can go. We’ll tell you how the first farmers in history transcended the limits of meat and muscle, only to create a very different kind of boundary. And we’ll present the story of two scientists excited to leave their human skin behind. Also, the story of a man who cannot walk, but who can fly; why PCs can be our friends; and finally, robot phenomenology. Host: Mischa Shoni Producers: Charlie Mintz, Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Ian Morris, Byron Reeves, BJ Fogg, Edward Maibach, Shyam Sundar, Laurie Mason, Henry Evans, Jackson Roach Music used during transitions: Fabrizio Paterlini (Veloma); Gillicuddy (Porthlaze Glove); Podington Bear (Delphi); Latché Swing (Hungaria) image via flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/1080p/2421386153 For more information, visit storytelling.stanford.edu Intro Story: Feeding Back Into Us After the last ice age, we humans moved from hunting and gathering to farming. With the plow, farming became a whole lot easier -- but there was a dark side too. Producer: Charlie Mintz, Bojan Srbinovski Featuring: Ian Morris Music: Broke For Free (Night Owl, The Gold Lining, Only Knows); Wilted Woman (Turing); Podington Bear (Dole It Out,); Black Hoods (Talking Cure) Story 1: Robots Are My Freedom As an adult, Henry Evans suffered a medical trauma that left him paralyzed and unable to speak. Then the second half of his life began. Producers: Eileen Williams, Miles S. Featuring: Henry Evans Links: Robots For Humanity Music: Broke For Free (My Always Mood,One And, Budding); Audionautix (Atlantis) Story 2: With 18 Arms And Compound Eyes A scientist visits a relative in the hospital and finds the best available cures lacking. He and a partner go to work at the next frontier of medicine. They wind up bumping into the question of what makes us human. Producer: Jack Dewey, Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Xander Honkala, Andre Watson Links: Ligandal Music: Podington Bear Christian Bjoerklund Rolemusic Story 3: Sympathy For The Dell This story is a tribute to the late Stanford professor Clifford Nass. Friends and colleagues described him as one of the most human humans you could ever meet. He discovered ways that computers can be human too, and one consequence of that research is coming to a hospital near you. Producers: Charlie Mintz, Josh Hoyt Featuring: Clifford Nass, Byron Reeves, BJ Fogg, Laurie Mason, Edward Maibach, Shyam Sundar, Chris Corio Link: Engineered Care Music: Podington Bear (Lake Victoria, Formless) Broke For Free (Note Drop, Like Swimming, Luminous, Blown Out, One And); memotone (This Is The Room, Fractal, Sleeping With the Insects) ; 2ndMOUSE (Arc Reactor); Audionautix (Namaste) Story 4: The Simulation Deck A radio play about the strawberry-sized gap between humans and machines. Producer: Jackson Roach Featuring: Andrew Brassel, Matthew Libby. Links: Robot voice created by Cepstral Voices.

Joking (full episode)

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:36:00 +0000

When we joke with our friends, our coworkers and our family, it’s not just about hearing them laugh. More often than not we’re looking for something beyond laughter. We’re after acceptance, bonding, release, shaming… and sometimes even more. This week on State of the Human we’re investigating how people use joking to create new realities for themselves and the people around them. We have six stories, exploring the way jokes, pranks, and even puns can change our lives. We’ll hear stories from stand up comedian Tig Notaro and humor theorist Marvin Diogenes, and we’ll travel from Stanford’s cafeterias to the presidential suite on Air Force One. We’ll hear stories about how jokes can help us and synchronize our minds, stare cancer in the face and make us question our humanity along with everything we take for granted. And also, we'll laugh a lot. Producers: Natacha Ruck and Nina Foushee Featuring: Rosie La Puma, Jackson Roach, Nina Foushee, Miles S., Justine Beed, Charlie Mintz, Ken Grobe, Lora Kelley, Marvin Diogenes, David Demarest, Sam Roach, Jay Roach, the La Puma family, Claire Slattery, Nathaniel Nelson, Reggie Watts, and Tig Notaro.

Returning Home (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 19:22:00 +0000

What is it like to be a student who has fought in a war? In this episode, six Stanford students and recent alumni, all veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tell their stories. With thoughtfulness, humor, and stone cold honesty, they share with us their decision to join, their experiences in boot camp, living and fighting in Iraq, and their eventual return home to civilian and student life. This is your chance to listen. Producers: Xandra Clark and Natacha Ruck Hosts: Natacha Ruck and Xandra Clark Featuring: Dustin Barfield, Chris Clark, Josh Francis, Annie Hsieh, Heidi Toll, Russ Toll, and William Treseder Music and scoring by Eoin Callery More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/327-episode-408-returning-home.html more info about this episode here: http://bit.ly/sspveterans In April 2013, this story won The General Oliver P. Smith Award from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. More info about the award here: http://www.marineheritage.org/Awards.asp Warning: this episode contains explicit language

Resilience (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:08:00 +0000

Almost 100 years ago, a rogue geologist named Alfred Wegener proposed his theory of continental drift. It didn't matter that he was right. He was laughed off the stage. And even though he spent the rest of his career proving his theory, he died unknown. But eventually the theory of continental drift was accepted. Talk about resilience. That's our theme this week and we have ﬁve stories of people discovering resilience and how to become resilient. In Wegenerʼs day, people thought character was like the continents, ﬁxed. Either you were a resilient person or you werenʼt. Today we know we can cultivate resilience. We can all become Wegeners. Producer: Jonah Willihnganz Featuring: Jessica Talbert, Jordan Raymond, Michelle Powers, Adina Glickman, Michael Zeligs, Jane Reynolds More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/245-episode-401-resilience.html

Seeing Ourselves (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:05:00 +0000

Since the days of Narcissus and the looking pool, we've known there's a danger in seeing ourselves. There's a possibility of caring too much, or seeing something we don't want to see. But that hasn't stopped humans from trying to see more and more. Today we have more ways to see ourselves than ever before. So it's time to take a look at looking. What do we want to see, and what do we do with that information? Today on our show, four stories of people who tried to see themselves clearly. A woman views her genetic proﬁle, and learns why her tendency towards depression might be an asset. A true mirror--one that doesn't reverse your image--is deployed on Stanford students. A personality test called the Meyers Briggs proﬁle is taken to the max. And a girl explains her point system that lets her keep track of exactly how people feel about her. Producer: Jonah Willihnganz Host: Xandra Clark Featuring: Daniel Steinbock, Lone Frank, Colleen Caleshu, Hank Greely, John Nantz, Rachel Hamburg, Xandra Clark, Iris Clayter, Christy Hartman, and Alexzandra Scully More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/263-episode-402-seeing-ourselves.html

How to Give (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 10:03:00 +0000

This week on our show, four stories of giving. First, it's a story about a charity fundraiser, and the woman who comes to question why fundraisers even exist. Then it's the story of a t-shirt entrepreneur's attempt to send one million shirts to Africa. Third, it's two interviews with people who had to decide if they were willing to donate bone marrow. Last, the story of Odyssey Works, a group of artists that create works of art for a single person. Producer: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Rachel Hamburg, Will Rogers, Jason Sadler, Saundra Schimmelpfennig, TMS Ruge, Nick Hartley, Mandeep Gill, Kristina Kulin, Abraham Burickson, and Jen Harmon More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/265-episode-403-how-to-give.html

Learning to Lie (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:56:00 +0000

When asked what trait they want to instill in their children, most parents answer “honesty.” But in truth, learning to lie is a crucial part of childhood. This week, we take a deep look at how and why we learn to lie, and what lying does to you. Our first story investigates the most common lie of the western world and how it ushers us into the world of lies. Our second story is about the irrepressible urge to tell the truth, and our third and final story is about lying as a form of love. Producer: Natacha Ruck Featuring: Joshua Hoyt, Victoria Hurst, Poncie Rutsch, Christy Hartman, Dana Kletter, Dr. Gail Heyman, Dr. Karl Rosengren, Anish Mitra, Ian Girard, Rebekah Morreale, and Ashley Artmann. More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/301-episode-405-lying.html

In Between (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:45:00 +0000

We all come from somewhere—and then life happens. In college maybe more than anywhere else, you're stuck between two worlds. This week on our show, the story of the Chi Theta Chi co-op, one of the most unusual houses at Stanford, and its residents' fight to preserve their independence from the university. Plus a story of animals being trained to act, a near death experience, and other tales of liminality. Producer: Charlie Mintz Host: Natacha Ruck Featuring: Sam CC, Abel Allison, Elif Tasar, Gerad Hanono, Adam Pearson, Nathaniel Nelson, Deborah Golder, and Logan Hehn music by Mississippi John Hurt, Colleen, The Norskadelen Trio, Anaïs Mitchell More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/309-episode-406-in-between.html

Haunting (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:43:00 +0000

October is full of ghosts, but in our show we will not be talking about little kids who wear white sheets. We're embracing the unseen, and talking about haunting: how things we can't see nonetheless press upon us, affect our choices, our actions, and sometimes even our beliefs. We'll be talking about the ghosts that inhabit California's highways, about a spirit who is very hungry, about the ghosts of our past selves that persist inside each of us, and finally, we'll bring you "What Can Be Named," the story of a young man haunted by a country. Producers: Rachel Hamburg and Christy Hartman Host: Christy Hartman Featuring: Dr. Nicholas Jenkins, Dong-Nghi Huynh, Dr. Joshua Landy, Nina Foushee Music: California Ramblers, Neuroleptic Trio, Coda, Sunhiilow, Dan Friel, Broken Gadget, Zoë Lidstrom, Carnivorous Snowflake, Gist, Jason Marey,Owen Callery and Silvio Rodriguez. More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/329-episode-407-haunting.html

Questing (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:42:00 +0000

Whether or not there's a cape, a sword, or a noble steed involved, we all go on quests. We leave the comforts and routines of ordinary life in search of a light that hovers just beyond the horizon. In the old days, it was a better trade route, a new world, the holy grail. It's much the same today. But what is it about the quest that makes it so different from merely reaching for a goal? And what makes it worth leaving everything else behind? In this episode, a girl named Rachel searches the world in a quest for her holy grail. Accompanying her is an academic all-star named Bobby, who is questing for certain kind of community. In our last piece, a film editor named Giusepi goes on a quest around America for a better way to serve people. Producers: Rachel Hamburg and Sophia Paliza Host: Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Bobby Holley, Daniela Bize, Guisepi the Tea Guy Music: Cam Deas, Black Twig and Steve Gunn, Fred van Eps, Victor Herbert Orchestra, James Blackshaw, Loren MazzaCane Connors, The Oo-Ray, Broke for Free, and Phil Reavis More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/345-episode-409-questing.html

Listening (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:41:00 +0000

Listening is way more than just paying attention, and this week's show explores how. To find out just what listening can do to us, we eavesdrop with a cochlear implant, learn what crying babies teach us about music, find out how silence can be full, how God enters our thoughts, and ask what a single moment of being listened to can achieve. We're finding out what happens when we listen to sounds we never expected to, when we take our listening where it's never been. Host/Producer: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Professor Tanya Luhrmann, Professor Jonathan Berger, Musikilu Mojeed , Rachel Kolb, Eoin Callery, D'or Seifer, Daniel Steinbock What is so piercing about a baby's cry? Why can't we ignore it? We were curious what makes us listen, and we ended up learning why we like music. More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/355-episode-410-listening.html

Breaking into Song (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:40:00 +0000

Sometimes, the only way to voice our feelings is to break into song. We’re not just talking about singing, we’re talking about that surprising moment - when melody, lyrics, and pure emotion swell inside us. When we have no choice but to open our mouths and let our voices soar. In that moment, our own voice escapes us and ventures into the world with what seems like a mind of its own. We hear ourselves like we never have. Others hear us too, and the results can be life-changing - for the better and for the worse. In our first story, we find out what really happens when you open your heart and break into song for the girl who may (or may not be) the one. In our second story, we explore what it takes to lend your voice to others, and break into song for them, whatever the consequences may be. In our third story, we go to France, to find out what happens when two lifelong enemies break into song together. Producers: Natacha Ruck and Victoria Hurst Host: Victoria Hurst Featuring: Lecturer Wendy Goldberg, Danny Smith, Chris Worth, Andi Harrington, Jared Muirhead and Natacha Ruck Music: Sweet Thang by Shuggie Otis , The Concubine by Beirut More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/375-episode-411-breaking-into-song.html

Obsession (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:38:00 +0000

This week on State of the Human, we're looking at obsessions, the helpful and the debilitating. We've got four stories of people battling unwanted thoughts. A philosopher who is disgusted at the sight of food, battles his fears with the help of an obsession. A new father is obsessed with the thought that he's not feeling enough. An essayist finds that unwanted thoughts manifest in surprising ways. And Stanford athletes remind us that obsession helps you win at sports. Host/Producer: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Professor Elias Aboujaoude, Maria Hummel, Jon Kleiman, Nick DiBella, Kristian Ipsen, and Helena Scutt Music: Anitek, Kevin MacLeod More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/383-episode-413-obsession.html

Wildness (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:38:00 +0000

When is wildness on our side, and when does it have to be eliminated? We’re not be talking about wilderness but wildness. We examine wildness as both a place of terror and a place to find meaning. And, as you’ll hear later, we don’t have to go into nature to find it. We’ll hear a story about what happens when you venture into nature for the first time. We’ll hear from a graduate student who holds some nontraditional ideas about his clothing and is a modern day outlaw because of it. We’ll introduce you to someone who studied Muay Tai in a gritty gym in Oakland. He has to be wild, right? We meet a wilderness rites of passage guide who tells us what happens when we don’t have elders, and finally, we’ll meet Tea. She may or may not raise wolves. Hosts/Producers: Christy Hartman and Joshua Hoyt Featured: Andrew Forsthoefel, Dr. Richard White, Andrew Todhunter, Osvaldo Murro, Mason Alford, "Jordan," Annalise Lockhart, Liam Purvis, Darlene Franklin, Martin Shaw, Melina Lopez, Teresa Yammamoto, Joshua Hoyt Music: Ian Brown, Monk Turner and Fascinoma, Gasnoprod More info at: http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season-4/379-episode-412-wildness.html

Seeing in the Dark (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:36:00 +0000

This week on State of the Human, we're hearing stories about people whose vision changed, first throwing them in the dark, then revealing something new. When the lights go out, at first we can’t see anything, but eventually our eyes adjust. We slowly begin to see again, but the world looks a little bit different than it did before. This week, we’ve got four stories about people who learn to see in a new way after finding themselves in different kinds of darkness. A young kid has a superpower to see things no one else can see, but then he loses that ability. A mythologist embarks on a retreat in darkness on a mountain in Wales. An art student learns to see the human body in a new way. And an Oxford University student finds himself, unexpectedly, in darkness.
Producers: Xandra Clark and Sophia Paliza Host: Xandra Clark
Featuring: Martin Lowenthal, Martin Shaw, Lauren YoungSmith, Ala Ebtekar, Tom Skelton, Dougie Walker Original music: John Hollywood

Recovery (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:35:00 +0000

Recovery can be pretty straightforward - you take medicine, you sleep, you wait. But sometimes getting back on your feet requires a radical act. The stories in this show are about those acts: people who have to do something surprising in order to recover.
Producers: Rachel Hamburg and Xandra Clark Host: Sophia Paliza
Featuring: Zubair Ahmed, Ryoko Hamaguchi, Lucas Loredo, Carlos Loredo, Nina Foushee, and Greg Wrenn Music: Steffen Basho-Junghans, Podington Bear, Nic Bommarito, Matt Baldwin, Gillicuddy, Augustus Bro and Gallery Six, The OO-Ray, Candlegravity, Alright lover

Storytelling (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:32:00 +0000

We can't live without stories, so today on State of the Human, we're investigating what stories do to us and for us. When are we in control of our story? When does our story control us? We explore these questions with four stories. First, a woman is asked to come up with a story that will create life. Then, Buffalo Bill creates another kind of story: the American cowboy. Next, a cancer patient finds a new story. After this, children go beyond telling stories, and become them. Finally, two children look into strangers' houses and see stories.
Hosts/Producers: Christy Hartman, Charlie Mintz
Featuring: Nina Foushee, Richard White, Jess Peterson, Terri Wingham, Beth Wise, Jackson Roach, Tom Kealey Music: Los Amparito, Podington Bear, Thiaz Itch, Jared Balogh, Plurabelle, Ry-Man

Crisis (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:28:00 +0000

Crises can take many shapes, from earthquakes, to chest pain… to a strange absence of strawberry blonde creatures in the forests of the Dominican Republic. In this show, four very different crises appear at four very different scales, affecting a person, a species, a city, and a human body. In each story, there is no emergency procedure, no obvious way out, and one person must make a choice: what are they going to save, and what are they going to sacrifice?
Producers: Rachel Hamburg and Will Rogers Host: Rosie la Puma Featuring: Meg Smaker, César Avril, Nicolás Corona, Simon Winchester, Julian Lozos
Music used during transitions: Chuzausen, Gustav Landin

The Human Voice (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:07:00 +0000

The human voice was once considered sacred. Priests and shamans would speak into ceremonial vessels made to preserve its magic. But now every Tom, Dick and Sally vibrates air like they're scratching their elbow. In this show, we try to make the voice weird again. We hear how one voice transforms its owner when he starts speaking a new language. We also hear about a parakeet who speaks like a deceased grandmother, a young man who makes a sound that bafﬂes his neighbors, and the future of synthesized speech. Plus a story about lipreading that's guaranteed to make you pay a lot more attention, from here on out, to mouths.
Producer: Charlie Mintz, Will Rogers, Rachel Hamburg Host: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Claire Woodard, Rob Ryan, Rachel Kolb, Bronwyn Reed, Clifford Nass

Space Craft (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:06:00 +0000

Unless you're a hermit living under a rock, you almost certainly spend your days passing in and out of spaces crafted for human use. You leave a bedroom designed for sleeping and go to a bathroom designed for washing and... you know. You enter an office designed for working or a store designed for buying. It's easy to forget just how much the space we're in shapes us. So this week's show is a cold-water, slap on the face, static-electric jolt reminder of just how powerfully spaces can affect the way we think and act. We have stories about paranoia in an outhouse, ghosts in an abandoned building, conformity at the mall, creativity in the classroom, memories in an apartment, and the space that separates us from everyone else, until it doesn't.
Producers: Rachel Hamburg, Charlie Mintz Host: Rachel Hamburg Featuring: Alexis Petty, Larry Leifer, Kai Carlson-Wee, Chelsey Little, Aaron Thayer

Barking up the Wrong Tree (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:04:00 +0000

Have you ever kept pursuing an idea even when everyone else told you it was wrong? So have most of us. There's no doubt about it, as a species, we've got a lot of conviction. But conviction can also lead to years spent howling on a cliff covered in rattlesnakes in the middle of a swamp, searching for Bigfoot. It can lead you to ride a motorcycle into the dangerous, illegal gold mining camps of Peru. It can make you stay in a relationship that doesn't make you happy. And finally, it can make you vote for one of the most absurd, offensive, and hilarious mascots to almost ever exist: the Stanford Robberbarons. On this week's episode, stories about barking up the wrong tree.
Producers: Rachel Hamburg, Jane Reynolds, Xandra Clark Host: Xandra Clark Featuring: Mike Greene, Katy Ashe, Christina Ho, Yaa Gyasi, Jerry Lee, Glen Davis, Lee Rosenbaum, Vlae Kershner, Bob Ottilie, Chris Gray

Trial and Error (full episode)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 09:02:00 +0000

Firsthand, empirical knowledge is a way of knowing we modern humans have gotten away from. The atomic number of carbon, the height of Mt. Kilimanjaro, how ant colonies work--these are things most of us never figure out ourselves. And fortunately, we don't have to. Yet, on that tricky matter of how to be a human, how to live well, what to do with ourselves, we are left all alone. There's no blueprint, no roadmap. We have to figure it out ourselves. Today on our show, three stories of people doing just that--making mistakes to learn how to live. First, a graduate student comes to a professor with a problem involving men. How does she solve it? Trial and error. Next, a story about a drastic case of trial and error, trepanation, the drilling of a hole in the skull. Last, the story of one man who spent fifteen years trying to believe something he just didn't know if he could believe. Who succeeds? Who fails? And was it worth it? Producers: Charlie Mintz, Xandra Clark, Will Rogers Host: Charlie Mintz Featuring: Professor John Krumboltz, Pankaj Tandon, Galen Menzel More info at:http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/index.php/shows/season3/215-episode-313-trial-and-error.html

State of the Human

Untethered: Why We Run

Untethered: When the Lights Turn Green

Play: Pioneer

Play: Missing Pieces

Play: Adesuwa's Day Off

Invisibility, Story 6: The Cancer Fighter's Other Side

Invisibility, Story 5: Hillbilly Highway

Invisibility, Story 4: Willies on West 79th

Invisibility, Story 3: Mousetraps

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Langston Buddenhagen on New Flowers

Invisibility, Story 2, New Flowers

Invisibility, Story 1: Emotional Prosody

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Alex Strong on A Foot in Both Worlds

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (BLEEPED Version)

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (UNBLEEPED Version)

Breaking the Rules, Story 2: Scaling Stanford

Breaking the Rules, Story 1: Statute of Limitations

Nakedness, story 4: Naked Retreat

Nakedness, Story 3: Okay With the Gay

Nakedness, story 2: Stripping Down

Nakedness, story 1: Exposure Therapy

Reclaiming, story 8: Back to the Garden

Reclaiming, story 7: Orca Boy

Reclaiming, story 6: Friends in Liminal Spaces

Reclaiming, story 5: Welcome to Paradise

Reclaiming, story 4: Tattoos and Taboos

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Kaitlyn Auth and Charlie Darracott on Keep Stanford Wrestling

Reclaiming, story 3: Keep Stanford Wrestling

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Aru Nair on Journey Through Generations

Reclaiming, story 2: Journey Through Generations

Reclaiming, story 1: Home is Little Tokyo

Feeding (Full Episode)

Gathering (full episode)

Preserving (full episode)

Learning Medicine (full episode)

Materializing (full episode)

Dying (full episode)

Mythologizing (full episode)

Solitude (full episode)

Broadcasting (full episode)

Naming (full episode)

Survival (full episode)

Speculation (full episode)

Caretaking (full episode)

​Immigrating: Crossings (full episode, part 1 of theme)

Immigrating: Conversations (full episode, part 2 of theme)

Crashing (full episode)

Navigating (full episode)

Breathing (full episode)

Inheritance (full episode)

Burying (full episode)

Imagining (full episode)

Teaching (full episode)

Losing (full episode)

Secret-Keeping (full episode)

Healing (full episode)

Believing (full episode)

Promising (full episode)

Control: The Stanford Prison Experiment (full episode)

Datafying (full episode)

Belonging (full episode)

Beyond Human (full episode)

Joking (full episode)

Returning Home (full episode)

Resilience (full episode)

Seeing Ourselves (full episode)

How to Give (full episode)

Learning to Lie (full episode)

In Between (full episode)

Haunting (full episode)

Questing (full episode)

Listening (full episode)

Breaking into Song (full episode)

Obsession (full episode)

Wildness (full episode)

Seeing in the Dark (full episode)

Recovery (full episode)

Storytelling (full episode)

Crisis (full episode)

Immigrating: Crossings (full episode, part 1 of theme)