Speak Freely

Sometimes the normal words just don’t work, and we need to figure out an entirely new way of talking. This episode presents a story on Esperanto, the international language that could-have-been-and-might-yet-still-become, followed by a short story by Suzanne Rivecca.

Producers: Micah Cratty
Producers: Bonnie Swift and Jonah Willihnganz
Featuring: Micah Cratty, Ben Savage, David Heyman, Nate Solon, Suzanne Rivecca
Music: Kissing Johnny, DJ Danny Glover, Julian Wass
URL: Storytelling Project’s interview with Suzanne Rivecca

Release Date: 10 December 2007

 

Story 1: Esperanto, The Potentially Global Language

Maybe English isn’t the best language for the whole world… and maybe Esperanto, an artificially constructed language, is.

Producers: Ben Savage, David Heyman, Nate Solon

 

Story 2: “It Sounds Like You’re Feeling”

A woman discovering that the standardized language of mental health counseling just does not suffice. Short fiction by Suzanne Rivecca.

story 1 image via flickr | story 2 image via flickr


You Are What You Eat

This special episode features three documentary stories about the ways in which, as the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.” The modern industry of food, the ritual of eating, and the politics of agricultural production. You’ll hear about how long a twinkie can last, and about whether or not the US government puts its money where its mouth is, regarding what it tells us to eat, compared to what it subsidizes through the farm bill. What we eat – and how we eat it – reveals the workings of our societies.

Host: Bonnie Swift
Producers: Micah Cratty and Jonah Willihnganz
Featured: Bonnie Swift, Jessica Schaefer, Mozzi Etemadi, Katherine Wells, Sherrie Chung, Micah Cratty

Music: David Chilsolm, John Serna, Taylormayd
Video Podcast: Pie from Scratch by Matt Harnack

Release Date: 3 December 2007

Listen to the Full Show:

Story 1: What’s in a meal at Stanford?

Two students takes us out dinner at the Stanford dining halls to tell us about what you ate for dinner.

Producers: Jessica Schaefer and Mozzi Etemadi

Story 2: How long does a Twinkie last?

This piece reveals the hidden powers of an archetypal American junk food: the Twinkie. Even though the Twinkie seems devoid of nutritional value, it has nonetheless evolved into a cultural symbol. And there’s power in symbols.

Producers: Katherine Wells and Sherrie Chung

Story 3: Does the gov’t put its money where its mouth is?

An interview with Professor Walter Falcon about the political forces that shape our everyday choices in the grocery store. The FDA recommends certain foods – but which foods are actively subsidized by the government?

Producer: Micah Cratty
Featuring: Walter Falcon

story 1 image via flickr | story 2 image via flickr | story 3 image via flickr


Approaching Africa

How do different groups approach Africa? Stories about media coverage of Africa, a student who taught poetry at a Zambian refugee camp, and how Ghana influenced Martin Luther King Jr.

Host: Micah Cratty
Producers: Micah Cratty and Jonah Willihnganz
Featuring: Chrissie Coxon, Stefanie Garcia, William Loel Von Hoene, Clayborne Carson
Music: Grant Newsome, Kissing Johnny

Release Date: 26 November 2007

Listen to the Full Show:

Story 1: Visual Media and the Dark Continent

The first story is a study of the media’s limited coverage of Africa. Print and television media are primarily visual – how does this simple fact affect the types of stories that make it into the news?

Producers: Chrissie Coxon, Stefanie Garcia

Story 2: A Blonde African American’s Unique Perspective of Africa

William Loel Von Hoene went to a Zambian refugee camp to teach Poetry. When people ask him, “How was your trip?” his answer isn’t always what they expect to hear.

Producer: Micah Cratty
Featuring: William Loel Von Hoene

Story 3: Africa Influences the US

African Independence Movements, especially in Ghana, influenced a young Martin Luther King, Jr. Since Stanford is the home of the Martin Luther King Papers Project, much of the material in this story comes from this source.

Producer: Micah Cratty
Featuring: Clayborne Carson

story 1 image via flickr | story 2 image via flickr | story 3 image via flickr


Animal Kingdom I

Animals play strange roles in our lives. Often, critters captivate those of us in the of the so-called dominant species. Our debut show includes four stories and a poem. Students search for salamanders in Stanford’s Lake Lagunita. A scientist hatches a plan to “Re-wild” North America with endangered predators from Africa. Cats and Dogs inflict drama on couples who try to co-own them. Elephants may or may not have rescued tourists in Thailand, and Fireflies illuminate the soul in a poem by Troy Jollimore. Will animals captivate you this week?

Host: Bonnie Swift
Producers: Bonnie Swift and Jonah Willihnganz
Featuring: Rebecca Jacobs and Kalani Leifer, Kate Youngman and Tom James, Tracy Shepard, Hilton Obenzinger, Troy Jollimore.
Music: Hunt Alcott, Ambika, Cem Durouz
URL’s: Hilton Obenzinger, Troy Jollimore.

Release Date: 5 November 2007

Listen to the Full Show:

Story 1: Amphibians of Love

Stanford’s Lake Lagunita was historically a place for sunbathing, skinny dipping and homecoming bonfires, but now it looks more like a mud flat than a lake. This is a story about a tiny animal who has transformed this Stanford landmark.

Producers: Kalani Leifer and Rebecca Jacobs

Story 2:Rewilding?

The story of one man’s proposal to introduce wild animals from the African Savannah into the great plains of the United States.

Producers: Kate Youngman and Tom James

Story 3: Animal Compatibility

Can cat people get along with dog people?

Producer: Tracy Sheppard

Story 4: Elephant Saviors

A story about the strange and heroic and perhaps mythological behavior of elephants during the Thailand Tsunami of 2004.

Producer: Bonnie Swift

Featuring: Hilton Obenzinger

Story 5: Fireflies

A poem by Troy Jollimore.

story 1 image via gobot – story 2 image via dkeats – story 3 image via earthworm – story 4 image via rockinred1969 – story 5 image via jbmac


Animal Kingdom II

More stories about the ways that animals shape our lives. A tour of Stanford’s Animal Research Facility, and a short story about one father’s strange relationship with the family dog.

Host: Bonnie Swift
Producers: Bonnie Swift and Jonah Willihnganz.
Featuring: Steven Tagle, James Madsen, Eric Puchner, Lee Konstantinou.
Music: Ember

Release Date: 12 November 2007

Story 1: Primates with Orange Juice Ice Cubes

Take a tour of the Stanford Animal Research Facility, and hear how the animals are really treated. They’re treated like animals, right?

Producers: Steven Tagle and James Madson

Story 2: Animals Here Below

Animals can make you laugh — and sometimes and cry — even when they’re dead. Short fiction by Eric Puchner.

URL’s: Eric Puchner’s website, Storytelling Project’s interview with Eric Puchner

story 1 image via amber_10_79 – story 2 image via rivacrekennels