We bring the year full circle with a new story about Jared in St George, Utah, who was the subject of our very first episode this year. We reflect on the beautiful difference a year can make, even for someone who thought his whole future had disappeared. If you need a bit of hope this … Continue reading Isn’t It Nice → Learn more about your ad choi…

The story of a young man who decided to say yes.By Lea Thau

It’s the time of year when skeletons come out of the closet. We honor the dead, as we get ready for holidays among the living, where secrets will be spilled, and secrets will be created that will haunt us for years to come. You might describe today’s story as a classic “noir,” if it wasn’t … Continue reading Do You Like My Little Lie? → Learn more …

Jack, Part 2, in which there will be guns and fear and roses and magic. There will be frat boys and homeless ladies, sweet clowns, and sad selves. Above all, there will be Jack. He will be nimble and he will be bold.By Lea Thau

A run-down trailer in small town Texas, Sunday mornings with Charlie Chaplin, heroine-dazed zombies, fighting off dragons, and narrowly escaping real life monsters — this was Jack’s life as a kid. It was about survival from the very beginning. This episode is not suitable for children.By Lea Thau

A couple of weeks ago we got an email from Sam in Australia about his podcast Human/Ordinary. We liked it so much we decided to share it with you. Here’s an adapted version of his 10th episode called Headstone: Breath and Bone. The content might be intense for some. You will glean the subject matter … Continue reading Human/Ordinary →…

We check in with Franky who did 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit (listen to our original Franky Carrillo episode “Life” for the backstory) and find out how he’s doing now and what he’s been up to for the last six years since his exoneration. It was worth the visit.By Lea Thau

Franky spent 20 years in prison for a crime he had nothing to do with. This is his remarkable story. We first published this story four years ago and are rerunning it this week as part of the network-wide Radiotopia theme, “Doing Time.” And we’re working on a follow-up story about Franky’s life now, so … Continue reading Franky Carrillo: Life → Lea…

This is not another Trump voter conversation. It’s not an end-point or a neat conclusion to the series. This is Lea crying into her iPhone at 10pm on a Tuesday because she doesn’t know what to conclude, how to mend, where to go. It’s a messy, confessional audio letter about kidney stones, sea urchins, The … Continue reading Dear Diary →…

This is where the gloves come off. In this episode, Lea travels to New York to talk to a Trump supporter who defies a lot of the stereotypes: he’s coastal, young, urban, educated, Jewish, an immigrant… But man oh man do the punches fly, on both sides.By Lea Thau

Lea has been traveling around interviewing Trump supporters and she’s tried to do it differently. She’s gotten drunk with them and high with them, she’s road-tripped with them and stayed overnight in their kids’ bedrooms, she’s cried with them, dined with them, yelled at them (and vice versa) to bring the conversation to a new … Continue reading Le…

In this episode we revisit the story of Alaa Khaled AKA Alec Ledd and ponder life’s big questions, such as kugel, identity, celebrity, and how far we will go to please Barbara Streisand or compete with a more-famous brother.By Lea Thau

It starts with a murder and ends with new questions. In between there’s Claire’s story. That’s not her real name. It’s neither her old name, nor her new name. It’s the name she took to tell this story. Warning: this episode contains graphic and disturbing content. Do not listen with children.By Lea Thau

In August 2004, a Somali refugee family arrived in Vermont. It was the beginning of many good things.By Lea Thau

Imagine if your parents had access to your online dating profile. That happened to Pabba.By Lea Thau

For nearly three years, we’ve been following Patrick and Steve and their attempt to adopt their foster daughter, and no other story we’ve done has generated as many emails from you, wondering how it all worked out. Today you will finally know. You can find out more about Patrick Hinds and his podcasts at www.theaterppl.com.…

It’s a new year, a time for hope or worry, for regrets or new plans, a time to count our blessings or pick up the pieces. Last year around this time, as 2016 was just beginning, Jared and Sharry in Utah were tremendously excited about the year ahead, but things did not work out as … Continue reading Wouldn’t It Be Nice →…

Today’s story is about two families trying to become one family. One set of parents is white, one is black, one lives in Portland, OR, the other in Miami, FL, one is Canadian/American, the other is Haitian/American. So, geographically, demographically, and socio-economically they live in very different worlds, but when we started following them mor…

Three stories about Mexican immigration, showing us that there are two sides to the border fence, but many sides to the story. On this episode, we find some unlikely bedfellows among liberals and conservatives, even immigrants and the border patrol. These stories come to us from the wonderful shows, “State of the Re:Union” and “UnFictional.” Also c…

When you start to think your own child might have a propensity for violence, what do you do? Warning: this episode contains violent content. Do not listen with children.By Lea Thau

Lea recounts the personal journey that led her to become an American citizen this summer. It starts in Sweden in 1945…By Lea Thau

Have you ever had the fantasy that a chance encounter with a stranger could tell you who to be? Karin Gutman was working as an assistant when a senior advisor to a US Senator came out of the blue with an offer to change her life… This story first aired on Strangers in April, 2012.By Lea Thau

A wanna-be artist finds himself in a dual-life dilemma. Can you be the next Bukowski and the king of high-end skin care — at the same time? When push comes to aftershave, which do you choose? Brian Finkelstein tells this story, which originally aired on the first season of Strangers. Brian Finkelstein (@bsfinkestein) is an … Continue reading Blue A…

Three years after Tyler issued a dare for Matjames to return to Yellow Springs, and 26 years after he fled, Matjames finally makes the trip. For optimal enjoyment of this episode, please listen to the first story about Matjames and Tyler, “Flee, Flood, Float.”By Lea Thau