State of the Human

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

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

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

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 Sanez, Ana De Almeida Amaral Music: Internet Archive

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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/ Music Temperance by <a href="https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/236965">Blue Dot Sessions</a> Sunday Lights by <a href="https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/224308">Blue Dot Sessions</a> Delicates by <a href="https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/315806">Blue Dot Sessions</a> La Naranja Borriana by <a href="https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/315809">Blue Dot Sessions</a> Underground River - opening version: https://open.spotify.com/track/0tcYwM7XS8TFVXJTSEtAnZ?si=2a722c801c7048a9 Fedora Shadow: https://open.spotify.com/track/21DCkITafCkCY5Jhg4UoL0?si=4247e1ae23a945d5 I was only temporary: https://open.spotify.com/track/4XAilWzhZM0uyR4vtERfHi?si=9b66f4dc7fda4280 Nothing Burns Like the Cold: https://open.spotify.com/track/6G0KITyDe4EQREYyuVQmOn?si=61c253d1f8844efe Private Investigator: https://open.spotify.com/track/7zHhpvu59OKXDG51LsXLTq?si=e88ac5ca10bb4af3 Night on the Docks: https://open.spotify.com/track/0obm7Lz78514LAWNm3hpOd?si=9251d9ccfeb24835 Swing on Her Shoes Movement II: https://open.spotify.com/track/41WpQ6DMoSIn8SpNyAE1xq?si=78f02c1335b245ed Midna’s Theme: https://open.spotify.com/track/0PQLT15vJCcGdNpnSqcmj1?si=310819f23ec44d48 China Town Suite: https://open.spotify.com/track/0cUfeQ0khjHHqQmUI5cVHr?si=f17eb431ea25426e Gumshoe Blues: https://open.spotify.com/track/6A7pxkpK5rCvFVDs855z4Q?si=66e586f7d11e4213 Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Remastered: https://open.spotify.com/track/72IhFCBLDSHmcW64vN2FTH?si=9c2a027ebd3e4e77 Turning Pages: https://open.spotify.com/track/0ZjdWu99IncSGTqskVN3Hw?si=12237ce49e2c406f Quai De Seine: https://open.spotify.com/track/45OgwuM747T76J3LUgINOn?si=f598b6f9a83c4719

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.

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

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.

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.

“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.