State of the Human

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
 

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
 

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
 

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 Saenz, 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.