State of the Human

Breaking the Rules, story 1: Statute of Limitations

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. 
 
ProducersArun 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 
 

Nakedness, story 4: Naked Retreat

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

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

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

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

“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

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

When Anastasia Sotiropoulos joined the Stanford chapter of the Prison Renaissance Project, she got paired up with a man named Adamu Chan, who had been incarcerated at San Quentin prison for two decades. Their relationship began a few weeks before the pandemic, and the first time they talked San Quentin was the site of one of the largest COVID outbreaks in the nation. Over the next three years, Anastasia and Adamu exchanged dozens of letters, had weekly phone calls, and dreamed of creating a film together. Neither of them could have imagined where that friendship would lead them: not just to Adamu’s release from San Quentin, but his admission to Stanford as a CCSRE Mellon Arts Fellow. Today Adamu is an award-winning filmmaker and community organizer. Adamu and Anastasia have continued their friendship, and together created the 2024 podcast episode, Friends in Liminal Spaces, through the Stanford Storytelling Project’s Braden Storytelling Grant.

Reclaiming, story 5: Welcome to Paradise

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

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