State of the Human

Invisibility, Story 2, New Flowers

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. 

Invisibility, Story 1: Emotional Prosody

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.

BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Alex Strong on A Foot in Both Worlds

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

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (BLEEPED Version)

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.

Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (UNBLEEPED Version)

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.

Breaking the Rules, Story 2: Scaling Stanford

A group of Stanford alumni recall their time in undergrad climbing buildings on campus – and the way it permanently altered their lives.
Producer: Alana EspositoMusic from Blue Dot Sessions

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
 
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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.