The Story from APM - Archive

Two Men and their One Voice

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:00:00

Two Men and Their One Voice

Scott Haren and Ben Harris met in a support group for people with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS. In this conversation, Scott (left) voices the words of his friend Ben, who types them onto a computer because he no longer can speak. They describe researching and making their own medicine and taking it themselves - a do-it-yourself attempt to slow the progression of the disease.

A Duke University researcher has put together a website to help people make sense of the investigation of alternative and off-label ALS treatments.

Mapping America

Mapmaker Dave Imus looked at the maps he could find of the country and set out to create a better one - one that delineates the states and rivers and forests better. His map won "Best if Show" in a prestigious mapmaking competition.

Studs Terkel at 100: Talking Dance

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:00:00

Ballerina Makes Move to Russia

Studs Terkel loved to talk to dancers. Dick sits down with Keenan Kampa, a U.S.-born dancer, about the rigorous work it takes to find a place in a dance company, and how she was invited into the storied company The Mariinsky Ballet. She studied at the school that is associated with the ballet company called the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. She loves the history of the stage, and the historic boxes where tsars have watched the dancers.

Dame Margot Fonteyn

The legendary dancer spoke with Studs Terkel about dance and famous dancers such as Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan. She tells Studs that the waltz was scandalous when it was first introduced.

Studs at 100

We end our series with a musical and voice mediation on Studs Terkel. This "sound drop" comes to us from the Third Coast Audio Festival and producer Alan Hall.

And you can read about Dick's conversation with Studs on Salon.

Music in this show: “Magic Garden Dryad Queen Solo,” “Pas de Deux (Act III),” “Ensemble Dance of the Dryads” and “Quiterias Variationas Dulcinea” from Don Quixote, performed by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.

Studs Terkel at 100: The Work Goes On

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: The Work Goes On

As The Story celebrates the work of oral historian and broadcaster Studs Terkel, Dick interviews a woman who was laid off and found herself offered a job as captain of a river ferry. Jenny Brown was given a hard hat and training, and now runs a ferry boat on an Oregon River.

Working: A reading from the Studs Terkel classic

We hear the words of Frank Decker, a steel hauler in Indiana. Read by actor Daniel Trigg.

The Paperboy and the Waitress

We hear excerpts of original interviews from Working: Fourteen-year-old paper boy Terry Pickens talking about collecting from customers, and waitress Dolores Dante has her say on tips. Thanks to the Chicago History Museum.

Music in this show: “One Foot in the Groove” and “Free Wheeling” by Artie Shaw; “Little Jazz” by Roy Eldridge and Artie Shaw and His Orchestra; and “L'amour est un Oiseau Rebelle” by Maria Callas.

Studs Terkel at 100: Working

Wed, 16 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: Working

In our second day featuring the work done and inspired by oral historian Studs Terkel, Dick speaks to labor leader and steel worker Ed Sadlowski. We hear him driving Studs Terkel around the flagging steel mills in South Chicago, and Dick talks with Sadlowski about steel mill work and organizing.

To Cut a Knife

Knife maker Joel Bukiewicz talks about finding an old grinder in his parents’ barn and trying to make a knife. It was the first of many. He describes shaping the steel and making close to a dozen knives every month for his shop Cut Brooklyn.

Music in this episode: "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson; "Which Side Are you On" by Pete Seeger; and "Back Bay Shuffle" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.

Studs Terkel at 100: Hearing America

Tue, 15 May 2012 01:00:00

Studs Terkel at 100: Hearing America

The Story begins a four-day celebration of the work of oral historian and writer Studs Terkel. The Chicago radio host believed in talking about big ideas and small ones. He amassed some 7,000 hours of interviews for his radio show on WFMT-FM, and today we’ll share some, including conversations with Eudora Welty, Dorothy Parker, R. Buckminster Fuller and Mahalia Jackson. Also, Roman Mars gives us his take on Studs. Over the next three days, we talk about “Working,” the classic book that Studs published about people's jobs, and we hear from his former assistant Sydney Lewis and her documentary, “Working with Studs.”

Music in this show: "I Will Move on Up a Little Higher" by Mahalia Jackson and "Frenesie" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.

Gay Rights in Russia

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:00:00

Gay Rights in Russia

Alexander Kargaltsev, a gay filmmaker, was granted asylum in the United States because he faced harassment and abuse in his native Russia. He says gay pride day marches there are not held openly because it is too dangerous, and he's still getting used to the openness in the U.S.

Coming Out in the Age of Lady Gaga

Radio Rookie Bebe tells her story of deciding whether to come out. She asks her uncle, who is gay, for advice and he says that being gay as a young person is not easy in any way.

Letters

Dick’s conversation with children's book writer and illustrator Ashley Bryan sparked some notes from listeners.

The Book

A story from writer Hans Anderson about a pantry door and a curious homeowner.

Music in this show: “Unc” by Trombone Shorty; “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga; “Eternal Drift” by Material; “This Little Light of Mine” by the Gene Harris Quartet; and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” by Mahalia Jackson.

Angie's List

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:00:00

Angie's List

Dick speaks with Angie Hicks about how the business got started - door to door with just a handful of subscribers. Angie had little knowledge about home repairs but she learned and amassed a great Rolodex, and that's how the company grew.

Camp in My Garden

Londoner Victoria Webbon has a list of London homeowners who will allow Olympic visitors to pitch a tent in their gardens. There are few hotel rooms left in the area for the Games and people still need places to stay so the garden reservations are going fast.

Traveling with Mom

Producer Larry Massett visits his mother and they plan a trip together and Larry documents every step. From the series Hearing Voices.

The Photograph Not Taken

Aaron Schuman tells a story about a photograph he chose not to take. From the book Photographs Not Taken.

Music in this show: "Alison House" by Neil Perlman; "Everything that Rises," by Songs of Water; "In Your Own Backyard" by Randy Caldwell; and "The High Road" by Broken Bells.

What to Tell the Children

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:00:00

What to Tell the Children

Dick speaks with Alison Feigh, who remembers a classmate who was abducted in 1989. Her small town in Minnesota made a concerted effort not to frighten the community afterwards, but it was a turning point; just as the disappearance of six-year-old Etan Patz was in 1979. Alison Feigh now works at a missing children's center that is named in honor of her classmate who was taken and never found.

The Little Library That Could

Dick looks into the debate that bubbled up about a small library in Shutesbury, Mass. While some residents want a new one and are willing to pay with new taxes, others say no. It is the talk of the town and no end is in sight yet. Dick speaks with Bob Mahler, principal of Shutesbury Elementary School. [Watch a viral video about the library here.]

Remembering Maurice Sendak

Samaria Graham, an actress, talks about the time she spent with children's author Maurice Sendak as they worked together on the play based on Sendak's work “Really Rosie.” She says that Sendak loved children more than adults.

Finding Miles

Wed, 09 May 2012 01:00:00

Finding Miles

An audio diary of a young woman who over the course of a year transitions into being a man. Miles talks about how he always felt different and also how he wrestled with the exact words to tell his parents about it. We listen as he takes hormone injections, his voices changes, and Megan becomes Miles. Produced by Sarah Reynolds. [See diary photos here.]

Edward Hoagland

Producer Phoebe Judge talks with Edward Hoagland, the author of more than 20 books of memoir, essays and novels. He is an acute observer of nature and human nature and he talks about growing up with a stutter and using the natural world to help him find his voice.

Music in this show: "Go Without" and "Ungodly Fruit" by Wax Taylor.

Teachers Examine The Test

Tue, 08 May 2012 01:00:00

Teachers Examine the Test

We hear from two teachers: Dick speaks with Los Angeles high school teacher Coleen Bondy (center right), who was given a standardized evaluation of her abilities and feels it missed the essence of what goes on in her classroom. He also speaks with Ruth Dandrea, a longtime teacher from upstate New York who gave standardized tests a hard look, and felt compelled to write a letter apologizing to her students for giving them these types of tests.

A Moment On the Ice

In the midst of National Hockey League playoffs, Dick speaks with former Montreal Canadiens goalie Steve Penney about how he was plucked from the minor leagues in 1984 to defend the goal in a playoff game. It was a shining moment for him, but his career ended due to injuries.

Music in this show: “Look in the Air” by Explosions in the Sky.

Udacity: Teaching Online

Mon, 07 May 2012 01:00:00

Udacity: Teaching Online

David Evans and Sebastian Thrun have thousands of students in their class - and they love it. They teach through Udacity, a website that is free and open to anyone in the world. Similar services include Coursera and edX. David and Sebastian talk to Dick about how their work is reaching students and changing the way people see higher education.

The Making of Temple Run

Dick speaks to husband-and-wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova, who invented one of the most addictive mobile phone games of the past year. Temple Run has become one of the top-grossing applications for the iPhone and Android phones.

Music in this show: "Jumpin' Woodside" by Count Basie, and "Huron River Drive" by The Vipers.

Ashley Bryan: I'm Going To Sing

Fri, 04 May 2012 01:00:00

Ashley Bryan: I’m Going to Sing

It's hard to find all the words that fit Ashley Bryan: he writes, collects folklore, sings, teaches and recites. Bryan speaks with Dick about the Harlem Renaissance, Black American spirituals and the power of voice. [See more photos of Ashley's work here.]

Potato Ball Caper

One day during the minor leagues in l987, you could’ve used the ball to make French fries. Instead, the players made some minor history.

Trouble Ball

Poet Martin Espada reads his poem “Trouble Ball” about going to a baseball game with his father.

Music in this show: “This Little Light of Mine” by The Gene Harris Quartet; “Begin the Beguine” by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra; and “El Manisero” by The Havana Casino Orchestra.

The Ganges River

Thu, 03 May 2012 01:00:00

The Ganges River

The Ganges, a 1,500-mile river that flows through Northern India, is a place where people bathe, wash clothes and pray. It is also where waste lines pour out sewage every day. Producer Phoebe Judge travels to the city of Varanasi, on the river’s left bank, where she meets people who live along the Ganges and want to clean it up. [See more photos here.]

Tim Hetherington: A Photograph He Did Not Take

James Brabazon reads a short essay about a photograph his friend Tim Hetherington did not take. Hetherington, co-director of award-winning documentary Restrepo, was killed while documenting the Libyan uprising last year. From the collection Photographs Not Taken.

Moby-Dick in Pictures

Illustrator Matt Kish speaks with Dick about how he channeled an obsession with Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick into a work of art for every page of the novel.

Music in this show: “Oscarine” and “Mako Mady” by Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal; and “This Little Light of Mine” by the Gene Harris Quartet.

Egypt's First Female Presidential Candidate

Wed, 02 May 2012 01:00:00

Egypt’s First Female Presidential Candidate

Bothaina Kamel, a longtime television and radio host in Egypt, was her country’s first female presidential candidate until recently. She speaks with Dick about her campaign and how men and women reacted to her bid.

Baseball in the Time of Cholera

Two Haitian aid workers, David Darg and Bryn Mooser, were filming a children’s baseball team in Haiti when a cholera outbreak killed and hospitalized thousands. They expanded the scope of their film to include the impact of the epidemic. [Pictured: Joseph, a Haitian baseball player.]

Table Tennis

Two stories from table tennis Olympic trials held in Cary, N.C.: one player makes the team and another does not.

Satchmo's Song

On Jan. 29, 1971, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong played his trumpet at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Fewer than six months later, he died. We listen to a song from the performance, recently released in the album "Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours: Satchmo at the National Press Club."

Music in this show: “Stopover at Djibouti” by Anouar Brahem; “Going Elsewhere” by the Clay Foot Strutters; “Mahogany Hall Stomp” and "Star Dust" by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra; and "Boy from New Orleans" from “Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours: Satchmo at the National Press Club” by Louis Armstrong.

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Last Day In Saigon 1975

Tue, 01 May 2012 01:00:00

Last Day in Saigon 1975

On the last day of the Vietnam War, Sgt. Juan Valdez, a Marine embassy guard, controlled crowds and ushered people fleeing in helicopters. Meanwhile, David Nguyen, a Saigon teenager, knew the embassy would be mobbed, so he and his family ran to the port, where they climbed onto a barge headed for an American ship.

Valdez was featured in Last Men Out, a book about America’s final hours in Vietnam. The organization Fall of Saigon honors the fallen, including Corporal Charles McMahon, Jr. and Lance Corporal Darwin L. Judge, the last two Americans killed in action.

[Photo courtesy of Juan Valdez: People awaiting evacuation at the U.S. Embassy of Saigon. See more here.]

Adam Cohen

Singer songwriter Adam Cohen talks to Dick about picking up the family business and writing in the tradition of his father, Leonard Cohen. After forays into different musical genres, Adam worked with a producer who insisted the new album be made with one microphone and one guitar - stripped down to voice and story.