The Strange Business of Ice

For the kids’ podcast Brains On (American Public Media), I made a piece about the history of harvesting ice in 19th century New England – an industry that spanned the globe and made a few people very, very rich. To report the story, I visited the Thompson Ice House in South Bristol, Maine, where they… Continue reading The Strange Business of Ice

Walden Pondered

“Walden” doesn’t really have a plot. It’s one part memoir, one part self-help and 10 parts rant about everything wrong with American society. So why do we still read Henry David Thoreau’s memoir about living in the woods? It was a blast to produce this piece for Studio 360’s long-running American Icons series, and to… Continue reading Walden Pondered

The Invisible Paw

We’ve always assumed that humans are the only animal to engage in economic activity. We even have a name for ourselves, Homo economicus, that enshrines the idea of ourselves as rational economic actors. But what if we have that completely turned around? A theory gaining currency in biology suggests that non-human animals are much more… Continue reading The Invisible Paw

Building a Community Oral History Archive

In fall 2017, I taught a class on documentary storytelling at Maine College of Art. Over the course of the semester, the students (BFA candidates in their second year) learned interviewing techniques, how to make professional recordings, and how to use audio editing software to produce polished stories. They made forays into Portland to conduct… Continue reading Building a Community Oral History Archive

Guilty Pleasure: Christian Rock, for a Nonbeliever

Sam Cook grew up in a fundamentalist Christian church outside Joplin, Missouri. “Speak in tongues, lay on hands, put holy water on people, a literalist view of the Bible,” he says. Part of that upbringing involved avoiding “secular” pop culture, instead watching Christian movies and listening to Christian rock. Then he moved away to Kansas… Continue reading Guilty Pleasure: Christian Rock, for a Nonbeliever

After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?

A bunch of research shows that women are more likely to be put in charge of things (companies, schools, running for office) when the risk of failure is high. It’s another hidden obstacle to women’s success. There’s even a term for it: the glass cliff. But why is it so persistent? I produced an episode… Continue reading After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?

Every Picture Tells a Story

Linden Frederick paints realistic scenes of mysterious-looking buildings at twilight. About that time of day, Frederick says, “Somebody described it as the point where the dog becomes the wolf.” He’s particularly interested in the unglamorous stretches of the country that the economy has left behind. Looking at his paintings, you can imagine the kinds of… Continue reading Every Picture Tells a Story

Institutions of Higher Earning

Everyone knows college tuition is rising. But for poor students, the price of college is actually rising faster than for richer students. That’s because financial aid programs designed for low-income families are increasingly benefiting middle- and upper-income ones. I produced a story about this unsettling fact with reporter Jon Marcus for Reveal. (The piece starts… Continue reading Institutions of Higher Earning

The Briny

The Briny is a podcast about the stories that connect us to the sea. Through marine biology, cultural history, personal stories, fish tales, or an amalgam of all these, The Briny explores the way the watery part of the Earth affects those of us who live on the dry parts. Each episode is a sound-rich… Continue reading The Briny

A Piece of Work

From WNYC Studios and MoMA, A Piece of Work is everything you want to know about modern and contemporary art but were afraid to ask. Hosted by Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson, this 10-episode podcast explores everything from Pop art to performance in lively conversations with curators, artists, and Abbi’s friends, including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson,… Continue reading A Piece of Work

Ravening for Delight

H. P. Lovecraft’s tales of cosmic horror have long inspired obsessive fandom. His short stories, in the hundred years since they were first published, have extended their tentacular influence to Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, the Alien movies, Dungeons & Dragons, and beyond. Paul La Farge’s new novel, The Night Ocean, traces Lovecraft’s unusual friendship with a 16-year-old fan… Continue reading Ravening for Delight