Soundings is the sandbox for all student work from the Stanford Storytelling Project (SSP). SSP is an arts program at Stanford University that explores how we live in and through stories and how we can use them to change our lives. Our mission is to promote the transformative nature of traditional and modern oral storytelling, from Lakota tales to Radiolab, and empower students to create and perform their own stories. The project sponsors courses, workshops, live events, and grants, along wi ...
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Stanford Storytelling Project Podcasts
Each year, the Stanford Storytelling Project awards Braden Grants to a small number of students to support the research, writing, and production of audio documentaries. The aim of the program is to help students learn how to tell powerful, research-driven stories based on testimony they gather through interviews, research, or oral history archives. Grantees receive up to $2,500, as well as teaching, training, and mentorship during the period of the grant (March-December). In January of each ...
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State of the Human, a podcast of the Stanford Storytelling Project, shares stories that deepen our understanding of single, common human experiences—belonging, giving, lying, forgiveness—all drawn from the experiences and research of the Stanford community.
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Most mainstream models of work are not sustainable and often waste a great deal of human potential. Grateful for the privilege of receiving a PhD education studying the sociology and psychology of work at Stanford University, Carol Xu would like to give something back to society. Drawing from the fields of organizational behavior, sociology and psychology of work, and design thinking, she curates a broad spectrum of the human experience of work, from work burnout and depression to pursuing o ...
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Through the two possible journeys of an Aloha Shirt, Tead Count tells the story of the true cost of fast fashion. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Interviewees: Barchi Gillai, Associate Director Value Chain Innovation Initiative, https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/labs-initiatives/vcii Lila Temple, Stanford FashionX, https://www.stanfordfas…
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I Speak for the Trees is a podcast that explores the consequences of land use change. Join us as we investigate the parallels between The Lorax and the real world in order to address the issue of sustainable land use change. From local land clearing in Wisconsin, restoration of overgrazed ranchland in Texas, to green space implementation in Chicago…
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Join Natalia, Iamanni, and Marjorie on a journey of investigating the connection of health inequity and sustainability in diabetes treatments!By Natalia, Iamanni, and Marjorie
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"Reimagining the Road Ahead" delves into the concept of car-free days, especially their implementation in Bogotá and Paris, the political and practical challenges to their widespread adoption, and the broader push to re-imagine urban spaces with fewer cars. Interviews: Enrique Peñalosa is a Colombian politician and urban strategist who served as ma…
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The United Nations have called climate change the challenge of our generation. A growing body of environmental storytelling is bringing clarity to complicated climate conversations by casting a vision for a better future, and providing compelling, actionable climate change solutions. In this course, students have the opportunity to contribute to th…
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Invisibility, Story 4: Willies on West 79th
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19:36In 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 SessionsBy Stanford Storytelling Project
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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…
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BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Langston Buddenhagen on New Flowers
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14:14As 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.…
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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.…
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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.…
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BONUS: Story Craft Conversation with Alex Strong on A Foot in Both Worlds
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27:54Alana Esposito and Alex Strong to discuss the process behind how A Foot in Both Worlds came to be. Producers: Alana Esposito, Alex StrongBy Alana Esposito, Alex Strong
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Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (BLEEPED Version)
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29:48Paul 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.By Alex Strong
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Breaking the Rules, Story 3: A Foot in Both Worlds (UNBLEEPED Version)
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29:48Paul 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.By Alex Strong
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Breaking the Rules, Story 2: Scaling Stanford
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17:34A group of Stanford alumni recall their time in undergrad climbing buildings on campus – and the way it permanently altered their lives. Producer: Alana Esposito Music from Blue Dot SessionsBy Alana Esposito
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Breaking the Rules, Story 1: Statute of Limitations
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19:44When 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. Producers Arun Chhetri: Host, producer, sound designWith Will Briger & Henry Segal --------…
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Follow Jacob, Miles, and Victor through a story about musical exploitation, globalization, and hope, starting with the creation of Jazz and concluding with the future of Afrobeats. Names: Jacob Matlof, Miles C. Selles, and Victor Chen Interviewees: Bolaji Oyedepo Bolaji Oyedepo is an Nigerian American musician from Houston, Texas, paving his own wa…
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Katie Cheng, Lela Hanson, Reyna Duffy, and Will Yu This is a story about a girl named Katie who suddenly discovers that her seemingly straight-laced, engineer dad used to lead a secret life as a graffiti artist. Fueled by curiosity and wonder, she sets out on a journey to learn more. From exploring hidden graffiti tunnels with friends to having an …
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How can supposedly green initiatives, such as battery recycling, still result in dirty outcomes? Community members in Vernon, California, fight to shut down a local battery recycling plant because its toxic waste is polluting their air, water, and soil. The company and governmental agencies that are supposed to be responsible fail to listen and act…
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In an unprecedented political, social, and cultural climate where executive orders are being issued to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives nationwide, especially in educational institutions, three college-aged students from diverse racial backgrounds reflect on their experiences with racial discrimination and exclusion in K…
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How exciting would it be if you actually tuned into that little voice in the back of your head? The one telling you to go for the thing you really want, even if it’s probably, most likely, definitely not what’s expected of you? Aren’t you curious how a girl can go from making pancakes in the kitchen with her mom one day to suddenly winning MasterCh…
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Sound Stories is a Stanford class for students interested in creating audio stories for radio, podcast, and other forms of sonic narrative. Students examine the craft elements of the audio form, popularized by programs such as This American Life, Radiolab, and Serial including skills for interviewing, scoring, and audio editing, and then work in sm…
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Applying for a Braden Storytelling Grant? Here's what our 2024 grantees want you to know.
5:58
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5:58Each year, the Stanford Storytelling Project awards Braden Grants to support the research, writing, and production of audio documentaries. The aim of the program is to help students learn how to tell powerful, research-driven stories based on testimony they gather through interviews, research, or oral history archives. Grantees receive up to $2,500…
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How Patsy Cline shifted the country music industry--and a whole country's idea of femininity. Interviewees: Ellis Nasser Margaret Jones Sources: Country Music USA by Bill C. Malone Creating Country Music by Richard A. Peterson Selling Tradition: Appalachia and the Construction of an American Folk by Jane E. Song Catchers, Ballad Makers, and New Soc…
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"New Flowers" explores the history of Addis Ababa's Piassa's neighborhood: its birth, destruction, and what sense of home remains. Includes interviews with Paul Buddenhagen, Sine Berhanu, Messay Gesesse Mikael Shebele, Dany Dereje, and Yalew Berhanu. Music: Mulatu Astatke: "Tezeta," "Tension," "Yekeremo Sew," "Yegelle Tezeta" Daniele Serra…
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Digital diagnosis explores how telehealth is changing the physician patient relationship. Through interviews with both physicians and patients we uncover where telehealth shines and where it falls short, ultimately getting to the heart of what medicine is and how we can use technology in a way that puts people first. Interviewees: Sarah Grace LeBar…
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Climbers modify the rock to climb safely, leaving permanent anchors for catching falls. This was not always the practice, and its early implementation lead to a period of conflict in the climbing community when ethics were in flux. Climbing has solved this dilemma, and can show the world how to walk reframe the line between environmental sustainabi…
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The Voices of Those Who Came Before by Natasha Charfauros
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14:40A California-born CHamoru woman’s personal journey discovering how CHamoru became endangered and how Guam’s island community was restoring the language. Show Notes: Interviews included Antoinette McDaniel, Aunt and Professor studying Chamoru culture; Mark Mendiola, Director of Institutional Advancement University of Guam; Michelle Chrisostomo, Foun…
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This episode explores the story of Lima’s Tusán—Peruvian Chinese—community, examining their influence on Peruvian culture and identity through Chifas, restaurants serving Peruvian-Chinese cuisine. From the history of Chinese immigration to Peru to today’s Barrio Chino (Chinatown), I consider what it means to assimilate, belong, and transform. Featu…
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Fadie Arabo's story is about uncovering the Chaldean identity: What it means to him and how it has changed since coming to Stanford. People interviewed: Dr. Dean Winslow: Medical doctor Terezsa Arabo: Young Chaldean Rami Sarafa: Harvard Business Ken Alyass: Harvard Historian Ziyad Gawis: El-Cajon Chaldean Zena Roumaya: Mother Cal Abbo: Chaldean New…
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