KFAI's The Listening Lounge

Look into the Future - Airs Nov. 16

2009-11-12T16:13:00.022-06:00

Portrait of a Psychic as a Young Man by Katie Mingle
Nathan is just like any other teenager - except that he’s a Certified Energy Healer giving psychic advice over the internet. Plus, "the kid blows light bulbs." We find him trying to locate his lost Nintendo Gameboy and looking into his own future.

Crystal’s Ball by Tatiana Harrison
Next, we go home-shopping with “Future Crystal” in her old rivals’ neighborhood. Crystal is a gang-affiliated youth who’s been in juvenile hall and expelled from all district schools. Regardless, she envisions a day with steady job and buying a house with a husband. It’s a wonderful trip until she realizes the toll this goal will take on her other big dreams.

Genetic Fortune Teller by Neille Ilel
Most of the women in Neille’s family have died from cancer. So Neille visits Joyce, a genetic counselor, to have her family tree read and get tested for the "breast cancer gene." If a woman has this mutation, she's almost guaranteed to develop breast cancer and has an increased risk for ovarian cancer. Her mother does.

Heat of the Moment - Airs Nov. 23

2009-11-09T19:22:00.001-06:00

Today, climate change is generally expressed as the gradual warming of Earth's atmosphere over decades. Scientists see these changes as startlingly rapid in the context of geologic time - but to millions of people around the world, the impacts of global warming are immediate, and becoming increasingly frequent and severe.

In "Heat Of The Moment: Inside Out," science journalist Daniel Grossman takes us to places where the effects of climate change are acutely felt. He reports on the heat wave that killed 40,000 people in Paris and from the low-lying coastlines in India and Bangladesh that may soon be affected by global climate change. Grossman won the 2008 Science Journalism award from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science for an earlier documentary on global warming.

Listen in to this great documentary from Grossman and WBUR/Boston.

Gender Bender - Airs Nov. 9

2009-11-06T16:26:00.003-06:00

Boys don't wear pink. Girls gotta look hot.

On our "Gender Bender" show, which airs on Monday, Nov. 9, we'll air stories about gender stereotypes and talk to one of the producers from the film Straightlaced: How Gender Has All Tied Up.

We'll start the show with "Dressy Girls," a story about a group of fashion-conscious high school girls and the connections between what they wear, self-esteem, body image, and their relationships with boys and other girls.

Then we'll talk about the film "Straightlaced" with producer Brittney Shepherd. This educational film has its Minneapolis debut at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16 at Children's Theatre. Tickets are available here.

We'll also air "Mea, Me, Mine," the story of Mea Tavares, who was born female and shpet the rest of his life redefining what it means to be male

Saltcast

2009-11-06T16:14:00.000-06:00

If you're a Listening Lounge regular, you know we like stories from the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. At Salt, students get to learn about radio and make their own stories. And a lot of those stories are simply fantastic: "Rolling Diamonds," "Dyana, Goddess of the Moose Hunt" and "Just Another Fish Story" are three of my favorites. One way to keep up with what's happening at Salt and to get tips on how to produce your own stories is to listen to the Saltcast, a podcast dedicated to the backstory of great radio storytelling. Check it out online or at iTunes.

Little League Haiku - An Audio Extra

2009-10-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

My friend at Hearing Voices — Barrett Golding — recently altered me to a story by Scott Carrier called "Little League Haiku." It's football poetry. It's rebellious and quiet and simply great writing. It's here.

Death's Footprint - Airs Nov. 2

2009-10-22T15:30:00.003-05:00

One thing is clear: all of us are going to die. What you may not know is what happens to all those bodies, and the effect they have on the environment. Cemeteries take up thousands of acres of open space. Funeral homes use gallons of toxic chemicals a year. And cremation consumes lots of energy and emits toxins into the environment. Today, many Americans are looking for ways that make their deaths greener. But change is coming slowly. The way we practice death has deep cultural and religious traditions.

This documentary — Death's Footprint — features an embalmer, an undertaker, a Roman Catholic cemeterian, a 34-year-old woman who wants to have her body composted by worms, the sounds of a crematorium and an exploration of the newest, greenest body disposal technique: Resomation

Death's Footprint was produced by Diane Richard and Todd Melby of 2 below zero for Chicago Public Radio. The documentary won an Edward R. Murrow award for best documentary.

Honoring the Body: Taharah - Airs Oct. 26

2009-10-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

Leaving the world as we entered it... but with a twist.

Jewish burial rituals and beliefs place great importance on treating the deceased with the utmost honor and respect. This is especially important during the "taharah," a ritual involving the physical cleansing of the dead body.

In "Honoring the Body: Tahara" — winner of the 2006 Third Coast International Audio Festival Directors' Choice award — three people who have taken part in taharah share their experiences. In addition to taking us through the steps of this intricate ceremony, they offer their personal views and insights on how taharah encouraged them to confront their own mortality and grapple with the existential questions of life and death.

We'll also air two other stories related to death: "My Sister's Brain Cancer" by Nance Olesen and "Horrible Deaths" from the Memory Palace.

Proms, Jobs and Ethnicity - Airs Oct. 19

2009-10-19T14:47:00.004-05:00

On this show, we air six stories from American teenagers. Titled "Proms, Jobs and Ethnicity," these stories reflect the worries and hopes of millions of a whole bunch of kids.

Like Phillip Baggett of Curie Youth Radio in Chicago.

He wants to go to prom. But he's having a tough time asking. We'll air Phillip's funny, anxiety-inducing story on getting a date — or not getting a date — for prom.

We'll also air these stories:

The N Word: It Represents Hatred, by Veralyn Williams
Dominican Republic by Angely Tavare
I'm the Guy Who Parks Your Car, by Pablo Ponce
Thanks Dunkin' Donuts Lady, by Jasmine Gonzale
To My Aunt Who Crossed the Border, by Elizabeth Pilego

Relive your youth! Tune in.

Slot Cars + Plastic Ponies - Airs Oct. 12

2009-10-06T15:27:00.013-05:00

Slots of Fun by T.K. McGuirt
First, we'll visit a racetrack in Maine where we meet enthusiast, Roland Thurlow. Just like lots of guys, he is serious about his cars. Roland's are a little different though - they measure only about 4". These are slot cars.

Are There Any More Rare, Plastic Ponies? by Julie Shapiro
While some ladies are at the barn brushing their living & breathing ponies, others are devoted to their diminutive, mass-produced, painted plastic counterparts. An unknown pastime to most, competitive (?!!!??!) model horse collecting is a serious passion for women of all ages. Either way, one thing's certain: Girls love horses. We'll spend some time at the stable & at the show ring talking with riders ...& collectors.

LISTEN TO PROMO

Show us the love, baby

2009-09-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

KFAI's autumn pledge drive is rockin' right now. If you love the Listening Lounge, you must love KFAI. And if you love KFAI, please show your support by sending us a pledge. Big or small, each pledge is important. You can pledge online here.

Todd Melby's Favorites

2009-09-22T10:22:00.003-05:00

Many of the stories you hear on the Listening Lounge are from independent producers around the U.S. and the world. I find these stories on the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). I've highlighted several of my favorites in this PRX playlist called Todd Melby's Favorites. There's some great, great audio here, including two documentaries from Jonathan Mitchell, Weenie Royale from The Kitchen Sisters, Miner by Gregory Warner and this really cool love story called From Brooklyn to Banja Luka. Give it a listen.

Make your own list of favorites, send me an email and I'll link to them here.

Working + Secret Kitty - Airs Sept. 21

2009-09-21T12:11:00.003-05:00

This show centers on stories from the critically-acclaimed Working series.

We'll hang out with a miner in the Congo, a banker in London and a sex worker in Azerbaijan. The link to the entire Working series is here.

And then we relax with a lighter story. The story of how the CIA wired a cat to spy on the Soviets in DC parks. Weird, but true. It's from this LA producer named Nate DiMeo, who likes to produce obscure
historical stories called The Memory Palace. We'll air more stories from Nate in the near future, including one called Horrible Deaths, which is scheduled to air around Halloween.

Life Stories: Women at Work, Part 2 - Airs Sept. 14

2009-09-07T19:01:00.002-05:00

"Life Stories" are public radio stories made over many years, by producer Jay Allison -- working together with Christina Egloff, and friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers and whoever would take the loan of one of his tape recorders. They are are stories about life as we find it, and record it.

On the occasion of her retirement, this Chicago judge borrowed a cassette recorder, and with her family, reflected on her 18 years on the bench. Produced with Judge Susan Snow, Brent Runyon and WBEZ Chicago.

Life Stories: Women at Work, Part 1 - Airs Sept. 7

2009-08-31T14:59:00.001-05:00

"Life Stories" are public radio stories made over many years, by producer Jay Allison -- working together with Christina Egloff, and friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers and whoever would take the loan of one of his tape recorders. They are are stories about life as we find it, and record it.

In this two-part series, we air Jay's collection of stories about women at work. On our Labor Day program we hear "A Pastor's Journal." For two months, the pastor of Park Union Church in Chicago kept an audio journal chronicling her daily life and thoughts about the career and the calling of the ministry. Produced with Rev. Susan Johnson and WBEZ Chicago.

The Jazz Plan - Airs Aug. 31

2009-08-24T19:01:00.000-05:00

Psychopathia Sexualis, Patricia Smith and Cassandra Wilson star in a mash-up that Barrett Golding calls "The Jazz Plan." It's poetry and all that jazz.

Lucy and the Bike Girl + 2 - Airs Aug. 24

2009-08-17T19:01:00.002-05:00

Lucy and The Bike Girl
By Hillary Frank
Lucy can never meet her best friend in person because it might cut her life expectancy in half. Lucy, a 28-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis, meets the "Bike Girl," who has the same disease, in an Internet chatroom. They are both, against the advice of friends and doctors, trying to get pregnant, and they find that they have a lot in common. They quickly become friends, but can never meet in person, because the Bike Girl carries a bacteria in her lungs that is toxic to anyone with cystic fibrosis.

Dyana, Goddess of the Moose Hunt
By Jamie Yuenger, Salt Institute of Documentary Studies
Dyana is going on her first moose hunt ever. Only, she's never even fired a rifle before. So, she enlists some help. But she gets more than she bargained for.

Sonic Mysteries + Radio Rorschach Test - Airs Aug. 17

2009-08-10T19:11:00.000-05:00

We'll start the show with "Sonic Mysteries," Wagner's classic love story "Tristan und Isolde" revealed. What's that famous "Tristan Chord" all about, anyway? Composer Danny Felsenfeld takes a look under the hood to reveal the power, the beauty and the "game" of the infamous Tristan Chord. Music writer John Rockwell helps illustrate how those few simple notes have changed the course of Western music and become part of the musical collective unconscious. This segment also features a Tristan Chord "Mashup," tracing the trajectory of the Chord from Wagner's opera all the way to the Alt-rock band, Radiohead.

And since we have music on the mind, we'll pair that story with a piece called "Radio Rorschach Test" by producer Aaron Henkin. In this puzzling piece, Henkin gets average folks to respond to sonic inkblots. Play along with us on Monday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. Central Time on KFAI, 90.3 FM Minneapolis. The show is also archived for two weeks after airing on the station's website.

Saving Jungle Souls + Memory Palace - Airs Aug. 10

2009-08-03T19:05:00.000-05:00

A sound-rich profile of Ataiba, chief of one of the last bands of nomads in the Americas, as he leaves the Bolivian jungle to live with evangelical missionaries. The story is told by Ataiba and the missionaries from starkly different points of view. Part of the Vanishing Homelands series, chronicling the dramatic changes to land and culture across the Americas. By Sandy Tolan and Nancy Postero.

We'll pair this documentary with a short feature from The Memory Palace, a new public radio effort by Los Angeles-based producer Nate DiMeo. It's super cool. Listen in.

Stories Sans Narration - Airs Aug. 3

2009-07-27T14:41:00.003-05:00

Most radio stories feature a narrator (usually the reporter) to provide the listener with context and descriptions. But sometimes a radio story is more powerful if the reporter can get out of the way and let the subject tell us what's happening. Or better yet, show us.

On this edition of the Listening Lounge, we'll air a podcast produced by Rob Rosenthal of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. In a recent episode of the Saltcast, Rob discusses non-narrated radio pieces and showcases a story by Sarah Reynolds called Look Me in the Eye. The story is about guy named Bill Bouffard who likes to play quad rugby.

We'll also air a story I produced a couple of years ago about the St. Paul Winter Carnival's Bouncing Girl competition. It also lacks narration and I had to give the story quite a bit thought before I bounded over to downtown St. Paul on a chilly January evening for the event. (By the way, a Bouncing Girl competition involves men holding a circular canvas blanket propelling a tiny woman into the air.) The Bouncing Girl story can also be heard here.

And I'll play a third non-narrated story: The Rolling Diamonds, a non-narrated story about a husband-and-wife rollerskating circus act. Tune in on Monday, Aug 3 at 7 p.m. Central Time on KFAI, 90.3 FM Minneapolis.

Road Trip - Airs July 20 + July 27

2009-07-20T18:11:00.001-05:00

Host Larry Massett spends a "Long Day on the Road" with ex-KGB in the Republic of Georgia. Scott Carrier starts in Salt Lake and ends on the Atlantic in this cross-country "Hitchhike." Lemon Jelly adds beats to the life of a "Ramblin' Man." The band Richmond Fontaine sends musical postcards from the flight of "Walter On the Lam." And Mark Allen tells a tale of a tryst with a "Kinko's Crackhead."

And on the July 20 show: "Home from the Road," a commentary by Nanci Olesen.

Buffalo Commons - Airs July 13

2009-07-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

The problems of the Great Plains have been chronicled for decades-- lack of industry, an aging population, towns closing up shop and reverting to prairie scrub.

That's where the idea of a "Buffalo Commons" comes in. Backers want to accumulate big swaths of the Plains, and repopulate the land with bison and other native species.

A group called the American Prairie Foundation is trying to do that in northeastern Montana, around the town of Malta. It's knitting together a hodgepodge of old family ranches and public land, with the hope of eventually luring in ecotourists.

It's a pretty radical idea for a part of the country that's pretty, but decidedly NOT radical.

Here's a portrait from the Plains from producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister.

Street Gangs in the Midwest - Airs July 6

2009-07-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Any way you slice it, St. Louis is one of the most violent cities in America. A primary cause for that distinction is gang violence. In a special three-part series, KWMU reporter Adam Allington speaks with Crips, Bloods, police, lawyers, and the people living in some of St. Louis' most notorious gang neighborhoods. We air "Block by Block: Street Gangs in St. Louis," recent winner of an Edward R. Murrow Award and "Watching My Cousin Sink Into Gang Life," by Julie Palido of Curie Youth Radio in Chicago.

Heard Here - Airs June 22

2009-06-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

The producers here at the Listening Lounge have been editing and re-editing radio stories for the debut edition of "Heard Here: KFAI Producers Showcase."

We'll begin the show with "Joe Savage: Perennial Sideman," a profile of a local pedal steel guitar player by Joel Grostephan. Unlike traditional public radio stories, Joel doesn't narrate this piece. Instead, we hear from Joe Savage and his crying pedal steel. It's a moving piece and you won't want to miss it.

Then it's on to a pair of funny essays on the subject of "People We Like Who Don't Like Us, But We Can't Help But Fancy Them." Diane Richard remembers the girl's bathroom at high school that she was supposed to avoid. Kristina Lund tells us about trying to convince her friend at work to become her friend in real life. "I have plenty of friends outside of work ... I just don't like them as much. They'll do in pinch, especially when I need to know that I am likable and not desperate. Sometimes when I run into you when I am out and about, thankfully I have one of my slackies with me."

The Dad Plan - Airs June 15

2009-06-08T11:36:00.008-05:00

It's never too early to start thinking about the old man. Your father. Your dad. On our June 15 show, we air a half-hour worth of stories about dads. It's called "The Dad Plan." It begins with a very funny song by William Shatner, Aimee Mann and the Ben Folds. Shatner plays the Dad, of course, one who wants to reconnect with his adult child but doesn't want to talk about anything emotional or pressing. The show also includes stories by Sarah Vowell of This American Life. Tune in and don't forget about Dad's Day. Um, it's June 21, I think. (The photo is my old man — Thomas Melby of Hettinger, North Dakota. I'm that baby in the red-and-white outfit. Damn, he looks tired.)

Thembi Ngubane Dies

2009-06-08T11:20:00.002-05:00

In 2007, we aired a documentary by Joe Richman called Thembi's AIDS Diary, about a South African woman's struggle with HIV/AIDS. Thembi Ngubane was 19 years old when she began recording her thoughts about HIV. She also recorded her loving interactions with her boyfriend, the moment she told her father about her condition and many other touching moments. After her story was broadcast, she toured the United States. Later, she also addressed the South African parliament. Thembi recently contracted tuberculous and died June 4. She was 24. Producer Joe Richman recorded a remembrance of Thembi for National Public Radio. You can listen to it here.