Off the Page

In this episode, Chris Drangle, reads his short story, "Let's Make Up Jack," which can also be read in full at the Kenyon Review Online, here:

https://www.kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/2017-marapr/selections/chris-drangle-342846/

Off the Page is a podcast of stories, essays, and poetry from the Stanford University writing community, produced by the Stanford Storytelling Project in collaboration with the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

Learn more at storytelling.stanford.edu and at creativewriting.stanford.edu

In this episode, Chris Drangle, reads his short story, "Let's Make Up Jack," which can also be read in full at the Kenyon Review Online, here:

https://www.kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/2017-marapr/selections/chris-drangle-342846/

Off the Page is a podcast of stories, essays, and poetry from the Stanford University writing community, produced by the Stanford Storytelling Project in collaboration with the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

Learn more at storytelling.stanford.edu and at creativewriting.stanford.edu

In this episode, Brittany Perham, a poet and Jones Lecturer in the Stanford Creative Writing Program, reads a suite of poems, and discusses her craft and process with Off the Page host Mark Labowskie. You can find more of Brittany Perham's work at her website: brittanyperham.com

Off the Page is a podcast of stories, essays, and poetry from the Stanford University writing community, produced by the Stanford Storytelling Project in collaboration with the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

Learn more at storytelling.stanford.edu and at creativewriting.stanford.edu

In this episode, Brittany Perham, a poet and Jones Lecturer in the Stanford Creative Writing Program, reads a suite of poems, and discusses her craft and process with Off the Page host Mark Labowskie. You can find more of Brittany Perham's work at her website: brittanyperham.com

Off the Page is a podcast of stories, essays, and poetry from the Stanford University writing community, produced by the Stanford Storytelling Project in collaboration with the Stanford Creative Writing Program.

Learn more at storytelling.stanford.edu and at creativewriting.stanford.edu

Sometimes you have to keep your head down to stay alive.

This is a show about playing the cello in the darkest hour, and returning to the site of the fire, and keeping your head down to stay alive. This is a show about what happens when the sun goes down, and when you get lost in the mall, and when you pick up the phone because you have nowhere left to turn. This is a show about the terrible and the beautiful. This is a show about survival.

Producers: Jett Hayward, Bella Lazzareschi, Elisabeth Dee, Stephanie Niu, Cathy Wong, Dylan Cunningham, Hannah Nguyen, Jackson Roach, Melina Walling, Alec Glassford, Christy Hartman, Jake Warga, Sam Greenspan, and Jonah Willinghanz.

What can we know about the future? And where do we look? We plan ahead by speculating. We can’t imagine not imagining the next hour, the next day, the next email. In this show we look at the nature of guessing, of predicting, and what that can tell us about the future. And the past.

Host: Yue Li

Producers: Chris Leboa, Cameron Tenner, Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow, Sam Kargilis, Risa Cromer, Sam Greenspan

Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty, Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn, Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller

Story 1: Miner Threat

Meet the last Bitcoin miners of Stanford.

Producer: Sam Kargilis

Music (from Free Music Archive): Curves, Jhhhzzr

Story 2: Vanquishing Vaccines

During the 2017-2018 flu season over 60 million Americans were infected with influenza and an estimated 50,000 died. Why has there been so much sickness when a vaccine does exist? Producer Chris LeBoa investigates the process and guesswork that goes into creating the flu shot each year and what is being done to take guesswork out of future vaccines.

Producer: Chris LeBoa

Featuring: Corrie Dekkar, Julie Parsonnet, Julie Fogarty

Story 3: The Coming Storm

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houstonians Yue and Claudia wonder how future storms can be predicted. And if they can be predicted, whose responsibility is it to protect Houston?

Producers: Yue Li, Claudia Heymach, Noelle Chow

Featuring: Jeff Lindner, Jim Blackburn

Music (from freesound.org): vision- ambient gamelan by that jeff carter, Ambient Drone Solfeggio by Headphaze, Cosmos by pointpark cinema, cyclone hurricane hugo by solostud

Story 4: My Dear Melville

Herman Melville’s “great American novel,” Moby Dick, has fascinated, entertained, bored, and horrified audiences for the past 150 years, but … is Moby Dick gay? Was Herman Melville caught up in a same-sex-love affair? Producer Cameron Tenner searches for answers and learns about exploring queerness in the past.

Producer: Cameron Tenner

Featuring: Mark Beauregard, Kyla Schuller

Music: Cylinder Five by Chris Zabriskie, Gentle Chase by Podington Bear, Skeptic by Podington Bear, Vanagon by Podington Bear, Little Black Cloud by Podington Bear, Waltz for an Imaginary Piano by Johnny Ripper, Lonesome by Podington Bear, Lucky Stars by Podington Bear, In My Head by Podington Bear, Sensitive by Podington Bear, Whaling Song by Paul Clayton

How do we take care of the past after it turns to ash? We visit with families digging through the rubble of their homes in Sonoma after the fires as they sift for memories. This episode asks how we care for people, and what to do if there's no obvious path to healing. Along the way, we meet a midwife, some worms, and a daughter caring for her mother and herself.

Host: Claudia Heymach

Producers: Claudia Heymach, Crystal Escolero, Emma Heath, Bella Lazzareschi, Helvia Taina, Sarah Jiang, Eileen Williams

Featuring: Roshni Thachil, Ronnie Falcoa, Claire Mollard, Josh Weil

Show music: "The Flight of the Lulu" by Possimiste

Story 1: Midwife Crisis

We don’t always think of caretaking in a professional terms, but for a homebirth midwife, the emotional and physical wellbeing of others is the whole job.

Producer: Emma Heath

Featuring: Ronnie Falcoa

Story 2: From the Ashes

We went to Sonoma County after the fires to help residents dig through the rubble of their homes. Along the way, we asked about what they took with them, what they wanted to take, and what they’re looking for now.

Producers: Crystal Escolero, Helvia Taina, and Claudia Heymach

Featuring: Claire Mollard and Josh Weil

Story 3: Depression 1, 2, 3

Living with mental illness means living with the mysterious and mundane. Caretakers of loved ones with depression, anxiety or psychosis must come to grips with both sides, and resist the tug of their own demons in the process. This is an ongoing story about a mom, her daughter and the everyday work of love.

Producers: Sarah Jiang and Eileen Williams

Music: “Undersea Garden” and “Love Sprouts” by Podington Bear, "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page

Show Image courtesy of Jake Warga

We hear a lot about immigrants. In this episode, we hear from immigrants – not as statistics, but as individual human beings crossing borders. Oscar gets deported and tries to return home. Maddie comes to terms with her family relationships. And Nisrin enters the U.S. from Sudan after the first travel ban takes effect.

In this episode, stories of crossing. This is part one of a two part series.

Host: Noelle Chow

Producers:​​ ​Carissa​ ​Cirelli,​ ​Noelle​ ​Chow,​ ​Jett​ ​Hayward,​ ​An-Li​ ​Herring,​ ​Julia​ ​Ingram,​ ​Louis​ ​Lafair,​ ​Rosie LaPuma,​ ​Yue​ ​Li,​ ​Jenny​ ​March,​ ​Kate​ ​Nelson,​ ​Jackson​ ​Roach,​ ​Helvia​ ​Taina,​ ​Melina​ ​Walling,​ ​Jake​ ​Warga, Eileen​ ​Williams,​ ​Cathy​ ​Wong

Show​ ​Music:​​ ​​johnny_ripper

(Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at https://storytelling.stanford.edu)

Story 1: Oscar

Oscar gets deported. He’s determined to come back, no matter what.

Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, and Jackson Roach


Featuring: Oscar


Music: "Delican't" by Podington Bear, "Door knock" by [email protected]

Story 2: Maddie

Maddie searches for the formula to be an American.

Producers: Kate Nelson, Carissa Cirelli, and Jackson Roach 

Featuring: Madeleine Han


Music: "Fater Lee" and "James p . funk 2" by Black Ant, "No sudden movements" by Rui, "i'm not here" by johnny_ripper, "dan1 " by junior85

Story 3: Nisrin

On January 27, 2017, the first travel ban takes effect. And then Nisrin lands at JFK.

Producers: Helvia Taina, An-Li Herring, Eileen Williams, and Rosie La Puma

Featuring: Nisrin Elamin Abdelrahman


Music: "80's Interlude" by Fanas; "Theme 4," "Sleep," "Intermission," "In a Dream," and "data" by johnny_ripper

Immigrating is a conversation that happens across borders, generations, and versions of oneself. Grace and Justin talk across political differences. Unknown workers who forged the Transcontinental Railroad receive a new voice. Solmaz writes poetry to orient herself in the world. And Frankie and Francisco reflect on growing up in a new place.

This is part two of a two-part series.

Host: Cathy Wong

Producers:​​ ​Carissa​ ​Cirelli,​ ​Noelle​ ​Chow,​ ​Jett​ ​Hayward,​ ​An-Li​ ​Herring,​ ​Julia​ ​Ingram,​ ​Louis​ ​Lafair,​ ​Rosie LaPuma,​ ​Yue​ ​Li,​ ​Jenny​ ​March,​ ​Kate​ ​Nelson,​ ​Jackson​ ​Roach,​ ​Helvia​ ​Taina,​ ​Melina​ ​Walling,​ ​Jake​ ​Warga, Eileen​ ​Williams,​ ​Cathy​ ​Wong

Show​ ​Music:​​ ​​johnny_ripper

(Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at https://storytelling.stanford.edu)

Story 4: Grace and Justin

Grace and Justin send each other letters.

Producers: Cathy Wong and Kate Nelson


Featuring: Justin Hsuan and Grace


Music: "When in the West," "Sage the Hunter," and "Drone Pine" by Blue Dot Sessions

Story 5: Chinese Railroad Workers

Producer:​ ​​Yue​ ​Li

Featuring:​​ ​Hilton​ ​Obenzinger,​ ​Barre​ ​Fong,​ ​and Gordon​ ​Chang

Music: "Everything Ends Here" by Johnny Ripper; "More Weather," "Waterbourne," and "The Summit" by Blue Dot Sessions

Story 6: Solmaz

Solmaz Sharif wants to have the conversation we’re avoiding.

Producers: Jackson Roach and Jett Hayward


Featuring: Solmaz Sharif


Music: "c" and "m" by Gallery Six, "Krankenwagen im Stau" by rui, "Upward" and "It Moves Like A 500 Year Old Process" by junior85

Story 7: Frankie and Francisco

After immigrating from Mexico, Francisco Preciado Sr. gets a job as a groundskeeper at Stanford University. When his son, Francisco Preciado Jr., applies to Stanford, they learn together what it means to carry on a family legacy in a new country.

Producers: Louis Lafair and Melina Walling


Featuring: Francisco Preciado Sr. and Francisco Preciado Jr.


Music: "An opener" by Bitbasic, "motion (johnny_ripper remix)" by noah, "Selbstheilend" by rui, "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar and Miguel Flores

Sometimes, marching steadily through the steps of life—we crash right into something entirely unexpected. In one instant, the entire world changes, without even a word of warning. When a crash comes, that collision can destroy everything. But it can wake us up to what we truly need; we must decide what to raze and what to rebuild. How do humans move forward before the smoke is cleared? What happens after the crash?

Host: Eileen Williams

Producers: Eileen Williams, Claudia Heymach, Jackson Roach, Megan Calfas, Alex Cheng, Noelle Li Syn Chow, Jake Warga

Featuring: Eddie Mazon, Michael Peskin, Miles Traer, Dr. David Radler, Dan Klein, Dehan Glanz

Show music: "Darger's strawberry" by Exteenager, "opening credits" by Johnny Ripper

(Links to this show's music and sound sources can be found at storytelling.stanford.edu)

Story 1: SLACing off

Dr. Michael Peskin works in the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, home of the world’s longest linear accelerator. At SLAC, researchers crash X rays and particles, and a huge variety of things together, but not for destruction or for fun-- but for learning.

Producer: Claudia Heymach

Featuring: Michael Peskin

Music: Original viola by Rosie LaPuma

Story 2: Myth and Science

Miles accidentally crashed the Stanford server, but as an earth scientist there’s a lot more at risk. Myth and science have been separated in the real world, but in fantasy and fiction they dance together to tell stories.

Producer: Eileen Williams

Featuring: Miles Traer

Music: Soundtrack to “Game of Thrones”

Story 3: Crash Cart

Dr. David Radler is a senior resident in the department of emergency medicine at Stanford University. He tells us about one particularly memorable crash, and what it taught him.

Producer: Eileen Williams

Featuring: Dr. David Radler

Music: Kai Engel

Story 4: Car Crash

In an instant, everything can change. When Dan and Danno got in a car crash in their sophomore year at Stanford, everything did. Now they’re both back at Stanford as professors and recount the event that shook and shaped their lives (and even inspired a Lifetime Movie). Their perspective is one you might not expect in light of the tragedy that unhinged their world. Dan says today, “That’s a great approach to life—to assume that there’s something lucky to every unlucky thing that happens.”

Producers: Megan Calfas and Alex Cheng

Featuring: Dan Klein and Dehan Glanz

Music and sound: Kai Engel, David Szesztay, Podington Bear, De la Soul, The Clientele, "A Mother's Fight for Justice"