Pop-Up Magazine Presents

Every night, when the sun goes down and the stars come out, the world completely changes. There are plants and animals that come out only at night. People too. And every night the sky puts on a show. Author Roxane Gay (Hunger), radio host David Greene (formerly of NPR’s Morning Edition), author and comedy writer Bess Kalb (Nobody Will Tell You This But Me, Jimmy Kimmel Live), photographer Evgenia Arbugaeva (National Geographic), an 11-year-old who’s afraid of the dark, and more join us as we explore our mysterious world at night.  

Trees can feel magical. And they can teach us a lot about ourselves and our world. In this episode, we invite you to go outside and into the trees. You could find a tree to sit under while you listen. Or take a walk and look at the trees around you — wherever you are. Radio host Molly Webster (Radiolab), author David Haskell (The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors), Stanford’s unofficial school mascot, luthier Freeman Vines, Yurok tribal member Rick O’Rourke, author Katherine May (Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times), and more help us meditate on trees big and small. 

What does water mean to you? Author Bonnie Tsui (Why We Swim), actress Joy Bryant, submarine pilot Erika Bergman, figure skater Elladj Baldé, 85-year-old synchronized swimmer Barbara Eison-White, professional mermaid Olivia Gonzales, and more share stories about the many ways water influences our lives. We recommend listening outside, near water if you can. Head to the ocean if you’re on the coast. Or walk to a nearby pond or creek. Sit by a fountain at a park. Or just pour yourself a glass of water. 

Grab your headphones and take a walk with us. You don’t need a destination. Just breathe and move forward. Comedian Jenny Slate (Saturday Night Live, Obvious Child), podcast host Anna Sale (Death, Sex & Money), writer Sam Jay (Saturday Night Live), Antwan Williams (Ear Hustle), author and radio host Lulu Miller (Radiolab), NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, former Marine Corps Sergeant Julian Torres, and many more invite you to look around and imagine as they share walking stories — funny, profound, unexpected, and moving. 

Grab your headphones, and a mask, and take a walk with us. You don’t need a destination. Just breathe and move forward. Jenny Slate, Anna Sale (Death, Sex & Money), Antwan Williams (Ear Hustle), author and radio host Lulu Miller (Radiolab), writer Sam Jay (Saturday Night Live), NASA astronaut Drew Feustel, Sergeant Julian Torres, and many more friends invite you to look around and imagine as they share walking stories — profound, unexpected, moving, and life-changing. 

This story is part of Pop-Up Magazine’s Fall Issue, with stories unfolding over a week from October 12-16. Sponsored by Instacart. Follow along at popupmagazine.com/watch.

For Pop-Up Magazine’s Fall Issue, producer Haley Howle takes us on a walk, going everywhere from outer space to a pet cemetery in Massachusetts to Mount Kilimanjaro. This story drops October 15 and is part of Pop-Up Magazine’s Fall Issue. Join us for a full week of new stories from October 12-16. Sponsored by Instacart. Follow along at popupmagazine.com/watch.