The new film 'Blue Heron' tells the story of Sasha, a young daughter of Hungarian immigrants who move to Vancouver Island, and the story of Sasha's older brother, who begins displaying increasingly unstable behavior. Writer and director Sophy Romvari discusses the film, her feature debut, which is based in part on her own life. 'Blue Heron' is in theaters now.

Image courtesy of Janus Films

For some New Yorkers, qualifying for a CityFHEPS housing voucher means first entering the shelter system. Reporter Karen Yi breaks down the fight over expanding the city’s rental assistance program and why advocates say delaying it could cost more in the long run. Photo: Lajoy Clark, Ciro Sollazzi, and Kevin Joseph Cuffy for Gothamist -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [email protected]

Today's story is all about what happens when you become infatuated with someone you don't really know. And what strange or scary things you might do in order to make real contact with that person. The story is also about youth, love of language, and what you do with all your passion when you have more energy than you know what to do with.  This story is by Jonathan Lethem. He's a writer known for novels such as Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude, as well as short stories, recently collected in his book, A Different Kind of Tension. While he's amazing at crafting great narrative hooks, he's also quite good at recreating the awkward moments of young adulthood, as you'll hear in today's story, "The King of Sentences." The story is read by Brendan Hunt, the longtime writer and theater actor who is best known these days for the series Ted Lasso: Hunt helped to create it, write it, and on the show, he plays Coach Beard. Stay tuned after the story for a fascinating interview between Lethem and host Aparna Nancherla about creative influences, the power and peril of parasocial relationships, and more. 

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Since the war began in Iran, we've heard very little from people inside the country — and there's a reason for that. The entire country has been under an internet blackout. We worked with reporters Roxana Saberi and Fatemeh Jamalpour to get voice memos out of the country. Even though it was dangerous and difficult, people wanted to be heard.

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Prologue: Shirin's parents suddenly disappear into the blackout. (5 minutes)Act One: It’s a war and a blackout. People want to talk about both. (17 minutes)Act Two: What happened before America and Israel went to war with Iran. (9 minutes)Act Three: Iranians have many opinions about the war, and about each other. (12 minutes)Act Four: What happened inside Iran the night President Trump threatened that "a whole civilization could die." And a clue about where the internet blackout is headed. (19 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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The May "Get Lit with All Of It" book club selection is the new novel from bestselling author Tom Perrotta, Ghost Town. The story follows an eighth grader named Jimmy growing up in suburban New Jersey in the 1970s. Devastated by a tragic loss, he seeks comfort where he can get it... including with an older girl who happens to own a Ouija Board. Tom Perrotta discusses the novel ahead of our May 27th Get Lit event! Click here to find out more.

Cover art courtesy of Simon and Schuster

The new novel from Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney tells the story of a woman who begins an affair in 1970s Rochester, with lasting consequences for the rest of her family. Sweeney discusses Lake Effect, the April Get Lit with All Of It book club selection. Click here to watch the full, video version of our in-person book club event!

This month's Get Lit with All Of It book club selection was the family drama from novelist Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's called "Lake Effect." In the spirit of family, our musical guests were  Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton founded the band Ida in Brooklyn in the 1990s. They were joined at the event by their daughter Storey Littleton, who grew up playing in the family band and just released her debut solo album, At A Diner.

Photo courtesy of the band

In 2017, Wayne Hsiung and a crew of animal rights activists from Direct Action Everywhere broke into a Utah pig farm run by Smithfield Foods, one of the largest pork distributors in the world. They were there to capture video of what they say were thousands of mistreated and abused animals kept in tiny metal cages barely bigger than their bodies. As they were leaving, they took two sick piglets out with them.

Prosecutors in Utah charged Wayne with burglary and theft. What came next was the court battle that he wanted all along. During his trial, Wayne made a truly bizarre argument that forced the jury—and all of us—to stare straight at our complicated, sometimes uncomfortable relationship with animals. This week on the show, we grapple with the impossible question at the center of it: What is the value of a piglet? 

Special thanks to Kim Nederveen Pieterse, Nathan Peereboom, Jo Eidman, Sam Kozloff, Rachel Gross, Alex Allaux and Joan Schaffner. 

EPISODE CREDITS:  Reported by Sindhu Gnanasambandan and Jae Minard Produced by Sindhu Gnanasambandan with help from Pat Walters with mixing help from Jeremy Bloom Fact-checking by Diane A. Kelly and edited by Alex Neason and Pat Walters

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