The Outlook Podcast Archive

Dr Karen Nyberg has many talents. She's an engineer and astronaut, but she's also an avid quilter, so when she joined the International Space Station in 2013, she took her sewing kit with her. She created a nine-inch, star-themed quilt square in orbit which inspired over two thousand other quilters to do the same. Karen tells Jo Fidgen about the challenges of quilting in zero gravity and of leaving her three-year-old son and husband - also an astronaut - behind on earth. She's now designed a collection of fabrics called Earth Views based on photographs she took from Space.

The archive clips you heard came courtesy of NASA.

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(Photo: Dr Karen Nyberg with her quilt square in space. Credit: NASA)

In the 1990s Terence Smith launched his campaign to run for United States president in drag, shocking voters and the media. His mission was not to win, but instead, to raise awareness about the Aids crisis which was killing his community. Critical of the government's slow response to the epidemic, Terence armed himself with a blonde wig, platform shoes, and the persona of Joan Jett Blakk and decided to run against future president Bill Clinton. Jo Fidgen speaks to Terence from his home in San Francisco, USA.

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Presenter: Jo Fidgen

(Photo: Poster from Joan Jett Blakk's political campaign. Credit: Eric Stein Photography)

Stephen Wiltshire was born in London in 1974, and diagnosed with autism when he was three. Mute until he was five, he was sent to a specialist school where his teachers soon noticed his prodigious talent for drawing. His passion was buildings - the more complicated, the better - and he would recreate them in intricate detail on the page, often from memory. His rare gift astounded the world, and flung Stephen into the spotlight as a child. He was recognised as an 'artistic savant' - someone with extraordinary visual talents - and as a teenager he travelled the world, drawing famous international landmarks. Today, he continues to work as an artist, and is best known for drawing vast, panoramic cityscapes entirely from memory. He and his sister Annette tell Emily Webb about his journey.

Presenter: Emily Webb

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(Photo: Stephen Wiltshire drawing a panorama of Mexico City in 2016.. Credit: Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Wayétu Moore was just five years old in 1990, when Liberia's first civil war broke out. The family were forced to leave their home near Monrovia, and to flee on foot to the relative safety of a remote village. Throughout the journey, Wayétu's father Gus was determined to shield her and her sisters from the horrors of the conflict around them, and made up stories to explain what they saw.

After months hiding in a remote village, a young woman with a gun arrived. She was a rebel soldier, named Satta, and announced she'd been sent by Wayétu's mother, who had been away studying in America, to bring the family to safety across the border in Sierra Leone. Years later, living in New York, and by now an established writer, Wayétu set out to track Satta down and thank her for what she did.

Presenter: Emily Webb

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(Photo: Wayétu Moore. Credit: Yoni Levy)

Like many young people in his community, Simon Karuiki Ndungu grew up scavenging for things he could sell. His home was Korogocho, a Nairobi slum situated next to the city's main dumpsite. The poisonous gases and toxic water weren't the only hazards - there was violence as well. Rival gangs fought for control over the dumpsite, and by the time he was 8 years old Simon was running guns for them. Then, as a teenager, Simon started turning his life around. An organisation at the edge of the dump, Ghetto Classics, introduced him to classical music and the saxophone. The instrument would help him process the hardships around him, and his new love of music would be Simon's ticket out of the slum.

Presenter: Emily Webb

Photo: Simon Karuiki Ndungu

Artist Osman Yousefzada grew up in Birmingham, England in the 1980s after his parents moved to the UK from Pakistan. They were both illiterate, and while his father worked as a carpenter, Osman spent much of his time watching his mother make clothes to earn money. By the time he was seven years old, he had made his first doll's dress and enjoyed getting involved with his mum's business; choosing trims and patterns for her designs, and advising her clients - many of whom were also from their Muslim community - on shoes and accessories. It was a childhood passion that would later see him launch a successful career; a clothing label influenced by his culture, and worn by celebrities and royalty alike. But, as Osman discovered, the glamorous world of fashion did not bring satisfaction; it was only by turning his attention to the world of art, where he could reflect on his heritage, that he would find the meaning he craved. His book is called The Go-Between.

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Presenter: Anu Anand

(Photo: Osman Yousefzada poses with models during London Fashion Week 2020. Credit: David M. Benett/Getty Images)

Lynn Price and Andi Andree were separated as young children and raised with different foster families - they didn't even know of each other's existence until they were introduced at the ages of 8 and 9. Although they eventually formed a close sibling bond, Lynn was determined to help other siblings like them and in 1995 she set up Camp To Belong where siblings separated by the foster care system could spend time together building precious memories. Andi volunteered at the camps and worked together with Lynn for many years, and the camps are still going strong today. But, as the sisters tell Anu Anand, there was another twist to come in their family story.

Presenter: Anu Anand

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(Photo: Sisters Lynn Price (L) and Andi Andree. Credit: Courtesy of Andi Andree)

Prof Lucy Easthope is a leading authority on recovering from disaster. She has spent two decades working at the centre of numerous global catastrophes, including terrorist attacks, plane crashes, conflicts, earthquakes and tsunamis. It's her job to help get the bodies identified, repatriate survivors, return personal effects, look after the bereaved, and advise governments for the future. But when she went through a series of devastating losses in her personal life, she realised she would need all her disaster management skills to help her get through it.

Presenter: Anu Anand

(Photo: Lucy Easthope. Credit: Caitlin Chescoe)

Celeste Bell's mother Poly Styrene was a punk icon who'd made her mark on music history before Celeste was even born. Her distinctive voice, neon outfits and mixed race heritage made her stand out in a punk scene that was dominated by white men, clad in dark colours and studs. Celeste tells Anu Anand about Poly Styrene's rise to fame with her band X-Ray Spex, why it all fell apart and what it was like to sing with her onstage before she died in 2011. Celeste has made a film about her mum called I am a Cliche.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Presenter: Anu Anand

(Photo: Poly Styrene of punk band X-Ray Spex performs on stage at the Roundhouse, London, England, on January 15th, 1978. Credit: Gus Stewart/ Redferns/ Getty Images)

In his early twenties, Joe Yelverton and two friends climbed Eagle Peak in the Chugach mountain range in Alaska. His life changed in an instant when an avalanche hit them, killing his best friend Steve. For years afterwards, Joe's life was characterised by anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. But with friendship, photography and an unwavering love of the wilderness, Joe found healing and peace in the Chugach again.

For advice available online, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Presenter: Emily Webb

(Photo: Joe Yelverton. Credit: Joe Yelverton)