Forty years ago, military-backed death squads descended on Dora Rodriguez’ hometown as a civil war spiraled out of control in El Salvador. Forced to flee as a teenager and leave her family behind, Rodriguez began what she thought would be the only journey north through Mexico and into the harsh Sonoran Desert. In this episode, Dora recounts her harrowing start-stop passage across the desert, predatory smugglers that nearly cost her life, and an unlikely relationship with a man from the other side of the wall.
*This episode has been edited from the original version for safety and editorial purposes.
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Produced by Clarke Tolton, Grace Heerman, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Sound Design by George Drake Jr.
Music by Mike Etten
Intro/Outro music by Anand Wilder
For more about this story, including photos by Clarke Tolton, visit everythingisstories.com.
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The Shores of Acheron

Created and produced by Mike Martinez and Tyler Wray, Everything is Stories is an ongoing survey of personal histories. Each episode is a first person narrative from someone who has lived through consequential changes to their notion of self and the world.

Harry Crews said it best: “Nothing is allowed to die in a society of story telling people. It is all–the good and the bad–carted up and brought along from one generation to the next. And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it.

These voices have told their greatest moments where peace is far and death is close. Sometimes these stories explore the philosophy of outsiders. But most importantly, these stories examine what it is to be human.

We don’t record to defend or demonstrate an idea. Rather, we create a document of what was seen and felt during their transformative experiences. Take a listen. Start anywhere. You may find a new definition of reality’s highs and lows.

Know of a story or storyteller? Send us your tales of genuine characters and unfamiliar places for consideration to: HQ@everythingisstories.com. No story too troubled, no atmosphere too strange, no realm too foreign.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Where do we go when we can’t make it in mainstream society? As someone who has often battled mental illness and rage, Del Hendrixson Jr. connects the dots between a violent mental breakdown and his struggle to find a sense of belonging as a child. In this episode, Del talks about a successful career in printing that would eventually turn criminal, hitting rock bottom, and fighting an insatiable urge to kill. Following a suicide attempt and a slow journey toward peace and acceptance of living outside the mainstream, life would eventually come full-circle to the place everything bottomed out - prison - where Del taught newly-released inmates creative skills in order to help them lead productive lives at his Bajito Onda Foundation.
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Produced by Mike Martinez, Tyler Wray, and Grace Heerman. Music by Mike Etten. Sound design by George Drake, Jr.
For more about this story, including photos by Clarke Tolton, visit everythingisstories.com.
 
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Del From Hell

By the time her boyfriend became violent, Kim Dadou Brown was confident she could handle it. It was just one of those things the women in her family dealt with. It wasn’t until Kim found herself in prison that she realized how seriously the years of abuse had skewed her reality – and what little support the system offered women like her.
Kims' story continues in part 02, where she shares what transpired in the wake of her boyfriends' death and how she came out on the other side into a career as an activist for domestic violence victims.
*This episode contains strong descriptions of domestic violence, please listen with care.
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Produced by Grace Heerman, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Music by Mike Etten
Sound Design by Armen Bazarian
Intro/Outro music by Anand Wilder
For more about this story, including photos by Casey Steffens, visit everythingisstories.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A White Noise in Your Head - Part 2

By the time her boyfriend became violent, Kim Dadou Brown was confident she could handle it. It was just one of those things the women in her family dealt with. It wasn’t until Kim found herself in prison that she realized how seriously the years of abuse had skewed her reality – and what little support the system offered women like her. 
In Part 01, Kim meets us in her home in Rochester, New York, where she shares what ultimately led to a final act of violence and how much work she’s had to do in order to free herself from the trauma.
*This episode contains strong descriptions of domestic violence, please listen with care.
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Produced by Grace Heerman, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Music by Mike Etten
Sound Design by Armen Bazarian
Intro/Outro music by Anand Wilder
For more about this story, including photos by Casey Steffens, visit everythingisstories.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A White Noise in Your Head - Part 1

They say stealing cattle in Texas can get a man hung by the neck until dead. From a young age Roddy Pippin was ready to take that risk, as he and his crew would take home close to a million dollars rustling cattle over the course of 3 years. 
In this episode Pippin speaks of his idyllic childhood and love for the ways of the old west, the precarious choices he made while chasing the steal that would lead to brushes with death, and how those few years on the run pushed him and his lifelong friendships to the limit. 
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Produced by Grace Heerman, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Sound Design by George Drake Jr.
Music by Mike Etten and Dominic Palermo
Intro/Outro music by Anand Wilder
For more about this story, including photos by Justin Hollar, visit everythingisstories.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Shores of Acheron

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