This American Life Archive

Stories of people drawn to some idea, some picture, some "thing" that they just want to be.

We want to believe our lives can be changed by a set of ideas contained in a book.

Three stories, three people, and three sets of maps.

Through our crimes, we express who we are.

It turns out that not falling in love, not doing our jobs, not spending time with our families is every bit as vivid and complicated an experience as doing something.

We accompany a Hollywood screenwriter as he tries to sell a movie idea and find ourselves asking, is the art of commerce better than the art of art?

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz goes on a last big trip with his father, who has Alzheimer's, and his son.

Stories in which young people take matters into their own hands, broadcast for the tenth anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square.

Stories of people going home to places they've never been before.

What if you asked people for advice and actually took ALL of the advice that everyone gave you? Sarah Vowell tried exactly that.