Inside Stories

Communist revolutionaries take over a radio station during a live call-in advice show. A comic audio play written and produced by Paul VanDeCarr.

Here is the solution to one of the great political mysteries of the past 50 years, and an explosive confession by the late President Richard M. Nixon. Thanks to advances in technology, audio experts have at last reconstructed the contents of the so-called "18.5-minute gap," a period of silence on tapes made by President Nixon. Other parts of the tapes had incriminating evidence connecting Nixon to the Watergate break-in, but the contents of the gap have remained unknown -- until now. Featuring Anthony Newfield and Paul VanDeCarr.

The Hill Cumorah Pageant is performed over several nights every July in Palmyra, New York, at the very site where Mormons believe that Joseph Smith found the tablets upon which were written the Book of Mormon. With a cast of over 650 people, elaborate special effects, and a 10-level stage, the pageant dramatizes stories from the Book for Mormon. I spoke with several cast and crew before a performance in 2015. More info and pictures at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com. 

Harvey Fierstein's 2014 play "Casa Valentina" told the story of one weekend in 1962 at an upstate New York resort for cross-dressers, and was based on a real place, long since closed. I visited a NYC-based center for cross-dressers to ask members how much they think things have changed for them between 1962 and today.

Una entrevista con Laura Bolaños Cadena, mejor conocida como "Abril," la argumentista principal de "Historia Semanal de Amor y Pasión" y otras historietas duranta su larga carrera. www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A story on the recent Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," featuring black and Latino actors in the lead roles. Originally produced for WNYC Radio's arts program, Studio 360. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A conversation with Jonathan Mitchell, a longtime public radio producer and now the producer of "The Truth," a podcast of short-form audio drama. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A visit to the writing group of WORTH, or Women on the Rise Telling HerStory, a NYC-based organization for women who are or have been in prison. More info www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A conversation with Will Cantler, a casting director with Telsey and Co., and an artistic director at MCC Theater in NYC, about filling out a play, film, or TV show with the actors who make it real. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Last of three parts, selected readings from the transcript of oral history interviews with Eddie Dowling about the original Broadway production of "The Glass Menagerie." Interview copyrighted by the Columbia Center for Oral History. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Part 2 of 3, selected readings from the transcript of oral history interviews with Eddie Dowling about the original Broadway production of "The Glass Menagerie." Interview copyrighted by the Columbia Center for Oral History. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Selected readings from the transcript of oral history interviews with Eddie Dowling about the original Broadway production of "The Glass Menagerie." Interview copyrighted by the Columbia Center for Oral History. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A radio segment produced by Paul VanDeCarr for the arts and culture program "Studio 360," about the Broadway revival of Larry Kramer's 1985 play "The Normal Heart." Studio 360 is a co-production of Public Radio International, and WNYC Radio. Thanks to the show for permission to use the segment as a podcast episode. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.  

Taylor Krauss, the director of "Voices of Rwanda," talks about how and why his organization records video testimonies of survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Patrick Reinsborough, co-founder of smartMeme and co-author of "Re:Imagining Change," talks about using "narratrive strategies" in social change campaigns. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

As Junebug Productions celebrates its 30th anniversary, artistic director John O'Neal talks about the role of theater in social justice struggles. More at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

In a departure from the regular podcast, this episode is a story by Paul VanDeCarr, called "The Long-Suffering Tree," taking off from Shel Silverstein's famous children's book of a, um, similar title. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Jon Funabiki talks about how the Renaissance Journalism Center is working to reinvigorate the practice of journalism to support communities not typically well served by big media. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Perri Chinalai of StoryCorps talks about the organization's Memory Loss Initiative. Includes clips of stories recorded by StoryCorps. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Anne Basting, a professor of theater and the author of "Forget Memory: Creating Better Lives for People With Dementia," talks about the nature of memory, and how storytelling can help people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Abram Himelstein, co-founder and co-director of the Neighborhood Story Project in New Orleans, talks about working with high school students and adults alike in crafting "our stories, told by us." Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Allen Hahn talks about "The Secret City," his interactive "experiment in storytelling" that takes participants through a mysterious library in Braddock, Pennsylvania. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Lolis Eric Elie -- a staff writer for the HBO series "Treme," and the writer of director Dawn Logsdon's documentary film "Faubourg Tremé" -- discusses these fictional and factual treatments of New Orleans. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A chat with Ophira Eisenberg -- comic, storyteller, and frequent host of "The Moth" shows -- about lying, outer space, and killing your darlings. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

This episode of Inside Stories focuses on a walking tour about the search for President Lincoln's killer, which takes participants back to the days after the assassination. The tour is produced by Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

This episode of "Inside Stories" features selected clips from "Word of Mouth," George King's 1987 radio documentary series about storytelling, which included such greats as Studs Terkel, Jackie Torrence, Corey Fischer, and others. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com

Mark Hopkins, director of the documentary "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders," talks about the characters that populate his film on the humanitarian aid organization. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A visit to the Greenwood Cemetery in New York City, for a living history day commemorating the anniversary of the Revolutionary War Battle of Brooklyn. Featuring members of an African American reenactors regiment. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A little diversion from the usual fare on "Inside Stories." This episode is a comic radio play about the takeover of a radio station by revolutionaries during a sex/love advice program. (c) 2009 Paul VanDeCarr. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

A confab with Cathy Trost, the exhibit development director of Newseum, the museum of the news, which touts itself as Washington DC's most interactive museum. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone talk about "Housing is a Human Right," a project they created and produced featuring audio stories about the struggle for home. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Dr. Rita Charon, director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, talks about how the doctor-patient relationship is enriched through stories. Info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com

A conversation with Nick Szuberla, director of the Thousand Kites project, a community dialogue project about the criminal justice system. More information at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

The artistic director and members of "Teatro de los Sentidos" (Theater of the Senses) don't reveal their secrets in this episode, but they do chat about the magic behind their sensuous shows, including "Echo of the Shadow." More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

My old friend Kris Kovick reads the chapter "Big Stump" from her novella "America's Least Wanted," which combines family lore, contemporary personal stories from her own life, and a murder mystery! This is the first of occasional podcast episodes to feature original stories. Submit your stories and ideas for consideration. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Susie Bright, a writer and editor of erotica (former longtime editor of "Best American Erotica") talks about the sexual imagination. Includes no profanity or explicit descriptions of sexual activity. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com

Steve Luckert, a curator at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, talks about the museum's permanent exhibition, and about an exhibit he curated called "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda." More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com

Stefan Kaegi of the Berlin-based theatre group Rimini Protokoll talks about their interactive theater -- including "Call Cutta in a Box," which is played out one-on-one over the telephone. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Maya Lilly talks about her one-woman show "Mixed" -- the multiracial people she interviewed, how she develops their characters to be performed, and role-playing in real life. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment talks about producing "transmedia" franchises, or stories that cross from the web to video games to books and other media platforms. The new television show "Flash Forward" is cited as an example of how transmedia storytelling can work. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Premiere episode of "Inside Stories," a blog and podcast about the many forms of storytelling. This episode introduces host Paul VanDeCarr, and outlines what the blog and podcast are about. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

George Moscone was a San Francisco supervisor, a California state senator, and finally mayor of San Francisco from January 1976 until November 1978, when he was killed in City Hall. His work is often overshadowed by that of gay rights activist and city supervisor Harvey Milk, who was killed along with Moscone. Who was Moscone? Learn more about this native son of San Francisco who fought Gov. Ronald Reagan over the closing of mental hospitals, stewarded the nation's first gay rights law through the California state senate, got the convention center built that now bears his name, and led San Francisco during one of its most turbulent and fascinating eras. It is meant to be listened to inside San Francisco City Hall, though it can be listened to anywhere. The program features original interviews with Moscone's family and colleagues, as well as archival audio of Moscone himself. For more info visit www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

"Sex & Dogs & Rock & Roll: The Presidio Pet Cemetery" is a self-guided audio walk in the Presidio Pet Cemetery, in San Francisco. The program contains no historical or other information about the Pet Cemetery itself. Rather, it is a story by Kris Kovick, and read by Michelle Tea, called "Sex & Dogs & Rock & Roll," about Kris putting her dog to sleep. It's funny, poignant, and CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE -- so it's not intended for children. It's meant to be listened to as you walk into and around the Pet Cemetery in San Francisco, though it works fine at any other pet cemetery, or at home for that matter. For more info visit www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Harvey Milk was a San Francisco supervisor (like a city councilor) and gay rights activist who was killed in 1978 in City Hall, along with Mayor George Moscone. This tour is about Milk and the rise of gay power in 1970s San Francisco. It goes from the site of Harvey's old camera shop at 575 Castro Street, to San Francisco City Hall, and features original interviews with Harvey’s friends and colleagues, as well as archival audio to transport the listener to a time of dramatic political upheaval. The route is a mostly flat 1.75 miles, makes several stops along the way, and takes about 70 minutes. If you only have time or energy for an abbreviated tour, start at the northeast corner of Market St. and Van Ness Ave., at 50:20 on the audio program. If you don't live in San Francisco or can't get there to take the tour, try listening on a route to your own City Hall, or at home. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.