Spokespeople

The marvelous Luna Malbroux brings us a tale of sex, love and avoiding being haunted by Harriet Tubman's ghost!

Lacking quarters and crucial bits of information about rural New Hampshire, a city girl ventures north via Amtrak in the era before cell phones. Today's storyteller regaled our live audience with this tale at the July 2015 show, "On the Road." About the Storyteller Tatiana Uschakow is from New York, walks everywhere, and is still much more equipped to deal with sewer alligators and subway rats than the beautiful California wildlife.

A fortuitous concert and an inconvenient illness led a man and some diapers to live nappily ever after. This story was told live at our April 2015 show, "Smoke & Mirrors." About the Storyteller Lance Eason grew up in Redwood City, which is about 30 miles geographically and 100 light years philosophically from his current and true spiritual home of San Francisco.

Santa Claus brings presents. The Easter Bunny hides eggs. The Tooth Fairy steals big wheels, right? Danny Nolan recounted the Tooth Fairy’s dark side in this story told live at our April 2015 show, "Smoke and Mirrors."

Eliza Scheffler loves to travel abroad, but her digestive system would prefer to stay closer to home. Eliza told this story of how to handle tummy troubles with grace at our March 2015 show, "There's No Place Like Home."

A trip to Buenos Aires becomes a crash course in speaking high-school Spanish with Japanese flair and fending off latin lovers. Regina Bediako told this tale live at our March 2015 show.

Today’s storyteller loves summer camp, but not so much the other campers. Discover how this polar-bear-documentary-loving, magic-card-playing, California native learned to open up to others on the last day of summer camp. This story comes from our April 2015 show, Smoke & Mirrors.

Today’s storyteller goes the extra mile. Actually he goes an extra 62 miles, guided by the legacy of former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas and the hip-swiveling tunes of Miley Cyrus. This story was told live at our July 2014 show, "Slippery When Wet."

Cupid’s arrow strikes again and again and again! Three Spokespeople stories in one podcast, you ask? Yes! This week, we bring you tales of dating a man with a Roger Rabbit room, a movie date gone awry, and one love-inspiring poster. All stories are true (or so we’re told!) and shared live at our February 2015 show, "Oh NO Cupid."

What do grandmothers, porn, and New York State have in common? This moving coming-of-age story told live at our June 2014 show, "Internet Explorer: Stories From Cyberspace."

Ah, wilderness! Our intrepid storyteller heeds the call of the wild in Denali National Park only to find comfort in a climate-controlled school bus. This riveting tale was told live at our December 2014 show, "Frozen."

Sleepovers are for fighting and laughing and carefully managing intake of fluids. This story of one moist night in Massachusetts was told live at our December 2014 show, "Frozen."

It was the best of parking spaces, it was the worst of parking spaces. To obtain quick BART access, this storyteller got both a citation from the City of Oakland and an address for her holiday card list. Wisdom or foolishness?

Kid logic meets the mother of necessity. One budding inventor builds a machine to channel his own hot air, while he sleeps, into a means to blow away his elementary school enemies.

Having instant access to the full biography of every prospective object of your affection: blessing or curse? Today's storyteller remembers her days wielding the double-edged sword of the internet search engine through the battlefield of love in this story.

An evening watching the L Word turns into a night of celebrity courtship in the former hottest corner of Manhattan. This story was told live at our March 2014 show, "Starstruck."

One man's pain is another man's delicious, cheap lunch. Today's storyteller reflects on his glory days on Montréal's competitive eating circuit in this story told live at our April 2014 show, "Eat Me."

A hearty breakfast or broken by the fast? Today's storyteller appreciates the elements of a good meal after his day of atonement in the land of culinary underachievement. This story comes from our April 2014 show, "Eat Me."

One starry night in the french countryside, one world traveler finds love where she most wanted it, but least expected it. Enjoy this story of her ethereal love affair that was told live at our March 2014 show, Starstruck.

One girl's brush with stardom is another's volunteer sex ed class. This storyteller reflects on her 5th-grade role model, who discussed tampons and the menstrual cycle without making her students "scandalized."

You scream, I scream, this storyteller screams for some help! She was just floored to discover part of a Halloween haunted house that left her and her band of third graders in the in-between of an elevator shaft.

A brash young climber meets his match up Shakespeare Glacier. Today's story revisits a key moment of reflection - and its consequences - in this tale from our January 2014 show, "Scars."

Moving to Brooklyn is harder than it seems. In Yonkers, three lesbians trek from U-Haul to U-Haul in search of a truck and a joke.

Pantsless, in a Ninja Turtles t-shirt, our storyteller frolicked freely in the verdant hills of suburban Maryland until an ill-timed encounter with an ax.

Warning: this story contains explicit content. A couple of divas bond over an evening of unexpected events. The story of this intimate night on the town was told live at our February 2014 show, “Exes and Ohhhhs.”

A boat trip up the Connecticut River leaves today's storyteller in violation of an international treaty. Find out how in this eggcellent story from our December 2013 show, "What Could Go Wrong?"

Some people are born to hike in in the great wilderness of New Hampshire. Others are born to drink magic juice next to the campfire. Our storyteller figures out what kind of hiker she is in this story from our January 2014 show, "Scars."

Middle school love. Need we say more? Our story’s hero plans a romantic beachside brunch to avoid conversation only to find his lips otherwise sealed. This story of a kiss inspired by the funny pages comes from our February 2014 show, "Exes and Ohhhhs."

Flirting via text with objects of his affection, dancing the nights away in a pink shirt, writing gendered critiques of the welfare state, this storyteller made the most of his year abroad in England ... or did he?

A Berkeley girl goes to Camp Winnarainbow to develop her appreciation for sleepovers and circus arts only to find herself at odds with her gloomy camp counselor. Even an appreciation for Cherry Garcia ice cream gets her nowhere.

Rules are rules - except when they’re meant to be broken. Today’s story of one mom’s  flexible interpretation of state law (and other rules) comes to us from our October 2013 show, "Parents or Guardians."

Bible camp. Need we say more? Tonight’s storyteller reflects on his teenage summer days spent going to church every night and casting sins into the fire. This story of praise, worship, and synthesizers comes from our September 2013 show, "Camp."

Raised carving the slopes of Nebraski, this snowboard-loving, world-saving, Chicago transplant seeks to make a difference by introducing at-risk youth to the snowboard parks of New Hampshire. Yet one bad jump in his dad’s old wool coat twists that relationship all out of shape.  This story of guardianship in action comes from our October 2013 show, "Parents or Guardians."

Under the luminous super moon in the wilds of South Lake Tahoe, our storyteller protects his love armed with nothing but a pen knife and the audacity to applaud. Nothing brings a couple together like a challenge to face together -- or so we're told.

For just one night, this storyteller earned frenemy status with her best friend for her birthday surprise gone awry. This cringeworthy gem was told live at our July 2013 show, "Frenemies."

The teenagers went in two by two, into the Ark to play hackey sack. What do you do in the middle of the night with a group of red-eyed new best friends? Find out in this story from our April 2013 show, "Sleepovers."

Today's storyteller wrestles with mixed feelings about her preschool nemesis. This story of friendship that starts with a bang comes from our July 2013 show, "Frenemies."

From a premier rowing regatta to a getaway vehicle to a note from the chief of police, this rental van has seen more than its fair share of adventure. Advice from the storyteller: buy fewer draw-on-the-car markers and all the insurance.

To catch a thief, follow the glitter. This story of a lucky three-year-old and a convenient act of nature comes from our March 2013 show, "Perfect Timing."

In a rock band the bass player and the drummer keep the time. Ideally they always have good timing, but sometimes they need to be perfect. This story of the rhythm section paying homage to the home of rhythm and blues comes from our March 2013 show.

An unplanned lesbian pregnancy and a romantic getaway to Mormon country? Our storyteller ponders the nature of truly "Perfect Timing" in our show at the Actual Cafe in March 2013.

"For the first six months, do nothing." That was the advice that Quintin Mecke got as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa in the early 1990s. This is the story of his not heeding that advice.

Please be advised that this story recognizes the existence of sex and vaginal yeast infections. Friends, if you want to stop your yeast infections, cut out sugar, chocolate, caffeine, and bread. Or don’t, and you too may find yourself up late one night...

Can the oversharer be a boon to society? Can we do more worldly good by sharing all the weird things that we (and our bodies) do? Can shame be erased by a bit more info than you wanted to hear? Well, according to this storyteller - and the internet - the answer is a resounding, Yes!  This story was featured in our January 2013 show, Too Much Information.

Two twentysomethings drive south from Chicago trying to escape bad weather in the mountains only to face bad weather karma in a Motel 6 parking lot. Sure, they may leave the light on for you, but where are the snow plows? Life lessons are shared and  salient inclement-weather-related questions are answered in this story from our February 2013 show, Close Call.

Warning: this story contains explicit content. Good listener, this story features a very likable character coming of age with the help of some khaki pants and huggable teddy friend. Told by the affable Sam H., this story was featured in our January 2013 show, Too Much Information.

If you only have one CD - a Cake CD - and it falls to the opposite side of the car, what is the appropriate response at 75 mph? Our storyteller shares his take as well as weighs the pros and cons of hitting on your EMT in this story from our February 2013 show, Close Call.

True or false: Balsamic vinegar, sugar cubes, and frozen veggies are appropriate treatments for a 2nd degree burn. Not sure? You’ll have to listen to the story to find out!

Lessons learned from this backpacking adventure: 1. know your medical history, 2. carry a cellphone with you absolutely everywhere, and 3. no name escargot isn’t so awesome drenched in hot sauce - unless you’re a wolf.

What they say about alligators is true: they do live in New York, but they’re more likely to be found in South Bronx apartments than under sewer grates ... as far as we know!

This week’s storyteller finds herself on a six-hour bus ride with all the fluids she can drink and no, ahem, relief in sight. What do you do when packed onto a crowded bus in Peru with no pitstop on the itinerary?