Dolls

#153 - 3 March 2000

Stories of what people are playing at when they play with dolls.

Crush

#152 - 11 February 2000

Stories of love in its earliest stage. Crushes: what's terrible about them, what's great about them and how they can overshadow real love for some people.

Primary

#151 - 28 January 2000

Today's program is made all of stories from the New Hampshire primary. Voters want to find a candidate who inspires them. Candidates want to inspire. So where's the system failing? Why do most of us feel like the system doesn't produce anyone inspiring? We hear stories that answer why. We hear from voters who've found candidates they love. And we hear what those voters are seeing that the rest of us aren't.

Kids As Adults

#150 - 21 January 2000

Stories of kids trying to act like adults—some by choice—some because they're forced to.

Bedside Diplomacy

#149 - 14 January 2000

In the hospital, we give up our normal schedule and sleep patterns; we give up our normal food and clothing; we're in a place that has its own rules and its own language and its own customs.

The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Suit

#148 - 24 December 1999

A special Christmas edition of our show, with stories about Santa Claus—the many many different versions of Santa Claus. It was in America, in New York, that people started believing in the modern idea of Santa—a guy who comes down the chimney with a sack of goodies. But America has invented a few other Santas as well.

A Teenager's Guide to God

#147 - 17 December 1999

Oh faithless and perverse generation? How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?—Matthew 17.

Urban Nature

#146 - 10 December 1999

Stories of nature creeping into man-made environments. Of nature sneaking in places where its very presence is a rebuke to the notion that we as a species have things under control.

Poultry Slam 1999

#145 - 26 November 1999

For Thanksgiving, the time of year when poultry consumption is highest, it's our annual program about turkeys, chickens, fowl of all types, and their mysterious hold over our imaginations. This show includes favorite stories from previous Poultry Shows, and some new stories.

Where Words Fail

#144 - 5 November 1999

One reason we tell stories is to explain things to ourselves that cannot, in the end, always be explained. When someone we're close to dies, we struggle for a way to get our minds around the fact of their absence. And often—the stories we invent aren't quite up to the job. In this week's show, people struggle to invent words adequate to cope with death.