Constant Wonder

Latest Episodes:

Going Blind With Vigor and Aplomb Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

Andrew Leland figured out he was going blind when he began stumbling in the dark as a teenager. Using the then-nascent internet, he diagnosed himself with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition which has caused his sight to gradually degrade from the outside in. Far from being the tragedy he expected, his blindness has simply become part of everyday life—bringing with it surprising humor and unexpected beauty. Guest: Andrew Leland, freelance writer for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Quarterly, and The San Francisco Chronicle, among others Find Andrew online: https://www.andrewleland.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quailty/?hl=en

Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose Oct 04, 2023

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When the two teenage children of a close-knit family are killed by a drunk driver, the grief-stricken parents turn to their Jewish community for support. They learn that constructive grief requires community and conversation, and they set out to rebuild a joyful life that honors their lost children while embracing others in need. Guests: Colin Campbell, author of "Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose," and Gail Lerner Find Colin online: https://colincampbellauthor.com/colin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colincampbellwriter/ Find Gail online: https://gaillerner.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gail.lerner/?hl=en

A Chinese-American Family's Quest for Inclusion Sep 27, 2023

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When Ava Chin went looking for the father who had abandoned her family, she discovered the rich and complicated legacy of her Chinese immigrant relatives. Her great-great-grandfather helped build the railroad that united America, but his adopted country soon turned against him, legislating the Chinese Exclusion Act. This episode of the Constant Wonder podcast explores how Ava Chin's family continued to thrive in America, despite intense discrimination. As her family history unfolds, we witness Ava Chin lay claim to a past she never knew she had. Guest: Ava Chin, author of "Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming" Learn more about Ava Chin: http://avachin.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ava_chin/?hl=en https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563929/mott-street-by-ava-chin/ Excerpts from "Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto" used by permission from the BYU Chamber Orchestra

Death-Defying Botanists Brave the Colorado Sep 20, 2023

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In 1938, the raging rapids of the Colorado were still untamed and undammed when a pair of botanists from the University of Michigan captured the country's imagination. They would become the first known women to run the river through the Grand Canyon. They did it in pursuit of plants and science, but their story is a little-known tale of resilience and beauty at the edge of the impossible. Guest: Melissa Sevigny, author of "Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon." Explore Melissa's other writing here: https://melissasevigny.com/ Thanks to Lew Steiger for allowing us to use his recordings of Lois Jotter's recollections. Kyle Remand, Ryan Clark, Brian Tanner, Eric Glissmeyer, Audrey Hughes, Kristi Lindstrom, Becca Hurley, and Barry Squires voiced the various roles.

TRAILER: Season 6 of Constant Wonder Sep 06, 2023

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Join us for conversations that invite you to discover, explore, and engage with the wonders of the world around you. New episodes available Wednesdays, starting September 20, 2023, on your favorite podcast platforms and the BYUradio app.

More Love for a Big Lake That's Often Belittled Aug 23, 2023

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Utah Lake has long had a poor reputation for being murky and prone to algal blooms, but efforts to save the once-endangered June sucker fish are bringing new life to the massive lake. In this episode of Constant Wonder, see how a coalition of scientists, government officials, and regular folk are looking out for an ecosystem unlike any other. Guests: Josh LeMonte, Professor of Geology at BYU Michael Mills, Executive Director at the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission Melissa Stamp, Projects Manager the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission Ben Abbott, Professor of Plant and Wildlife Sciences at BYU Henry Jones, Anna Monson, and Feyan Hoffman, volunteers at Utah Lake Learn more about the Utah Lake Conservation Project and the local June Suckers here: https://www.junesuckerrecovery.org/meet-the-june-sucker Web photo credit: Keith Lane

The Never-bored Naturalist Who Plumbed the Ocean Depths Aug 16, 2023

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Exploring deeper in the ocean than anyone before him—into the dark depths of the sea where no ray of sunlight reached—William Beebe saw shocking lights, colors, and critters that made him question life on land. In this episode of Constant Wonder, meet a scientist as interesting as the watery worlds he discovered. Guest: Brad Fox, author of The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths William Beebe narrated by Brian Croxall, Professor of Digital Humanities at BYU Visit Brad Fox online: Author page: https://bradfox.org/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradmfox/?hl=en

Family Discovers That Nazi Grandfather Aided French Villagers Aug 09, 2023

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Karl Gönner was a Nazi, and his family didn't ask a lot of questions about that time in his life. But after his death, they came to find out, in a most unexpected way, that he'd protected villagers in occupied France against abuse by the Nazi regime. In this episode of Constant Wonder, a family discovers that their history is more inspiring than they'd ever suspected. Guest: Burkhard Bilger, author of "Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets" and staff writer at "The New Yorker"

Dreams and the Deep Mysteries of the Unconscious Mind Aug 02, 2023

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Barely 20 years ago, there was little scientific consensus on the purpose of sleep. Now, there is broad agreement that sleep and dreams are where the unconscious mind processes events, solves problems, and organizes memories. Robert Stickgold helped break the field open, in part by getting amnesiacs to play tetris. Sidarta Ribeiro was drawn to the field largely through his own striking dream and sleep experiences, starting when he was just five years old. Explore the world of dreams in this episode of Constant Wonder. Guests: Sidarta Ribeiro, Professor of Neuroscience at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil Robert Stickgold, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

The Search for a Lost Jewish Community Jul 26, 2023

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Stella Levi, age 100, grew up on the island of Rhodes in a community of Sephardic Jews who had lived there for over 500 years. She survived the Italian and German occupations and the deportation of her entire community to Auschwitz. Decades later, Levi met Michael Frank, a writer living in New York City. This chance encounter led to weekly meetings for over six years. In this episode of Constant Wonder, Michael Frank tells us the story of their friendship, Stella Levi's incredible life, and the lost Jewish community of Rhodes. Guest: Michael Frank, author of "One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World" Find Michael online: https://michaelfrank.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelfrankauthor/ Music courtesy of Daphna Mor and Nina Stern and their ensemble, "East of the River," from their upcoming album “Ija Mia" (7/31/23) The clips of Stella speaking Ladino are from the Endangered Language Alliance Audio of Stella's speech is from NYU's Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò

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