Constant Wonder

Latest Episodes:

How to Listen to the Magic of Music May 27, 2026

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Caroline Sanderson grew up surrounded by classical music, but didn't truly fall in love with it until after her father passed away. Now, she remembers him by learning to really listen to the music that he loved. Beethoven - Symphony No. 6; Stravinsky - Rite of Spring; Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23; Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 22; Chopin - Prelude No. 15, Raindrop; Brahms - Symphony No. 1, movement 3; Sibelius - Symphony No. 5; Schumann - Kinderszenen No. 1; Chopin - Opus 10, Etude No. 3; Schumann - Träumerei; Guest: Caroline Sanderson, a writer and books journalist. Her memoir is titled “Listen With Father: How I Learned to Love Classical Music."

Survival of the Savvy: Plant Math & Masquerades May 20, 2026

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Plants are just as alive as any animal-- and they've developed incredible survival strategies. Zoë Schlanger gives us an insider's look on some of the most unique adaptations in the wild world of plants. Far beyond just leaning into the light, these plants don disguises, train themselves into toxicity, and possibly even count. Plants are alive, but are they sentient? Guest: Zoë Schlanger, author of "The Light Eaters" and journalist covering health, science, and the environment. (0:00) Meet Zoë Schlanger (6:18) Pothos & Azolla (16:08) Acacia Tannins (21:02) Venus Flytrap Math (22:21) Dodder Vine Predation (28:50) Boquila, the Mimic (40:04) Consciousness & Communication

Saving People In Harm's Way May 13, 2026

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Geologist Ron Harris forecasted the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and so the loss of life in that disaster devastated him. In this episode of Constant Wonder, he tells host Marcus Smith how, after that tragedy, he expanded his work to include disaster prevention and well as forecasting. He estimates his foundation has saved 50,000 lives so far. Ron Harris has been obsessed with plate tectonics since childhood. As a professor of geology, he published widely on threats of earthquakes and tsunamis, but two events convinced him that forecasting wasn't enough. One day, he overhead his young son saying that his dad "wasn't a doctor who helped people," and then there was the catastrophic loss of life in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. He decided to found In Harm's Way, which helps people prepare for natural disasters. Guest: Ron Harris, professor of geology at BYU and founder of In Harm's Way (0:00) Meet Ron Harris (5:39) The Eruption of Mount St. Helens (11:01) A Doctor Who Helps (18:16) Boxing Day Tsunami 2004 (22:51) Moken Survival Strategies (25:19) Ron's Calling (32:24) Social Media and Mitigation (38:06) Local Disaster Mitigation (41:14) Surfing and Purpose (47:04) Spreading the Word of 20-20-20

Bacteria Rewrote My Reality: Hallucinations, Assassins, and Recovery May 06, 2026

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Entomologist Steven Peck came down with a bacterial infection that plunged him into a chaotic world of hallucinations, where he thought even his kids were imposters. Now, he has a new definition of what "real" really means. In this episode, Marcus Smith speaks with Steven Peck, an author and BYU biology professor. Peck found his world overturned by a brain infection that caused severe hallucinations. Suddenly, he plunged from the rational world of academia into a terrifying realm of assassin-children, evil doctors, and river-rafting MRI machines. Emerging from that chaos, he decided to explore the wonders of the human mind, uncovering unexpected kindness along the way. Steven Peck, professor of biology at BYU and author of over forty short stories and novels https://stevepeckniche.com/ (0:00) Reptilian Gateway to Wonder (15:50) The Beginnings of Madness (21:02) Assassins, Evil Organizations, and Detainment (30:56) A Changed Steven (36:46) A Break in the Illusion (41:14) Fly Fishing with a New Perspective Originally aired Nov 1, 2023

How to Make Fast Friends with Words Apr 29, 2026

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What does it mean to be truly speechless—struck dumb by beauty, grief, or awe? In this episode of Constant Wonder, host Marcus Smith sits down with Martha Barnette, co-host of the beloved radio show and podcast A Way with Words, for a wide-ranging conversation about language, wonder, and the moments that leave us reaching for words we don't have. Martha shares memories of her Greek tutor Professor Leonard Latkovski, and a remarkable moment when her father, theologian Henlee Barnette, invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conversation moves through the concept of "thin places”—those uncanny moments where the boundary between the ordinary and the transcendent seems to dissolve—and closes with a handful of surprising word etymologies that reframe how we see the world. Guest: Martha Barnette is an author, word-lover and co-host of A Way with Words. Find her at www.marthabarnette.com Enjoyed this episode? Rate, review, and share it with a friend. Get bonus content in your inbox: constantwonder.substack.com Chapters: (0:00) Martha Barnette on Language and Wonder (4:20) Family Roots: Henlee Barnette (12:59) Professor Latkovski and the Love of Greek (27:54) MLK, Jr.’s Visit to Southern (34:32) When Words Fail Us (42:41) Thin Places & Thresholds (45:18) Scintillating Words Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio. Find us at www.byuradio.org

The Magic Of Wild Foraging (Anyone Can Do It!) Apr 22, 2026

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Tama Wong didn't feel like a great gardener—until she discovered that the weeds she was battling were delicacies from across the world. Now, she forages (and farms like a forager!) for fine dining restaurants, and she encourages others to enjoy wild flavor by foraging, too. Guest: Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of "Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager" and founder of meadowsandmore.com Knotweed Crumble and more at our Substack: https://constantwonder.substack.com Chapters: (0:00) Meet Tama Wong & Wild Lawns (5:43) What is a Weed? (14:22) Foraging for Fine Dining (30:12) Cultivation and Community (32:03) Moving at the Speed of Life (38:02) Editing the Weeds (47:50) Memories in the Garden

Encountering Thin Places: One Priest's Hope in the Modern World Apr 15, 2026

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Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal grew up wandering the ruins of Fountains Abbey in the UK—one of his "thin places." After he was ordained an Anglican priest in his twenties, he learned to find the sacred as easily in seminar rooms as on the side of the road. Teal believes in the power of inhabiting the world, be it through philosophy, poetry, or simply your presence. Guest: Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, an Anglican priest, chaplain, fellow, and lecturer in theology at Pembroke College, Oxford University Chapters: (0:00) Introduction (3:55) Fountains Abbey (13:17) Grief and silence (20:23) Rachel's thunderbolt (24:57) Thin spaces (32:35) Prodigal sons and sacred hymns (43:34) Illumination

Into the Woods: Finding a New Way to Feel Loved Apr 08, 2026

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After severe depression turns his life upside down, Jarod Anderson heads for the woods, where he finds a renewed connection to nature: from the sacred herons of his childhood to the strange creatures of his imagination. He now shares that world with listeners as host of "The CryptoNaturalist." Guest: Jarod Anderson, host of "The CryptoNaturalist" and author of "Something in the Woods Loves You" Author page: https://www.crytopnaturalist.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarodkanderson/ Originally aired January 22, 2025

How to Find a Flow State on the Waves (and in Life!) Apr 01, 2026

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Hugo Tagholm describes the transcendent connection between a storm at sea and a surfer sitting, many hours later, on a board. Using surfing as a metaphor for life, Tagholm urges us to show up for each other—and for the Earth—as our best-prepared selves. His is a message of hope for all of us on "Planet Ocean." Guests: Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director of Oceana UK Katherine May, author of "Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age" Photo Credit: Nick Pumphrey CHAPTERS (0:00) Introduction (4:55) Hugo's childhood (9:39) Surfers Against sewage (17:36) The wonder of surfing (25:32) Conserving the oceans (35:05) Katherine May's quest for enchantment and wonder

One Man's Lifelong Crusade to Save a Vanishing Tree Mar 25, 2026

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Emmett Hoops was seven when he decided to save the nearly-extinct American chestnut tree. He's 66 now, but little else has changed since then. Together with a chorus of other chestnut-lovers, the people who grew up under those leaves and relied on those nutritious nuts tell the story of how a tree shaped generations. Guests: Emmett Hoops, Director for District 5 and Vice President for Outreach, New York Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation (at time of recording) Andy Newhouse, Director of American Chestnut Project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (at time of recording) Want to get involved with Chestnut restoration? Visit the American Chestnut Foundation online to learn more about their mission! https://www.americanchestnut.org/ Special thanks to Bethany N. Baxter for archival interviews from Appalachia conducted in 2008. Originally aired: March 20, 2024

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