Advertise on podcast: State of the Human

In this episode, Emerson explores why people put themselves through the physically demanding experience of a run. Is it the flow state in running, the desire to feel untethered, or is it something else entirely? Produced by Emerson Prentice

Matthew Mettias reads his piece “When the Light Turns Green”, about finding new people to call home. Following his reading, is an interview about how the piece came to be, and a near death experience. Producers: Alex Strong Music by Blue Dot Sessions:  Beyond the Cranberry House - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/377711 Pop Vibration - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355650" Frontana - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355502 Gtks - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355189 KeoKeo - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/354689 Vulcan Street - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/354686 Milkwood - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355191 Felt Lining - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355412 Dawn Line Approaching - https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/355511

On a school trip re-enacting the past, Coco tries to find themselves in the magic beyond who they are supposed to be. In this episode, Author Lydia Conklin reads "Pioneer" a short story from Rainbow Rainbow, their collection of stories about queer, gender-nonconforming, and trans characters. Produced by Alana Esposito

After an accident left Becca with a skull fracture and concussion, she turned to an unlikely form of play to pick up the pieces.    Interview with: Becca Taylor Producers: Arun Chhetri, Nardos Demilew, Gracielly Abreu, and Carolyn Stein Narration: Nardos Demilew

After years of discipline and structure, Adesuwa takes a day off from productivity to remember how to have fun.   Producer: Adesuwa Agbonile Host: Jacob Matlof

As a pediatric neuro-oncologist, Dr. Paul Fisher works with children fighting brain cancer. In this episode, he shares how invisible skills like empathy and human connection are central to his medical practice.  Producer: Alex Strong

Viva Donohoe always saw her grandmother as the archetype of a sophisticated woman, modeled in the spirit of iconic country singer Patsy Cline. But an investigation into Cline’s life leads Viva to discover hidden truths about her grandmother and the woman she modeled herself after. Story By: Viva Donohoe Producers: Viva Donahoe, Eva Saenz, Ana De Almeida Amaral Music: Internet Archive

In today’s episode, Sarah Lewis reads “Willies on West 79th,” a strangely moving tale about love, body dysmorphia, and why a rat ballet company might be the most honest place in New York.   Producers Arun Chhetri Sarah Lewis Alex Strong   Story by: Sarah Lewis   Music by: Blue Dot Sessions

In today’s episode, Wallace Stegner Fellow Zach Williams reads his surreal story “Mousetraps,” where a simple errand spirals into a disorienting interrogation of masculinity, guilt, and moral performance.   Producers Arun Chhetri Zach Williams Isabelle Edgar   Story by: Zach Williams   Music by: Blue Dot Sessions

As an added bonus to our Invisibility series, we’re including conversations with the creators who made them to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of audio storytelling. In this episode, Alex Strong talks with Langston Buddenhagen, the creator of New Flowers, the first story in our Invisibility series.

Langston Buddenhagen takes us to Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa in order to explore how neighborhoods change and what that change means. In the process, Langston explores how his mixed racial identity dovetails into these same issues, and how is own hometown - Oakland, California - is changing too.

We all know what it's like to sense something unspoken in a conversation—the hesitation, the sharpness, the softness. It's not the words, but how they're said. This episode, we explore the invisible language of emotional prosody—the tone, rhythm, and subtle cues in our voices that reveal how we feel, often without us realizing it.

Alana Esposito and Alex Strong to discuss the process behind how A Foot in Both Worlds came to be.  Producers: Alana Esposito, Alex Strong

Paul Calvo has always been ambitious, but he hasn't always been on the right side of the tracks. This is his story. Producer: Alex Strong. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Sounds by Free Sounds.

Paul Calvo has always been ambitious, but he hasn't always been on the right side of the tracks. This is his story. Producer: Alex Strong. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Sounds by Free Sounds.