Audacious with Chion Wolf

The first person in our series featuring poets around a fire in Chion’s backyard was  Zulynette . This time, meet Andrew Dean Wright. In addition to being a photographer, digital artist, and elegant roller skater, he is a curious, gentle, and powerful poet. Enjoy this conversation between them, recorded in Hartford on August 24, 2022. Listen to a recent Colin McEnroe Show  featuring poets, Margare...

Imagine you’re at the beach, taking in the scenery, breathing in the fresh ocean air, when the sun hits something floating in the water just right… It’s a bottle! With a message inside that looks totally intact! Meet people who’ve found - and gotten back - their messages in bottles, and hear about one that was thrown from the Titanic. GUESTS:  Stefanie Marco Lantz , Lana & Tommy Simmons: The S...

The person who took 17 lives in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day of 2018 was recently spared the death penalty. Hear from Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin, who was murdered that day, about how he uses art and media to rally for gun control. You’ll also hear his reaction to the sentencing. GUEST:  Manuel Oliver:  Father of Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 murdered students and teachers at...

The poet, Atticus, wrote, “Have you ever smelled a smell and it instantly brings you back to a happy moment from your childhood? I always loved that. I hope that's what death is. Just sitting on a cloud, smelling old smells.” That’s the inspiration for today’s episode, featuring 18 people talking about the smells that bring them back to childhood. In addition to the guests below, you’ll hear the v...

Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media. You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories. Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has take...

Nietzsche once said, “It is what one takes into solitude that grows there, the beast within included.” This episode features three people who experienced solitude: by choice and not. There’s a winter caretaker at Yellowstone, a runner-up from the History Channel show, Alone, and hear from a Connecticut man who spent almost 30 years in solitary confinement. GUESTS:  Callie Russell :  Contestant on...

Do you ever see people doing something that just ain’t right, and no one’s doing anything about it… So you take matters into your own hands? Today, meet one Portland, Oregon auto shop owner who has recovered over 200 stolen cars in less than a year. And meet another man who uses humor to shame people when they don’t return their shopping carts. Plus, CT Public’s own Colin McEnroe talks about his F...

We know that some of our Audacious episodes, well, they can be kinda heavy. So for our 100th episode, it’s all about GOOD NEWS! You’ll hear about a baby announcement, an upcoming wedding, and a big grant approval. Plus, a powerful compliment, an important anniversary, a surprising acceptance at a funeral, and even what it’s like to find out that you just won a year’s worth of free smoothies! GUEST...

On this rebroadcast, you'll hear a seasoned pro taking Chion into the depths of a dumpster in West Springfield, Massachusetts, plus a tik tok star talks about how she got hooked on dumpster diving. You’ll also get some do’s and don’ts from a guy who wrote a book about it! GUESTS:  Robert Vadas  is the author of  A Beginner's Guide to Dumpster Diving  and the creator of the Facebook group,  Dumpste...

When I say, “The Sugar Lifestyle”, I'm not talking about the typical high-fructose, American diet. I’m talking about the often financially-centered lifestyle of sugar daddies and sugar babies. On this episode, you’ll hear from one sugar baby who teaches women how to “embrace their inner sugar”, and from a sugar daddy who talks with us about the ways in which meeting women this way has changed his...

For over a year, we followed American, Francesca Cronin as she experienced being a high school student abroad in Sarajevo. You’ll hear what she felt, what she learned, and how she changed. Plus, you’ll hear her dad’s reflections on loving her from afar, and from the best friend she made over there, too! And Audacious producer, Jessica Severin de Martinez, talks about how her experience as a German...

Writer and educator, Dr. César A. Cruz, said, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. So on this episode, meet a goldsmith who turns expired abortion pills into jewelry, another artist who uses word art to amplify messages of racial justice, and a cartoonist who puts Disney characters into dire, real-life situations. GUESTS:  Dani Coke :  An illustrator and activist represe...

Today: Audacious trick shots! Hear from a guy who went viral for throwing plungers onto store signs, a Harlem Globetrotter on his slam dunk from 13,000 feet, a young woman who threw out the pre-game pitch at all 30 major league stadiums with her robotic hand, and one man whose 24-hour basketball free-throw experience created a massive fundraising operation for people with cancer. GUESTS:  Chris Iv...

I think it’s safe to say that all of us have multifaceted relationships with the way our faces look. We may notice a blemish here, a scar there, a bump or a divot all arranged on our face to show the world some of what makes us… us. But what if, on your precious face, it wasn’t just a blemish or a bump, but an injury so extensive that it makes people stare? Makes you reconsider what beauty means,...

Zulynette needs no last name. She’s a Hartford-based poet (among other things) whose book,  Seeing in the Dark , just came out. She joins Chion around a fire to talk about poetry, power, and, of course, names. GUEST:  Zulynette:  Visual artist, social worker, host of  The Creative Alchemist  podcast, creative workshop facilitator, creator of A Little Bit of Death, and a poet. Her books are  Buildi...

Note from Chion:  This episode of Audacious deals with themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including stories from our guests about rape and assault. Ten people talk about why they had an abortion, how they feel about it years down the road, and how they felt when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Plus, what it's like telling your abortion story as a comedian. Alison Leiby, a Brooklyn-based...

Almost 1000 people have won Nobel Prizes. But only 300 have won IG Nobel Prizes! That’s the award honoring achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. In this episode, meet the creator of the prize, and three people who’ve won it! Mark your calendar : The next Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will happen on September 15, 2022! GUESTS:  Marc Abrahams : Founder of the Ig Nobel Prize...

Think about your BFF (that’s Best Friend For Life). Now, imagine if that “for life” part was a deliberate, co-creative commitment. You’re free to date other people if you’re into that kinda thing, but you put each other down as your emergency contact, you live together, you may even raise kids together. On this episode, you’ll meet people who are in what’s called Platonic Life Partnerships, or PLP...

What’s it like to be a child prodigy? In this episode, you’ll meet a boy who became a chess master at the age of ten, a pair of siblings who started college at seven years old, and one of the youngest members of the high-IQ society, Mensa, who joined it when she was two. GUESTS:  Tanitoluwa Adewumi :  an 11-year-old Nigerian-American chess prodigy and chess master, who co-wrote  My Name Is Tani ....

How do auctioneers do what they do? Meet some of the best in the business, including a 102 year-old auctioneer - America’s oldest. Plus, hear what it was like for the guy who auctioned off that $28 million seat on the rocket ship, New Shepard. And find out what happens when a lead charity auctioneer for Christie’s teams up with Bruce Springsteen. Finally, find out how Chion did when she tried her...

TikTok is full of… well, everything, so the Audacious team scoured the app to find people who use TikTok to spread kindness. Like a woman who researches and then cleans gravestones , another woman who cleans - at no charge - the houses of people who are going through tough times, and the CEO of a company whose employees post videos of drive-by compliments. GUESTS:  Auri Kananen, a.k.a. Auri Katari...

Here are a few things we often get wrong about anorexia: That it always has something to do with body image. That men don’t really get it. That it’s insurmountable. Hear from an eating disorder specialist, and two people - including one who is in recovery - talking about their lives with anorexia. GUESTS:  Mary Dobson: a certified eating disorder specialist, author and community organizer based in...

When you hear the words, “cuddle party”, what do you picture? Something playful? Something salacious? Something… else? When your culture equates affection with attraction, how does it feel to challenge that connection? And to what degree can affection be healing when it isn't necessarily connected with sex? Join Chion as she ponders all this during her experience one-on-one with...

You may be familiar with Joan of Arc, who cut her hair, wore men’s clothing and, well, led the French army in a momentous victory in 1429… But what about all the other women who dressed like the men of their times and cultures to get stuff done? You’ll hear all about them in this conversation with Tracy Dawson, author of  Let Me Be Frank: A book about women who dressed like...

Humans of New York is a photo-slash-storytelling-slash-fundraising powerhouse with 30 million followers on social media. You read narratives about overcoming adversity, personal revelations, or just flat-out great stories. Just that combination alone - the photos and their captions - have been enough to launch Humans of New York into worldwide popularity. But its creator, Brandon Stanton, has take...