Nocturne

A n unexplained sound at night is like an actor on a stage, or a mystical beast drawing power from the moon. Without all the other noise competing for attention, sound at night stands out, it travels farther, it bends and shimmers in unexpected ways. It can tantalize, mesmerize, terrify or downright destroy you in irritation.   At the very least it can capture the imagination.

Christina Gil began her career as an architect in Columbia. As she worked and traveled, she started thinking about how lighting could be part of the solution to making cities safer and more inviting, specifically for women at night.   An idea began to take form for a project, an initiative really - called The Nightttime Traveller. The mission of the Night-time traveler project would be to explore...

In most major urban and suburban areas in the U.S., it's easy to take for granted that the streets are for cars - that's just the way it is almost all the time. That's what we  expect to see and experience, day and night. So, when you come across a road taken over by joyful people on bicycles, with cars stuck on the sidelines, it's kind of a delightful spectacle.  In fact, around where I live in t...

In a world where the nutritional needs of sex workers is not given much consideration, Nikeisah Newton feeds strippers the most scrumptous healthy things she can think of. And she delivers.

From tree surfing to sleeping in trees, Peter Jenkins has done it all. And he's spent more than half his life teaching others how to do it, too.

There are some experiences that, while wonderful at any time, are amplified in their wonderfulness when they happen at night. This is one of them.

Dreams are often thought of as windows into the unconscious mind. Charles Mcphee made a career of interpreting people's dreams on the radio as "The Dream Doctor".   When Rachel discovered the show as a kid, it became a different kind of window - offering strange and surprising insight into the world of adults.

Monte Rio is a tiny peaceful Northern California town, nestled in a hilly forest of redwoods, beside a river. Who's starting all the fires?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what it would feel like to take a long walk through a dark dark night, without fear. So, I decided to take myself on a walk like that, with you. This night feels strange and different. The darkness and the glittering bits of light are not as they usually appear, how they usually feel.

You won't find the word "Tenebrisology" in the dictionary - yet. It means, "the study of natural darkness", and it was created by Jane Slade. Her work in the lighting industry woke her up to the darkness we're all missing, and her mission to bring it back.

I rarely talk about the fact that I pretty much always feel hyperaware, if not nervous, when I'm out alone at night. I'm embarrassed to admit that. But I'm not alone. Hannah Drake asked the question, "What would you do out at night if you weren't afraid?", and the answers were illuminating.

Amanda and her husband went out on a guided nighttime kayaking tour for their anniversary. What they'd hoped would be a relaxing, romantic excursion into nature turned into something else entirely.

Some things can only really be experienced in a dark theater full of people. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its midnight shows spanning more than 45 years, is the longest running theatrically released film in history, but it's more than just a movie.

When you're at the Oakland Zoo at night you can see the glow of the city in the sky overhead. But down on the ground, in amongst the animals, it's an entirely different world.

Pedram's dog, KitKat is the most important thing in his life - their close emotional bond is a source of comfort and delight. But this bond also comes with constant fear, because they live in Iran where dogs are considered "untouchable", and the only truly safe place is in the dark shadows of the night.

Hey there - it's Vanessa. I'm hard at work on a brand new episode of Nocturne to be released in a couple of weeks. But in the mean time, I wanted to let you know about another show that I think you'll really like. So, I decided to feature an episode here in the Nocturne feed. This story comes from Twenty Thousand Hertz, a lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most re...

Astronomer James Lowenthal gave a TEDx talk in 2016 warning that with the availability of cheap LED lights, light pollution around the world was about to get much worse very quickly. Little did he know that there was a much bigger threat to the night sky right around the corner.  

Dvora has interacted with elemental, or natural, spirits since she was a child.   She's learned to set boundaries, so as not to be attacked or taken advantage of. Sometimes the elementals just want to talk, sometimes they need help,   and sometimes they're the ones offering help. Nocturne is having a 30 day special offer on Patreon ! Sign up to become a supporter at the $5 level or above and get a...

Danny's first skydiving experience set him on course to do something that most people would never dream of doing, something that for most people would actually be seriously terrifying, and for good reason. This story is about something that is dangerous, illegal, and I don't recommend it, AT ALL. Nocturne is having a 30 day special offer on Patreon ! Sign up to become a supporter at the $5 level o...

Clustering around the warmth and power of a campfire, it feels like the edges of people get softened - we speak and listen to each other differently - there's a deepening that doesn't happen in many other settings. What use to be the norm, is now a special treat -   gazing into the embers, listening to the mesmerizing crackle, and telling our own secrets and stories in the night.

There are only 6000 tule elk left in the world, all of them found in California. Some of them roam along the coastal hills of Point Reyes National Seashore, an area that is also occupied by cattle and dairy ranches. To protect grazing land for cows, some of the elk are confined by high fences. But as drought worsens, and the elk are cut off from food and water, large numbers of them are dying. A b...

Kim felt an irresistible pull toward life on the road - the traveler's lifestyle, without schedules or responsibilities. Hopping freight trains and searching for places to sleep are now a thing of the past, but she still tries to hold on to the spirit of adventure and surprise she loved from that time.

Grace felt everything deeply from an early age. She was having panic attacks at 9 years old, and separation anxiety in middle school. The anxiety came to a head when she was 12, and nothing she tried helped in any meaningful way. Until one night she looked out her window.

Tonight, as you're lying in bed, take a moment to think about the fact that in the night sky right above you, a massive river of birds is on an epic, death-defying journey of survival.

Most parents would never consider leaving their kids in the dark woods at night, and letting them find their way back. The Dutch do just that, and they call it Dropping, and the kids mostly have fun.