Short Cuts

Josie Long explores the way our collections and accidental archives define us. Diving into a head full of palindromes, love letters, artistic accidents and family recipes. Featuring the writer Nikesh Shukla, the illustrator Ralph Steadman, love letter writer extraordinaire Janet Gallin, and Martin Clear, the winner of the World Palindrome Championship. Janet Gallin Interview by Lina Misitzis Origi...

Falling from a great height and last words across a telephone line - Josie Long hears stories of relationships stretched across space. From the crossover between skydiving, Soren Kierkegaard and falling in love, to the final words uttered into the ear of a loved one on another continent. Rafadan Yumurta Produced by Phil Smith On Top Produced by Maria Donvang Alfred and Katie Featuring Dr Alfred Ai...

Josie Long hears stories from within hidden worlds - a doctor living in quarantine, the founder of a time travellers convention and a radio DJ offering a lifeline to prisoners. On The Inside Featuring Bruce Aitken Produced by Eliza Lomas The Time Traveller's Convention Produced by Jeff Emtman Originally made for KCRW's Here Be Monsters Music by The Black Spot https://www.hbmpodcast.com Quarantine...

Josie Long hears stories spell craft, poetry and art coming to life. What can a poet learn from a consultant sorcerer? Ross Sutherland explores the poetic possibilities of spell craft. A fragment of Sappho's poetic longing is unpicked alongside a reading by Anne Carson. And at night, in a gallery, art springs to life. Incantations Featuring Ross Sutherland and Dr Alexander Cummins After Fragment 3...

Josie Long hears stories which come out of nowhere. A story of creation, time and disappearance; a writer takes a precarious drive down an icy road imagining the dive into nothing at the edge of her vision, and the unexpected kindness of a stranger pulls a man back from the brink. Thin Air Feat. Laura Barton The Water Produced by Rikke Houd Originally broadcast on CBC's Love Me http://www.cbc.ca/r...

What can we learn from the humanity of others? From seeing ourselves reflected in someone else? Josie Long presents stories of role models. "You know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There's this idea that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. And what I've always thought isn't that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. It's that if you want to make a human being into a mon...

Secret languages, loving acts of translation and musical instruments with an unrecognised power - Josie Long presents new documentaries about translation. From the man who introduced a poet to Iran through a tender act of love for his father, to a debate about breaching the peace. The Stash Featuring Lou Savelli Music by the Cabinet of Living Cinema Produced by Sarah Cuddon Be Myself Featuring Joe...

Escape artists, losing control of your body and losing yourself in water - Josie Long takes a twilight stroll across Hampstead Heath while she presents stories of movement. Pond Featuring Jessica J Lee Movement Featuring Ian Waterman Produced by Rachel Simpson Original interview recorded for the Empathy Museum Lake Featuring Jessica J Lee Einstein Produced by Rikke Houd Sea Featuring Jessica J Lee...

A disembodied voice, digital ghosts and the contraptions we build that alter our humanity - Josie Long presents new short documentaries about machines. We hear from the voice of Siri in the UK about losing control of what you say. Also - the story of a digital version of yourself outliving you and our relationship to the tools we build and the scars they leave. Daniel Produced by Andrea Rangecroft...

Josie Long hears stories of heartbreak. Difficult love, women encoded in music and rebuilding yourself after you've been broken. Laura Barton offers a tender exploration of complex, enduring love, Natalie Kestecher rebuilds herself after a sudden shock and we dive into the sound of heartache. Tough Love Featuring Laura Barton Twenty-Three Produced by Alan Hall Kintsugi Dog Produced by Natalie Kest...

Josie Long hears stories of duets, the perfect conversational dance and gatecrashing honeymoons. She also talks to the other half of her long-running comedy partnership - Robin Ince. The poet John Osborne delves into late night radio phone in conversations, the artist Duncan Speakman invites the listener to engage in a duet and Phil Smith intrudes on a romantic moment. Towards Produced by Phil Smi...

A memory caught in a childhood drawing and a repeat encounter which offers hope at a point of despair - Josie Long explores the afterimage left by moments that touch us. We hear from Sion Jair who climbs mountains as a way to cope with disappearing memories. Sophie Townsend finds an image from her daughter's childhood, which captures a difficult moment from their past. And Dylan Park, five years a...

Josie Long hears stories of bearing witness - from glimpsing the moment a parent changes to escaping a violent storm. Witness Featuring Lois Gibson Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Tornado Featuring David Walker, Lindsay Martindale and Tobey Walker Produced by Ibby Caputo Music SFX from theming, digifishmusic, wjoojoo, davethetech, fridobeck, InspectorJ and Robinhood76 Scaffold Featuring Mark Thomas...

Josie Long hears stories of our desire to pause - from dismantling a house which seems stopped in time to the difficulties of watching your child grow up. The House by the Creek Produced by Sophie Townsend Pony Produced by Ibby Caputo Private Black Motherhood and Public White Protest Originally made for the Hope Chest podcast https://stacialbrown.com/tag/hope-chest-podcast/ Produced by Stacia Brow...

Defiantly staring down neo-Nazis, unwanted family portraits and a photographer searching for his subject years later - Josie Long presents new short documentaries inspired by images. Woman in the Photo Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Resistance Featuring Tess Asplund Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Family Portrait Featuring Chimene Suleyman and Recep Süleyman Şehitoğlu Series Producer: Eleanor McDowal...

Josie Long presents documentaries where reality takes on a magical aspect - tales of snake-filled American towns, a visit to a shaman and of crashing back down to earth. The Curve of the Earth Produced by Stephanie Rowden http://www.stephanierowden.com The Shaman Produced by Rikke Houd Snake Pit, Waurika Produced by Sarah Geis Magical Realism Produced by Phil Smith Series Producer: Eleanor McDowal...

Personality tests, tests of character and knowing how to cheat. Josie Long presents stories of people testing their mettle. The writers Ross Sutherland and Joe Dunthorne examine the Sutherland-Dunthorne luck index to see why one's success seems to mean the other's failure. James Acaster embarks on a quest in search of connection and oversized novelty letters, and we hear the story of two men who k...

Josie Long presents stories of messages sent across borders. Unsent postcards, a last message and the journey for home. An old handwritten note, in pursuit of a woman who ran away, leads to a town submerged in water; the writer Laura Barton discovers a tranche of muted, unsent missives in a storage box; and we hear the voices of those who are far from home. Dear Martha Produced by Rikke Houd Envis...

"We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is." Josie Long presents short documentaries and radio adventures in the spirit of Kurt Vonnegut, shortly before the tenth anniversary of his death - from peculiar travel suggestions to the kindness contained in a library. The writer Joe Dunthorne also engages Vonnegut in a dialogue, inspired by God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian. We ar...

How do we talk to people we disagree with? How do we learn to listen? Josie Long presents short documentaries and stories about communicating across the divide. From the holocaust survivor who's dedicated her life to talking to those who hurt her to the musician who believes the world can be understood through the medium of counterpoint. Counterpoint Featuring Giovanni Dettori Produced by Rachel S...

Josie Long hears stories of courage, fresh hope and pinball wizardry - from two lawyers who pursue a sudden courageous career change in middle age to the pursuit of new love after loss. The items in the programme are: Go For It! Featuring Rev. Zenji Nio Produced by Just Be Cuz Geis and Geis: Pinball Machine Distributors Featuring Ruth and Jim Geis Produced by Sarah Geis Leap Featuring Laura Barton...

Josie Long presents documentaries about time and timing. From losing your grasp on the passing hours to a childhood fear of Sundays - how our experience of time gets under our skin. The features in this programme are: Tick Tick Tick Produced by Steve Urquhart Escaping the Present Featuring Sarah Shourd Produced by Andrea Rangecroft The Cymbal Crash Featuring Jim Gordon Produced by Maartje Duin Sun...

Josie Long presents stories of those who have pretended to be someone they're not. From an undercover cop to stars of the art world caught in an elaborate fiction. The features in this programme are: The Connor Brothers Featuring James Golding, Mike Snelle and Marion Harris Produced by Jodie Taylor Wife of a Terrorist Featuring Miss L A version of this story first appeared in the essay collection,...

Josie Long hears stories of hope found amidst the darkness - tales of love letters, hope on the water and the man who has steered 28,000 people safely to shore across treacherous waters from the end of a phone line. "I must admit I'm deeply impressed by people who step out and do something and say something... whatever dreaming they would do it. A Mexican farm worker Jessie De La Cruz said, 'we ha...

Josie Long presents stories on things drawing to a close - from stories captured, bottled and buried over time, to reflections at the end of a life well-lived. The Kajakman Produced by Rikke Houd Too Many Miles Originally produced for the Third Coast International Audio Festival Produced by Stephanie Rowden and Jennifer Metsker Harold Featuring Harold Stevenson Produced by Sarah Geis Series Produc...