Friday: The Season Finale

We have a rare Friday show for you today. It's also our last show of the summer. Will there be any cliffhangers?

Ties to the land and to the past (9:54)
Our final show looks at one group that'll last for just months, and another that's lasted centuries. Kayla Sargent talks to international young adults currently in the Northwest learning about environmental restoration. Emily Barecca talks to youth in the Suquamish Tribe.

This checklist for the interns' final stories shows that we're all wrapped up here for the summer.

Yep, everyone has layed up their sound.

Thank you so much for listening to VoxPod. We'll keep you up to date on any future shows we do.

What does the future hold for us? Well, the interns are going back to school, Nathan's going to Italy, and I'm is going to keep rooting for the Mariners.

Thursday: Just say no to drugs

This is Granite Falls:
This show is about Granite Falls, trying to be not on drugs.
More than Methville (10:45)
Back in 2003, a Rolling Stone article dubbed the small town of Granite Falls “Methville” or “Cranktown.” Molly McGill lives in Granite Falls, and has a story on how her town is battling the drug and the name-calling. She also has an interview with a recovering meth addict.

Wednesday: Getting behind the wheel

What's the story behind this guy? Ask Molly in today's show

Drivers, Young and Old (10:07)
We’re talking to all ages of drivers about their cars and how they drive them. Sophia Skalbania polls teenagers and their parents about their views on teens driving. Molly McGill hits the older crowd, talking to antique car owners and admirers at Granite Falls' Show-n-Shine.

There's a triumphant return of Ashwan's "Just Talk Beat" in Sophia's story.

Tuesday: the land of milk and... more milk

It's back to the farm for us.

No Joy in Mooville (8:43)
It's hard out there for a small dairy farmer, the number of dairy farms in Washington state has shrunk in half in the past decade. We'll try to figure out why so many farms are closing. Annie Stoller-Patterson has a profile of the Bartelheimer Brothers family farm.

This YouTube link confirms that Nathan does have the lyrics to Full House memorized.

Monday: Learning the Language

We're back, with our longest show to date, with three features on learning other languages.

Speaking in tongues (11:22)
We look at people coming together to hone another language. Brad Iverson-Long talks with some German speakers at a Greek restaurant. Amina Al-Sadi explains why her French class is so engaging. And we end the show with a snapshot of an Arabic spelling bee.

For the Arabic spelling bee, the contestants wrote out their answers on a blackboard. (In most English spelling bees, like in the movie Spellbound, contestants recite their answers.) Here's what it looked like:

Here is a listing of all the language groups that meet at The Continental. I recommend the German group, and the lamb burger.
The Arabic spelling bee was part of the Arab Festival, which we did a show on 11 days ago.

Today's show features the song Circles by HC-7, found on CCMixter.

Thursday: Rollo

Horse racing is the sport of kings, so rollo must be the sport of... serfs? The guilds?
You don't know what rollo is, well, listen to today's show (and then help me with my analogy).

Four Wheel Good, Two Wheels Better (9:05)
Many people are avoiding summer construction by getting out of their cars and onto bikes. Bikes may help your commute, but can also be fun. Brad Iverson-Long has a guide to playing rollo, or mini-bike polo. It's like horse polo, except played on kids' bicycles.

And here's a visual on rollo

You can see more (and better) pictures of rollo at the blog for their event earlier this summer, Bruised by Bike. They also have a complete text version of the rules.

Wednesday: The pulse of Puget Sound

Here it is, the mighty Stillaguamish:
Fish Out of Water (8:15)
We'll look at people protecting the life of Puget Sound. Emily Barreca files an audiopostcard from the shores of Hood Canal, where some are working to bring back native oysters. Molly McGill talks to several activists at the Stillaguamish Festival of the River and Pow Wow.

We found out about the Festival of the River in part thanks to MudUp, which is a great resource for people working to improve the Sound.

Today (and tomorrow)'s credits music is Funkinst by Teru, found at CCMixter.

Tuesday: I love the way they dribble...

Today: Sports, or Pick-up basketball and picking up dogs.

Getting in the game (8:25)
Today we have game plans for getting into two highly competitive yet social sports. Annie Stoller-Patterson finds out how to become a dog show handler. Then Kayla Sargent has an audio guide for how to join the pick-up basketball games at the Greenlake Community Center.

This is Alyssa and her two dogs.
Come on back tomorrow.

Monday: A piece of work

We're back to work, and talking about work.

From seeds to sales (10:22)

Summer isn't just a break from school. Many youth also get summer jobs, for work experience or for a paycheck. Nathan Friend profiles the Seattle Youth Garden Works. And several of our VoxPod interns do their job and ask people about their first or current summer job.

Here's a slideshow of Nathan's photos at Seattle Youth Garden Works.

Sophia, Molly and Kayla helped out with the vox pop at the start of the show.

For those keeping track, this is our longest show yet. I'm not sure whether to feel proud or apologetic.

Getting on the airwaves

There's no new show today, but the VoxPod team is branching out from the podcast, and getting on KUOW's FCC-regulated airwaves. At the start of Weekday's 10 o'clock show this morning, they aired Molly McGill's story about the youngest logger in Granite Falls.
And on yesterday's edition of The Conversation, Ross Reynolds's team talked to Molly, Kayla Sargent, and Emily Barreca about anti-drug ads. Want to hear it? Click here, pick a stream, then jump to the 26-minute mark (Molly starts talking about her friends questionable recreational activities at around 26:35).
Weekday will be airing more VoxPod content over the next few weeks. Of course, the first place to hear it is on the podcast.
See you on Monday.

Thursday: The Arab Festival

The bienniel Arab Festival took place last weekend, and we (dramatic pause) were there.

Two Arabian days and nights (9:21)
The Arab Festival, replete with music, food, dancing and workshops from Arab cultures, took over Seattle Center last weekend. Sophia Skalbania and Amina Al-Sadi have some of the highlights from the festival, including interviews with dancers and musicians, young and old.

Here's a photo of the band Sons of Hager, featured in the show:

If you listen real closely, you can hear Kayla Sargent ask Ali, the Egyptian bachelor, a question.
There's a lot of good sound in this show. I hope you enjoy it.
We'll be back on Monday.

Wednesday: gnomes and homes

The two interviews on today's show vary pretty wildly in both theme and tone, but at least the topics rhyme.

The lure of gnomes and homes (6:49)
Both home schooled students and gnomes are often stigmatized as loners. Today, we have two stories that refute such ideas. Amina Al-Sadi interviews a parent and teacher at a home school resource center. Molly McGill talks to her neighbor, who is building a home for a gnome.

Here's a picture of Vern, Molly's hook-handed neighbor, and his gnome

Flickr has a slideshow of garden gnomes, if you need some more visual stimulation while listening to the show.

Tuesday: Everyone loves a parade!

It may be cloudy in the northwest today, but we profile two sunny summer events in today's show.

Staples of Summer (7:56)

Today on VoxPod, we have the highlights of two summer traditions that bring people out to celebrate. Emily Barreca has an essay on the Independence Day parade on Bainbridge Island. And Kayla Sargent covers the crowds and the music at the Capitol Hill Block Party.

Do you like the new collage credits at the end of the show? The new music underneath all our voices is Tubularity / Birth by Sawtooth.

Monday: VoxPotter

Hope you had a good weekend. I spent a chunk of it reading.

Spoiler Alert (8:30)
How do Harry Potter books impact communities? Book sellers and movie theatre owners love the series, but reading the books can have a negative social effect. We also share our favorite lines from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (we promise not to spoil the ending).

Pretty much everyone, including Weekday host Steve Scher, contributed to this show.

A few items of business

-Music credit: this show features two wonderful songs found on CCMixter, "Summer Never Came" by Grapes, and "Just Talk Beat" by Ashwan. Go find songs in the creative commons there, if you want.)
-VoxPod's on MySpace. Wanna be our friends?
-Our system will only hold the last five podcasts, so if you really want last Monday's show, get it before Tuesday morning.

Finally, the ultimate question:
Harry Potter: love him or leave him?

visual instead of audio

VoxPod won't be publishing shows on Friday, but I can direct you to our shiny new, Flickr-enhanced official page. You can see what the interns and the youngest logger in Granite Falls look like. Maybe Nathan and I will post photos, too.
If you still need an audio fix, look at the "Additional listing" list on the right. I highly recommend The Migration Project, which features several Weekday High alums.
See you on Monday for a show. A show about a book. I won't spoil it for you any further.

Show #4: Young Actors and Youngest Logger

For Thursday's VoxPod, we take an inside look at different kinds of people in our communities. Here's a bit about it:

Acts and the Axe (9:29)
Today on VoxPod, a city actor and a country logger. Kayla Sargent talks about the relationships she's made at a summer youth theatre program that puts on shows in Green Lake. Then, Molly McGill profiles the youngest logger living in her hometown of Granite Falls.

Here's a photo of Neil the logger:


Want to learn some more logging terms? Visit http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/glossary/glossary.html

Show #3: Pike's Peak

As you might have read in the Seattle Times or the P-I, Pike Place Market is marking its centennial this year. What can VoxPod (and KUOW) bring you that those dailies can't?
Sounds. Here's the show:
A Pike Place Postcard (4:55)
Today on VoxPod, an audio postcard of Pike Place Market. Though it turns 100 years old this year, the market still is a vital part of Seattle. Our reporters talk to a farmer, a fortune teller, a tour guide and an art vendor about what makes Pike Place so distinctive.

Amina Al-Sadi, Annie Stoller-Patterson, Sophia Skalbania and Molly McGill gathered stories that appear on this show.

Interactive question: What's your favorite place in the market?
My answer: The little Mexican Grocery that's next to the Starbucks (yes, the original Starbucks). I get the tamales and the cheap day-old pan dulce.
Your answer? Post it in the comments.

Show #2: Buckin' Bales

It's Tuesday, and the VoxPod blog (which you're looking at right now) is online, and our second show is up for your ears to feast on. Here's the description:

Cultures in Agriculture (7:18)
Today on VoxPod, we have two stories from our reporters about small agricultural communities. Packing hay on a Granite Falls farm and picking blackberries in a Seattle park can both bring people together.

Today's stories are by Molly McGill and Sophia Skalbania.

(Technical note: That blue link is the direct mp3 download. The blue "play" button before it will let you stream the file right on your browser.)

VoxPod Show #1: We have lift off

Welcome to the first show of VoxPod, a new daily podcast from the Weekday High internship program in Seattle. Here's our description for the first show:

Leaps of Faith (7:00)
VoxPod is a new daily podcast that brings you voices from communities of choice and chance. Today, we have two stories about fitting into religious communities. An insider explains her community to outsiders; an outsider finds a way in.

Today's stories are from Annie Stoller-Patterson and Amina Al-Sadi. There's a link to the show in the sidebar, but you can also click here. If you'd like to subscribe to VoxPod, copy and paste this link into iTunes (or whatever podcasting service you prefer):
http://www.kuow.org/rss.php?program=weekday%20high

Please, let us know what you think of the show, and what communities you'd like to hear about. Just leave us a comment.

Behind the scenes: what we look like

VoxPod is a radio show, but we aren't just disembodied voices. No, we're people, and we inhabit space. Specifically, this space:

And, like most people we have ideas (usually for upcoming shows). But people tend to be unorganized with their ideas. That's where the big board comes in:


This is where we post our ideas for show topics. If you look at the full-sized image, you'll get a sneak peek at what we'll be doing the rest of this month.

Check back later this week for more pictures of the VoxPod staff.