Story by: Lisa Haas
Produced by: Eric Winick
Recorded: July 2008, New York, NY Music: Angelo De Pippa & The Italian Musica
Attempting to connect with her fellow New Yorkers, a recent transplant from out west seeks refuge in her ethnic heritage, a tactic that works better than anticipated — not just at work, but all over town.
A note from Eric Winick: Lisa Haas is a Brooklyn-based playwright, essayist, and monologist whose plays and solo pieces have been performed nationally and internationally. You can read more about Lisa and her work here.
Story by: Anonymous
Produced by: Eric Winick Recorded: June 2008, New York, NY Music: Michael Hedges
A massage therapy student finds herself facing a potentially sticky situation when her supervisor allows their client to disrobe — an act that’s against the law in their state.
A note from Eric Winick: StoryBoard grants anonymity to those who choose not to reveal their names. Due to the nature of this story, I’m sure you will understand why.
Story by: Andrew Foley
Produced by: Eric Winick Recorded: May 2008, Marblehead, MA Music: Dmitri Shostakovich
1947. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Having returned from World War II, a disillusioned young writer seeks guidance from noted author Vladimir Nabokov, only to find their conversation derailed when the maestro himself poses an impossible question.
A note from Eric Winick: Andrew Foley, 86, is a writer, meditation teacher, and multi-hyphenate who resides in Brookline, Massachusetts. Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) was a multilingual Russian-American novelist and short story writer whose work includes The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pale Fire, and Lolita. His wife, Vera, is mentioned briefly in this piece. Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer; often called the “father of modern Russian realism,” he was one of the first Imperial Russian authors to criticize Russia’s way of life. The play The Inspector-General and the short story The Overcoat are among his masterpieces.
Story by: Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons
Produced by: Robin Reed
Recorded: January 2008, Brooklyn, NY
Music: Ani DiFranco, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Citizen Cope
A “former fat girl’s” dreams come true on Prom Night, only to turn to tragedy just after midnight.
A note from Robin Reed: In this story, Kelly Jean mentions a boy named Hobbes. Hobbes is, as she puts it, her ‘unrequited love of 4 years’. Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons is a writer living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She is currently raising money for world hunger relief. You can learn more about her and donate via her blog at JellyKean.wordpress.com.
Story by: Annie Lalla
Produced by: Eric Winick
Recorded: April 2008, New York, NY
Music: Preservation Hall Jazz Band
A painting mishap tests the limits of one young writer’s sanity when, newly-relocated to NYC, she becomes locked in her bathroom, with a tiny, 1′ x 1′ window her only means of communication with the outside world. Broadcast July 5, 2008 on “Sidetrack with Jason Croft” on WILL-AM (Urbana, IL). Listen to a podcast of the show here.
A note from Eric Winick: Annie Lalla is a writer residing in Greenwich Village, NY whose online magazine “for the emotionally astute female intellectual,” Wonder, will launch soon. A prose version of this story can be found here.
Story by: Kara Eldridge
Produced by: Eric Winick
Recorded: April 2008, New York, NY
Music: Brad Mehldau Trio
After suffering through a year of personal and academic setbacks, a high school senior plots revenge on her music teacher, only to turn her moment of triumph into a heartfelt tribute to her ailing mother.
Story by: Bill Kennedy Produced by: Eric Winick Recorded: April 2008, Brooklyn, NY Music: Air
After a chance meeting at the end of an all-night rave, a young man and woman circumnavigate one another until they are reunited under the hot desert sun at Black Rock City, where circumstances conspire to tear them apart forever.
A note from Eric Winick: Bill Kennedy is a writer, actor, fire-spinner, bartender, and storyteller from St. Louis, Missouri, currently residing in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn. Read more about Playa Del Fuego here and Burning Man here. Watch The Philadelphia Experiment in action here.
Story by: Leslie Russell
Produced by: Eric Winick
Recorded: March 2008, Brooklyn, NY
Music: Django Reinhardt
Just out of college, new to the city, two young women cope with the cold, harsh reality of their new lives by seeking out their ideal romantic partner. Then, one morning, in the midst of their hellish daily commute, they meet him.
A note from Eric Winick: Leslie Russell currently resides in Carroll Gardens. She is an Event Planner for Marcey Brownstein Catering & Events, one of the city’s top catering firms.
Story by: Rebecca Hart
Produced by: Eric Winick Recorded: February 2008, New York, NY
Music: Rebecca Hart and Loreena McKennitt
In an attempt to discover her Celtic pagan roots, an American singer-actress quits her job and runs off to Dublin for a month, only to find that the Irish harbormaster’s son she dated back in college hasn’t quite forgotten about her.
A note from Eric Winick: Rebecca Hart lives, acts, and sings in and around New York City. Her song “Yer Man” appears at the beginning and end of this piece. You can read more about Rebecca and her work here.
A note from Eric Winick: Catherine Dudley is a NYC-based writer, actor, and composer whose work can be heard underscoring this piece. Read more about her multifaceted career here.
Story by: Sam Hunter
Produced by: Eric Winick Recorded: July 2005, Waterford, CT Music: Robert Fripp
A high school student learns he’s vulnerable to more than just prejudice in his small Idaho town when he consumes a spread to which, he finds, he is fatally allergic.
A note from Eric Winick: Sam Hunter is currently studying playwriting at The Juilliard School and teaching Theater at Fordham. When we recorded this, he and I were sitting under a tree in a meadow on the campus of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, overlooking the Long Island Sound. So if you think you hear wind whistling through the mike, it’s not your imagination.
Story by: Sarah Schulman Produced by: Eric Winick
Recorded: February 2008, New York, NY Music: Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto
A young waitress in late-’70s New York attempts to further her writing career by taking the advice of her famous customers and getting an advanced degree — only to be told on her first day of class to go home and stay away.
A note from Eric Winick: I met author/playwright/activist/teacher Schulman (Shimmer, Manic Flight Reaction) when a play of hers was produced by Playwrights Horizons. Here she speaks of her former teacher, noted American short story author Grace Paley (Enormous Changes at the Last Minute), and the impact Paley had on her as a writer, teacher, and human being.
Story by: Mike Dressel
Produced by: Robin Reed
Recorded: January 2008, Brooklyn, NY
Music: Gruff Rhys “Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru”; Medeski, Martin & Wood “Chinoiserie”; Jonathan Wolff (composer), “Seinfeld Theme”; Vangelis, “Chariots of Fire”
A young actor gets what could be a big break when he lands a gig with Jerry Seinfeld — as the entertainment at his daughter’s fifth birthday party.
A note from Robin Reed: In the story, Mike mentions a wheel of “Ben Nye.” In case you’re not familiar, this is a brand of stage make-up that comes in bright bold colors. This story originally appeared in written form on Ducts.org. Mike Dressel blogs at The Ephemerist.