NPR & Storytelling, Part 1: This American Life
Here in the United States, National Public Radio broadcasts several great series that feature stories and storytelling, and as such are an excellent resource for writers. Each day this week, I’ll look at a different series that is aired on NPR. Today: This American Life (a co-production of Public Radio International and Chicago Public Media).
From the series’ website, here is how they describe “This American Life”:
This American Life is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 1.7 million listeners. It is produced by Chicago Public Media, distributed by Public Radio International, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards. It is also often the most popular podcast in the country, with more than a half million people downloading each week. From 2006–2008, we produced a television version of This American Life on the Showtime network, which won three Emmys. We’re also the co-producers, with NPR News, of the economics podcast and blog Planet Money. And a half dozen stories from the radio show are being developed into films.
Per the last item, here is the movie ‘development slate’ of “This American Life” stories:
Susan Burton’s melancholic essay about being trapped in an airport with her sister at Christmas was turned into a 2006 kids’ comedy Unaccompanied Minors.
Others are in the works. Our story about Carlton Pearson is being written by Marcus Hinchey, for director Marc Forster and Endgame Entertainment. Endgame is also developing Wenceslas Square, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that Phillip Noyce will direct. The cryonics story in Mistakes Were Made is the basis of a screenplay that Zach Helm is adapting for Errol Morris to direct — as a fictionalized feature, not a documentary. We’re working with Steve Zaillian’s company Film Rites, and Mandate Pictures on that. At Fox Searchlight, Joshua Marston is writing a screenplay that he plans to direct, based on the story “Making Money the Old-Fashioned Way.” Elan Mastai is adapting Starlee Kine’s story about breakup songs and Phil Collins for Paramount Pictures. Mike Birbiglia is writing a screenplay of his sleepwalking story for Big Beach Films.
Finally, screenwriters Danny Futterman and Anya Epstein have written a fictionalized pilot for an HBO series based on a story in our episode Testosterone.
So one reason to listen to “This American Life” is the simple fact that you may hear a story that you think would make an excellent movie or play. They even tell you on their website what to do if you want to contact them about rights to their stories:
One of our producers — Alissa Shipp — was hired away from Warner Brothers to handle all our movie and television projects. Contact her at movies@thislife.org. This American Life is represented by Keya Khayatian for film and Dan Erlij for television, both at United Talent Agency.
There are more aesthetic reasons to listen to “This American Life”:
* The stories on “This American Life” are amazingly good, week after week after week. They run the gamut from sad to celebratory, provocative to absurd, but always offering listeners insight into the human condition in interesting narrative forms.
* Each weekly show has a central theme and the collection of stories in that episode explore different aspects of that theme, an excellent recurring lesson to writers on creating characters and subplots to illuminate multiple sides to their own story and its themes.
* The producers at “This American Life” find stories everywhere, taking even the most seemingly mundane individuals, locations, or events, and digging below the surface to find compelling drama and comedy. That ability to ‘see’ stories where others just pass them by is a key to being a good writer, so listening regularly to “This American Life” can inspire you to open your writerly eyes.
* They have hundreds of episodes available to listen to as podcasts, a huge resource to get your creative and storytelling juices flowing.
Recent episodes of note:
Rest Stop: [originally aired 9/4/2009] Nine radio producers. Two days. One rest stop on the New York State Thruway. In this show, we’ll bring you stories of people who are just passing through, and people who are at the rest stop every day — working. One of them has worked there since 1969.
Spotlight Story: Act One.
Host Ira Glass describes scenes from a rest stop on the New York State Thruway, the Plattekill Travel Plaza, and the kind of people you might meet if you ever stayed long enough to talk with them. These include Robert Woodhill, the general manager, who needs a good sales day so he can beat his friend Andy, who manages a rest stop in Maine, in their weekly competition. Ira hangs out with a group of foreign students who’ve landed in Plattekill on a summer work program, and reporter Lisa Pollak gets travel tips from Lenny Wheat, who works at the rest stop’s information booth. Reporter Jonathan Goldstein spends a few hours in the rest stop parking lot. (30 1?2 minutes)
I thought the story about the foreign college students from Taiwan and the Ukraine to be quite funny, a classic fish-out-of-water tale with a bittersweet, drunken end.
Superpowers: [originally aired 2/23/2001] We answer the following questions about superpowers: Can superheroes be real people? (No.) Can real people become superheroes? (Maybe.) And which is better: flight or invisibility? (Depends who you ask.)
Spotlight Story: Act Two. Wonder Woman.
Kelly McEvers with the story of Zora, a self-made superhero. From the time she was five, Zora had recurring dreams in which she was a 6'5" warrior queen who could fly and shoot lightning from her hands. She made a list of all the skills she would need to master if she wanted to actually become the superhero she dreamed of being. Sample items: Martial arts, evasive driving and bomb diffusion. She actually checked off most things on the list…and then had a run-in with the CIA. (16 minutes)
Starts with a simple premise: Doing all those things on her list, an astonishing array of accomplishments, then what happens when Kelly is stopped short of her goal.
Promised Land: [2/24/2004] For millenia, people have tried to reach a spiritual promised land by fasting. Jesus did it. The Buddha did it. Monks and saints and new age gurus have done it. And now, on the radio, This American Life contributor David Rakoff tries it. He does a 20-day fast, to find out if it brings him any form of enlightenment.
Spotlight story: Act One. Across The Street From Heaven.
Contributor Starlee Kine tells a story about getting as close to one promised land — Disneyland — as you possibly can, without actually going in. (14 minutes)
This is a fantastic story about hopes, desires, and dreams, and the surprising transformational impact of having one’s wishes fulfilled.
I’ve featured Ira Glass on GITS before:
Ira Glass on Storytelling, Part 1
Ira Glass on Storytelling, Part 2
Ira Glass on Storytelling, Part 3
Ira Glass on Storytelling, Part 4
I think Glass ‘gets’ story in a way that few others in contemporary American society do. And by all appearances — from interviews I’ve read, seen, or heard with him — while he knows a lot, he’s always pushing to find different ways to tell stories, other angles into and through stories. My guess is that he and his cohorts, like most writers, are endlessly fascinated by narrative in all forms. He and the entire crew of “This American Life” are a real inspiration for anyone who loves to hear and/or write stories.
One final thing: The show features stories by writers. A lot of great stories by a lot of great writers. I’ve heard some wonderful short fiction on “This American Life” such as the work of Hiruki Murakami as well as memorable non-fiction from the likes of David Sedaris. Following the series is an excellent way to stay current with some top writers.
What are your favorite stories from “This American Life”?
UPDATE: It took no longer than about 20 minutes after this post went live for Nick to bust me on my sleight of hand re “This American Life” not technically being an NPR series. I’ve edited the intro paragraph to clarify that and commend Nick on his pursuit of the truth, an instinct that should serve him well in his writing!
Also in comments, James said:
Hey Scott — that’s hilarious. I literally started listening to TAL this morning on my ride into work. It’s a wonderful show, almost as good as my second NPR show, Fresh Air.
Anyway, for those with the iPhone, there’s an excellent TAL app that lets you stream millions of hours of past shows. Yet one more overwhelming source of awesome storytelling.
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/this-american-life/id348530331?mt=8
I’ve got a Public Radio app where I’ve been catching “This American Life” and other series, but this iPhone app offers a lot more. Thanks, James!
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