Illustration by Isaac Klunk, courtesy of Social B. Creative.
A very special podcast series AIRING THIS WINTER
For a decade, The Story Collider has showcased the humanity of science through stories. Now, in our new series, we’ll reveal the true, personal stories behind the most significant scientific event in recent history -- the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Each of our ten two-part episodes will feature three stories — from doctors, nurses, and patients, but also researchers, activists, volunteers, comedians, journalists, and more. And because so many of us, right now, are struggling with what the pandemic will mean for our daily lives and our future, each episode will also include an interview with an expert who can help us connect these personal stories to the bigger picture of the pandemic’s impact on our culture and society. Each of our ten episodes will be posted below, along with transcripts and photos provided by our storytellers, as they air each week.
EPISODE 1: Contact
We begin our series in New York City, the center of the early pandemic in the United States, with the theme contact. With stories by nurse Harvey Katz, contact tracer Tracey Segarra, and patient Jennifer Joy.
EPISODE 2: Cooperation
In our second episode, we’ll explore the ways in which people of all walks of life are working together to help one another, despite significant obstacles and social-distancing restrictions.
EPISODE 3: adaptation
The pandemic has forced us all to adapt in various ways, for the sake of our physical or mental health. These stories will examine the ways in which our storytellers have forged new lives and routines for themselves.
EPISODE 4: Decisions
Between pandemic restrictions and societal unrest, it can be difficult, in some circumstances, to know what the right, or moral, decision is. This episode’s stories will explore complicated decisions our storytellers have made, to care for each other and themselves.
EPISODE 5: connection
By necessity, the pandemic is changing the way that we communicate with each other, and the way we care for each other. In these stories, our storytellers find unexpected ways to connect, despite social distancing.
EPISODE 6: GENERATIONS
Each generation is experiencing the pandemic differently. For some, the trauma of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 still echoes. Others worry about how to balance their own health and responsibilities with concerns about the health of their parents or children.
EPISODE 7: HOME
Over the past few months, our homes have become workplaces, entertainment venues, and the backdrop for the majority of our lives. In this episode, our storytellers consider how to adjust to being stuck at home.
EPISODE 8: community
With gathering places and shared work spaces all over the world shutting down, many of us are finding ourselves adrift from community. In this episode, we’ll share stories of finding community in unexpected places.
EPISODE 9: clarity
The starkness and suddenness of the pandemic has forced many of us to stop and reconsider our lifestyles. In this episode, we’ll look at how the priorities of three storytellers have shifted.
EPISODE 10: Love
Throughout the tragic events of the past few months -- and despite the tragic events still to come -- love still perseveres and flourishes. From an unlikely pandemic wedding to the bond formed between researcher and patient, this episode will examine the powerful love that sustains us during this time.