The Story Collider

This week we present two classic stories about people struggling with their identity.

Part 1: When science journalist Katherine Wu interviews a scientist about a new facial recognition algorithm, the conversation turns more personal than she expected.

Part 2: Hurricane Katrina gives Mary Annaise Heglar a new perspective on both her grandfather and home state.

Katherine J. Wu is a Boston-based science journalist and storytel...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers transform into someone they admire—one quite literally, the other more figuratively.

Part 1: While juggling climate science studies and a budding comedy career, Rollie Williams finds an unexpected niche impersonating his environmental hero, Al Gore.

Part 2: Scott Acton longs to follow in Hemingway’s footsteps, but when his English teacher squashes his writing dreams, he reluct...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are pushed out of their comfort zones—and challenged to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Part 1: As someone who always likes to play it safe, psychologist Kenneth Carter sets out to understand what makes thrill-seekers tick.

Part 2: Philosophy professor Rob Reich is frustrated that so many new Stanford students are headed straight into computer science.

Dr. Kenneth ...

In this week’s episode, we explore what pushes someone to steal, and how it feels to be the one robbed.

Part 1: With a potential cancer diagnosis looming and his health insurance about to vanish, David Crabb finds an envelope stuffed with $100 bills.

Part 2: When Zakiya Whatley bonds with another student in grad school, it feels like the start of a lifelong friendship – but turns out there's more to her new friend than she ...

This week’s episode dives into one of the most personal decisions many women face: whether or not to have children.

Part 1: When a piece of her IUD breaks off, Bailey Swilley’s spirals about her choice never to have children.

Part 2:  Christel Bartelse takes an unconventional approach to figure out if she wants to be a mother or not.

Bailey Swilley is a writer and comedian based in Brooklyn. In August 2024, she took t...

This week, we’re presenting stories about the struggle to find acceptance — whether it’s at Space Camp or in the United States of America.

Part 1: Computer scientist LaShana Lewis’s childhood dream of attending Space Camp starts to feel far away — until she gets the Christmas surprise of a lifetime.

Part 2: When Guizella Rocabado leaves her home in Bolivia to pursue her education in the United States, her plan hits an unex...

In this week’s episode, we’re getting into the weeds—literally—with two stories about how gardens and green spaces can take root in our lives in unexpected ways.

Part 1: Feeling lonely after a move to New York City, Kofi Thomas finds connection, purpose, and community through a neighborhood garden.

Part 2: As he fights to stay sober, Michael Hudgins throws himself into an unusual form of therapy: pulling invasive plants from...

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society at Georgia Tech – features two powerful stories from individuals whose lives have been shaped by brain-computer interfaces.

Part 1: As his Parkinson’s symptoms worsen and medications take a toll, Brandan Mehaffie faces a life-altering decision: continue down a difficult path or undergo brain surgery to implant a...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of well-intentioned choices gone wrong.

Part 1: In fourth grade, Ro Moran is thrilled to be trusted with the class pet iguana, Iggy, for the night. But by morning, something is very wrong.

Part 2: As an exchange student studying superconducting oxides, Karoline Mueller tries to save money by gold-coating a cheap crucible instead of using a solid gold one.

Ro is an...

To close out Pride Month this week, we're sharing a special best of episode featuring stories about coming out in science! 

Part 1: Science educator Charlie Cook experiments with coming out to students.

Charlie Cook is a non-binary white settler on ancestral, unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They are a museum science interpreter with a BFA in Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts.

Part 2:...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers use a scientific lens to examine their worst relationships.

Part 1: Carlos Maza uses the plague to analyze his brutal breakup.

Part 2: Panagiota Vogdou refuses to see her boyfriend as toxic until a stranger on the bus tells her to go to therapy.

Carlos Maza is a video journalist focusing on misinformation, media bias, and propaganda. He is the Director of Video at Media ...

In celebration of Pride Month, we’re sharing two stories about coming out with the help of science.

Part 1: After years of struggling with their gender identity, Parker Sublette finds inspiration in marine life.

Part 2: Bullied as a kid for the sound of his voice, Garret Glinka begins to reclaim his confidence thanks to biology class.

Parker Sublette is a comedian and speculative fiction writer living in Brooklyn, New Y...

This week’s special episode—produced in partnership with Challenging Pseudoscience, at the Royal Institution, with support from the Open Society Foundation—features two storytellers who share just how easy it is to fall for scientific misinformation, and how difficult it can be to find your way back.

Part 1: When Lydia Greene’s infant daughter has a troubling reaction to a routine vaccine and her concerns are dismissed by ...

To kick off our big 15 year anniversary celebration, we’re re-sharing two stories from the storytellers you, the fans, voted as your favorite stories. And the best part? You can see these storytellers, along with the other fan favorites, take the stage live on June 3, 2025, at Caveat in New York City during our special anniversary show and fundraiser. Learn more and grab your tickets here.

Part 1: Maryam Zaringhalam's sche...

Some relationships stand the test of time—others unravel. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore what it means to heal, let go, and move forward.

Part 1: Stuck in a monsoon on Kauai, Belinda Fu unintentionally ruins a friendship with a classmate.

Part 2: Matt Storrs blames a dinosaur scientist’s theory for the end of his marriage.

Belinda Fu, MD, (“theImprovDoc”) is a physician, educator, and performin...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers become extremely fixated on something very specific.

Part 1: After being diagnosed with breast cancer and opting for bilateral mastectomies, Jenna Dioguardi becomes beholden to her cancer to-do list.

Part 2: As an 11-year-old kid, Luke Strathmann makes it his life mission to get rich off of Beanie Babies.

Jenna Dioguardi is an Obie & Drama Desk-award winning performe...

In honor of Mother’s Day, both of our storytellers share stories about their unique relationships with their moms.

Part 1: Rita Rigano always had a complicated relationship with her mother, and it becomes even more fraught when her mother’s dementia worsens.

Part 2: In the midst of writing her PhD dissertation, Jordyn Rice embarks on one last road trip with her mother, who is dying of lung cancer.

Rita Rigano is a NYC-...

In this week’s episode, Thomas Dixon and Rachel Robinson manage to build a friendship, despite not remembering the exact moments they shared.

Thomas Dixon is the author of "I'm Sorry... That's Awesome!: Inventing a Solution for Memory Loss", and the inventor of ME.mory (a digital memory mobile application/service). Thomas was running when struck by a car and injured so badly that he nearly died. His episodic memory (specif...

This week we present two stories from people who stood up against a system eager to tear them down.

Part 1: After a car crash alters Emily Winn's life forever, she must relive the trauma when she testifies in a deposition.

Part 2: Geneticist C. Brandon Ogbunu contemplates the role race has played in his academic career after he is confronted by the police.

Dr. Emily Winn-Nuñez is a data scientist based in Brooklyn, NY where...