Everybody has a Story. In these conversations Jane and Dan invite selected guests in to explore what they consider to be the origins of who they are and what they do, and how their own stories show up in their work, their creative practise or their mission.

In this conversation Olivia Hirst talks about her first play at the Edinburgh Festival that she devised knowing she carried BRCA1, a genetic mutation which increases her possibility of getting breast and ovarian cancer. She talks about the strong women in her family who also feature in the play and other productions she's since produced at The New Diorama Theatre in London. Notably The Incident Room which investigates the investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper.

ORIGINAL #2: Olivia Hirst | Playwright & Actor... sometimes...

JP Hevey has always loved dressing up. Something he inherited from his stylish parents growing up in Liverpool. He began his creative career as an actor in the West End but discovered that his day job, stylist at Miss Selfridge on Oxford Street, was his real passion. He's turned that passion into his business EffortMade.com and styles celebrities, fashion shoots and presents on TV.

In this podcast he talks to Dan and Jane about his early life and career and what he's learned about the psychology of clothing from how we present ourselves and, whether we are aware or not, the importance of clothing and fashion in all our lives. 

He has found his passion in helping people find clothes to express their true selves, and is a voice over artist, drama coach and TV presenter.

effortmade.com  
@effortmade
@thepensionista
dramaskills.com

ORIGINAL #6: JP Hevey | Stylist | Actor | Presenter | Voice Over Artist | Drama Coach

Adé talks with Dan and Jane about how his background in theatre informs his creativity as a visual artist. It teaches you to show up. 

"Serving the play, leaves your own issues at the door.  Sometimes over thinking something can get in the way. Just show up."

@AdebayoBolaji

More info about Adé
https://www.herts.ac.uk/uhbow/whats-on/2021/spring-summer/in-pursuit-of-flow

Adé has an exhibition at the University of Hertfordshire in October
Art & Design Gallery, 
University of Hertfordshire, 
College Lane Campus, 
Hatfield, AL10 9AB
Digital exhibition available at www.uharts.co.uk

ORIGINAL#9: Adebayo Bolaji | Artist | Actor

This week, we're presenting stories about coming of age. Bildungsroman, if you will. (Thank you, eleventh-grade Honors English!) These storytellers will share stories about growing up and finding their identities -- whether it's within their family, or within their own bodies. 

Part 1: Growing up, Moni Avello struggles to understand her younger sister, who has Asperger's syndrome. 

Part 2: For Morgan Givens, the onset of puberty feels like an alien invasion.

Moni (Monika) Avello transplanted herself from Miami, FL to Cambridge, MA 7+ years ago in the pursuit of science, and has yet to regret her northward relocation. Moni prefers her hair a quarter shaved for temperature control and generously dyed to honor the rainbow. She is willingly addicted to strong espresso, a habit she picked up in the 3rd grade. Moni loves to social dance blues, salsa, and bachata. In her free time, she experiments with her favorite bacteria Bacillus subtilis, trying to figure out how it blocks unwanted sex, because science is wonderful fun and the Ph.D. degree in Biology from MIT is a nifty bonus. 

Morgan Givens is a storyteller and performer based in Washington, DC. He has performed at Story District's Top Shelf, Creative Mornings DC, Little Salon and a host of other storytelling events throughout the city and along the East Coast. He has been featured in the Washington Post, Upworthy, Buzzfeed and participated in a panel at the 2017 AFI Documentary Film Festival Forum, titled Hear Me Now: The Art of Nonfiction Podcasting. Morgan is the creator and host of the podcast Dispatches, and uses his podcast to explore the intricacies of identity, culture, and the complicated nature of human interaction. 

Please note: This June, The Story Collider will be celebrating Pride Month by highlighting stories about the intersection of science and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues. Each of our five episodes this month will include one of these stories, and you can follow us @story_collider on Twitter and @storycollider on Instagram this month as we share highlights from our back catalog as well.

Coming of Age: Stories about growing up

This week, we're presenting two stories about responsibility in science. Whether we're working in a classroom or the White House, we all have some level of responsibility for others. And sometimes we have to ask ourselves -- are we doing enough to live up to those responsibilities? Both of our stories today explore this idea. 

Part 1: On her first day working in the White House under President Obama, microbiologist Jo Handelsman receives some bad news. 

Dr. Jo Handelsman is currently the Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a Vilas Research Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. Previously, she served President Obama for three years as the Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). She received her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Molecular Biology and has served on the faculties of UW-Madison and Yale University. Dr. Handelsman has authored over 100 papers, 30 editorials and 5 books. She is responsible for groundbreaking studies in microbiology and gender in science.

Part 2: After a confrontation with a student, math teacher Sage Forbes-Gray begins to question whether she's the ally she thought she was.

Sage Forbes-Gray has been an educator for 15 years teaching middle school pre-algebra, high school algebra and English as a second language in Spain to a variety of ages. Sage is the Restorative Justice Coordinator at her school, supporting students and staff in resolving conflict and building community. She is currently in her third fellowship as a Math for America Master Teacher and has been an active community member for the past 9 years. In her free time, she and her spouse, Amber, can be found running, biking, or exploring the world near and far with their kids, Dante, 6, and Elio, 3.

Find transcript here:  https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2018/6/19/responsibility

Note: This June, The Story Collider is celebrating Pride Month by highlighting stories about the intersection of science and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues. Each of our five weekly episodes this month will include one of these stories, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram this month as we also share highlights from our back catalog as well.

Responsibility: Stories about leadership

KATHRYN BENDALL describes her journey from Australian Labor Party Bright Young Thing to...drug dealer.  

For more info on Now Hear This and to find out how you can be part of it: www.facebook.com/NowHearThisStorytellingSlam

Recorded live at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra on November 21 2012. Sound Engineer: Mark Jennings (666 ABC Canberra).

Photo by Adam Thomas

(Kathryn is the producer of 'Tell Me A Story' - go check out their stories - they're tops! 

'Blank Canvas: Stories of Invention and Reinvention' KATHRYN BENDALL

After watching a documentary about the moon landing, Kate Downey comes away with a love of all things Buzz Aldrin.

Kate makes you fall in love with things you thought were boring. As the  co-founder and Creative Director of Caveat, she heads up a team creating  live shows that make you a little bit smarter and a little bit drunker.  Previously, she directed Shakespeare and opera with the Public Theater  and New York City Opera, and helped build Museum Hack, a renegade tour  company at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you've seen any  scientifically inaccurate whale illustrations from the 17th century,  please alert her @wrongwhale on IG and TW.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on December 27th, 2019 in an episode titled “Shoot for the Stars: Stories about people who look to the night sky for inspiration”. Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/12/24/shoot-for-the-stars-stories-about-people-who-look-to-the-night-sky-for-inspiration

Kate Downey: I Love Buzz Aldrin

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

C. Brandon Ogbunu is an Assistant Professor at Brown University. His research focuses on evolutionary genetics and the ecology of disease. A New York City native, Brandon enjoys film, hip-hop, jazz and science fiction. He's an ex-very mediocre light heavy weight boxer, and slightly less mediocre experimental virologist. He has higher hopes for humanity than he does the New York Knicks. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @big_data_kane.

This story originally aired on The Story Collider’s podcast on December 6th, 2019 in an episode titled “Justice: Stories about righteous determination”. Find the transcript and other information here: https://www.storycollider.org/stories/2019/12/3/justice-stories-about-righteous-determination

C. Brandon Ogbunu: The Liberation of RNA

Kim Lester has an accident of looooooooooooove at Easter. 

For more information on Now Hear This and how you can be part of it go to www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/nowhearthis.

Recorded live at the Arthouse Hotel, Sydney on March 27th 20136 by Simon Branthwaite. Photo by Ross Waldron.


'Accident' KIM LESTER

ACT 730's Chris Kimball tells the story of the kids who grew up in a cul-de-sac in Belconnen. 

Recorded live at Belconnen Arts Centre, Canberra on May 23 2013. Sound Engineers: Andrea Ho/Mark Jennings (666 ABC Canberra).

Photo by Adam Thomas

ORIGINAL#9: Adebayo Bolaji | Artist | Actor

Narativ London

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