En Route

For our recent episode "Felix The Different", Felix Neals chronicles his journey from being a quiet child in a small subdivision bordering the everglade swamp on the outskirts of Miami in the 1930's, to dodging harassment from the KKK while in college in Pocatello, Idaho. I met up with felix after our interview, at the Hudson River Park in Manhattan, and he shared with me a piece of writing that he hesitated to call a poem, but rather called it "reflections on a tin mirror".

For our recent episode "Mama I'm A Girl", Marlo Mack of the podcast How To Be A Girl, tells the story of raising her transgender daughter. At the end of our conversation, we wanted to know how Marlo has grown through the process of discovery of her child's identity, how her daughter has transformed her way of looking at the world, and whether or not she has advice for parents with children like hers.  Produced by Jonathan I. Hirsch

A friend called today asking me how I like New York City.I wanted to tell her how I really felt: That Frank Sinatra can go fuck himself, “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere,“as if residing here is like making love on a waterbed that’s half-full or half-empty; That New York City is three fingers of whisky that could corrode a toilet bowl, neat;you mask the mouth fire with a gritty poker face, compliment its notes, and check your chest for hair; That the Big Apple is a collection of Greatest Hits compact discs,and to be a New Yorker is to be a model on a photo shoot for a motivational poster--posing at the foot of a mountain you’re never actually going to climb; Instead, I told her what I tell the cousin I see once a year at my family Christmas party:“It’s great. You should come visit sometime.”Written & Performed Drew FarrellProduced & Edited Jonathan Hirsch

When he was 15 years old, Jonathan Hirsch met a met in a superhero costume on a train. 15 years later, he found him again.  Ethan's side of the story can be hear in episode 1 of ARRVLS: "The Blazing Echidna" at:http://www.arrvls.com Hosted by Gabrielle Lewis Produced by Gabrielle Lewis & Jonathan Hirsch Edited by Gabrielle Lewis & Jakob Lewis Sound Design by Jonathan Hirsch 

John Svenson traveled the world as a mountaineer. He settled in the remote town of Haines, Alaska, where he built his home and started an art gallery called Extreme Dreams.  In addition to local metalworkers, glass blowers, painters, and other craftspeople, John has a drawer filled with odd and dangerous curiosities he has collected along the way that he calls "The Drawer of Eviscerating Instruments".  

It was a chilly afternoon on The Highline, an outdoor park off 8th Avenue in Manhattan, when I came across Jean Andre Antoine. He noticed the camera around my neck and we started talking about the vintage polaroid camera he walks around New York photographing people with. The conversation turned to the challenges and the benefits of using equipment such as his polaroid, and what each process says about the differences between a photo and an image. Jean is a photographer of all stripes, and you can follow him on Instagram here.  

Sometimes I am reminded of how there are, if you look closely enough, remarkable people on every street corner.A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn with my friend Melody. In front of a polish food and fish market, a large basin filled with live fish. I peeked in a large bin filled three feet high with water, stuffed with large, live fish. We stopped and took some pictures. Then, a man wearing large rubber gloves approached us. He asked us if we wanted to take a picture with him and the fish. I took it as an opportunity to asked him a little bit about himself. I told him about the program, and asked him if he could remember a moment in his life when an unexpected change had dramatically changed his perspective. And without a moment's hesitation he answered: This is his story.My friend and I left Vin and headed down Nassau towards Manhattan avenue; both of us a little stunned, and inspired.  

Many New Yorkers will instantly recognize Matthew Silver's face; even some people outside of New York who have caught wind of the viral video for which he was the subject, will recognize the scarcely dressed bearded eccentric dancing in the 42nd street subway station or Union Square Pavillion, making fart noises and preaching his message of love. Why does he do it?Today on En Route, the story of Matthew Silver.  

I met David outside a restaurant in Soho. Many years ago, David was t-boned by a Domenico Tour Bus on the corner of Lorimer and Driggs in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. He narrowly survived, and found that remarkably after the accident, his life became easier. He was less concerned about the outcome of things. He attributes his survival to the strong constitution of his 1979 Pontiac Bonneville.

"Saturn Returns", the final episode of the month long mini series "Saturn" is available through the link in the bio, at arrvls.com . Check it out! #podcast #storytelling #saturn #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 30, 2014 at 10:09am PST

The last episode of #saturn is tomorrow. 30 shows in 30 days. All before my 30th birthday on Wednesday. It's been a wild ride. Thanks for listening. You can catch them all through the link in the bio. Saturns by @kristiprokopiak . #podcast #migration #transformation #change #enroute #storytelling #documentary #life A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 29, 2014 at 3:37pm PST

"Bad things will happen, but we must learn to embrace them." Day 28 of the month-long series Saturn, which chronicles my #Arrvls story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #migration #transformation #change #documentary A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 28, 2014 at 7:34am PST

"I heart Paris" day 27 of the month-long series Saturn, which chronicles my #Arrvls story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 27, 2014 at 7:28pm PST

"Leaving San Francisco". Day 26 of the month-long series Saturn, which chronicles the first 30 years of my life for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #storytelling #migration #transformation #change #sf #vanishingsf #moving A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 26, 2014 at 7:00am PST

"We were married in a redwood grove,"

"We waited in restless lines, the stain of wine covering our teeth" day 24 of the month-long series Saturn is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #ARRVLS #story #migration #transformation #change #storytelling #sanfrancisco #tenderloin A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 24, 2014 at 8:24am PST

"Jonathan Ikkyu Hirsch was born on December 31st, 1984" day 23 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds a day, is now available through the link in the bio. #regram from @iantuttle, from our last day in the #tenderloin. #sf #podcast #poetry #documentary #story #love #lovestory A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 23, 2014 at 9:32am PST

"Valerie Loreen Chavez was born in the city of El Paso." Day 22 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds each day, is now available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #story #love #lovestory #poetry #sanfrancisco #sf #elpaso #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 22, 2014 at 8:24am PST

"I learned that the driver of the SUV hit three other bicyclists" day 21 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio #podcast #migration #transformation #change #story #survival #sf A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 21, 2014 at 7:50am PST

"I came to and a woman was kneeling over me." Day 20 of the month-long series "Saturn " which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds each day, is now available through the link the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #documentary #migration #transformation #change #survival #story #accident A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 20, 2014 at 8:52am PST

"'I like to think of myself as a remarkable person' China said" Day 19 of the month-long series "Saturn" which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #documentary #storytelling #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 19, 2014 at 7:29am PST

"I let my sadness sleep" day 18 of the month long series is now up and available through the link in the bio.#ARRVLS #podcast #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 18, 2014 at 9:55am PST

"I'm standing on the 7th avenue side of #timessquare " day 17 of month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #ARRVLS story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #documentary #migration #transformation #change #enroute #saturn A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 17, 2014 at 12:05pm PST

"One minute I wanted to be a writer, the next a musician, the next a librarian." Day 16 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #arrvls story for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #migration #transformation #change #storytelling A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 16, 2014 at 5:23am PST

"I don't know if it's there in all births, but it was there in yours" day 15 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #arrvls for 90 seconds each day, is available through the link in the bio. #podcast #storytelling #migration #transformation #change #arrvls A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 15, 2014 at 7:31am PST

"A part of me is still that 16 year old boy" day 14 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #arrvls story for 90 seconds a day, is available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #migration #transformation #change #storytelling #saturn #enroute A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 14, 2014 at 9:54am PST

"Isn't that what love is?" Day 13 of the month-long series "Saturn", Christmas chronicling my #arrvls story 90 seconds a day, is available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #migration #transformation #change #podcast #regram from: @mayalucia1 A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 13, 2014 at 9:38am PST

"We were all falling in love: men, women, and children." Day 12 of the month-long series "Saturn" is up and available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #podcast #documentary #storytelling #arrvls #enroute #saturn #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:50am PST

"How can you speak with authority, about one who claims authority over you?" Day 11 of the month-long series "Saturn" is up! Click on the link in the bio to listen. #arrvls #enroute #saturn #migration #transformation #change #podcast A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 11, 2014 at 6:04am PST

"Charisma is real. It can shuttle a person into your heart." Day 10 of the month-long series Saturn is now up and available through the link in the bio. Check it out! A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 10, 2014 at 6:00am PST

"I find myself grappling with the causes and mysterious ways of the universe itself." Day 9 of the month-long series "Saturn", chronicling my arrvls story for 90 seconds a day, is up via the link in the bio. Check it out! #enroute #saturn #podcast #migration #transformation #change #storytelling A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 9, 2014 at 6:01am PST

"I have wished at many times to replace my words with more common ones" day 8 of the month-long series chronicling my #arrvls story is now live and available through the link in the bio. #enroute #saturn #migration #transformation #change #podcast A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 8, 2014 at 8:41am PST

"I never said a word about my sundays" day 7 of the month-long series "Saturn" is up and available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #Arrvls #enroute #migration #transformation #change #podcast #storytelling A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 7, 2014 at 6:06am PST

"We moved 17 times in 18 years when I was a kid." Day 6 of the month-long series "Saturn", which chronicles my #Arrvls story for 90 seconds a day, is up and available through the link in the bio.#enroute #saturn #podcast #migration #transformation #change #sf A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 6, 2014 at 7:31am PST

"You're born. You live. You die. There must be more than this." Day 5 of the month long series chronicling my #Arrvls story is entitled "A New Master", and is now available through the link in the bio. Check it out! #migration #transformation #change #podcast #saturn #storytelling A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 5, 2014 at 5:43am PST

"How can you tell when the fruit falls off the tree?" Day 4 of the month-long series Saturn, chronicling my #arrvls story is available through the link in the bio. #migration #transformation #change #birth #podcast #snow #enroute A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 4, 2014 at 5:30am PST

"On behalf of my friends, who have taken part, in the Hungarian Revolution." Day 3 of the month-long series "Saturn" is up on the link in the bio. This episode is entitled "Migration", and is dedicated to my father. #Saturn #storytelling #ARRVLS #enroute #migration #transformation #change #podcast A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 3, 2014 at 4:32am PST

"There is only black light. Between the stars." Day 2 of the month-long series "Saturn" chronicling my #ARRVLS story is live. #enroute #podcast #storytelling #kathmandu #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 2, 2014 at 6:00am PST

"What happens when a thirty year orbit comes to completion? Will I wander in the desert for 40 days? Will I come back a wise man?" My #Arrvls story for 90 seconds everyday leading up to my 30th birthday on New Year's Eve, and the official release of The show on January 1st, starts today. Visit the link in the profile for more! #en route #Saturn #podcast #migration #transformation #change A photo posted by ARRVLS (@arrvls) on Dec 1, 2014 at 1:22am PST

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