Survivor

Mike Kunz and his friend Andy show us how fighting to survive in the Arctic strips us down to our most basic desires... Producer: Julia DeWitt

Fontezia Walker knew she wanted a high school diploma, she just didn't know if it would be possible. Check out the amazing storytelling program, The Monti. Producers: Fontezia Walker, with Anna Sussman and Mark Ristich

For 25 years, Ken Hopper and Kerry Davis have been part of a team that maintains the structure of San Francisco’s most iconic monument: The Golden Gate Bridge. Their workplace is a destination for tourists, but also for more desperate visitors who have made the Golden Gate Bridge one of the world's leading suicide locations. At StoryCorps, Hopper and Davis talk about how their work involves a lot more than just making repairs. Big thanks to StoryCorps for that story.

Rudy Mancini grew up during the Great Depression, and that meant he was constantly fighting to survive. First he fought over scraps of metal at the junkyard, then in the boxing ring. But could Rudy’s fists help him survive the violence of war? Rudy currently owns the beautiful Mancini Vineyards in Calistoga, CA and is working on a book of his memoirs. Producers: Stephanie Foo and Renzo Gorrio

Musician Ethan Daniel Davidson spent a year living in Wiseman, Alaska, a tiny community of less than 25 people. One cold winter day, his good friend Sep and his team of sled dogs were attacked by a bear, and Ethan was called on to help. Producer: Stephanie Foo

Lydia Bird’s father is her hero, her rock, the man who keeps their shaky, tumultuous family together. So when he is lost at sea after a fishing expedition gone awry, who will take care of her? Lydia Bird lives in Alameda, California. She is currently working on a book entitled, Ezekiel: A Memoir of Families. Producer: Stephanie Foo

We are weak. Unprepared for the elements. Our claws are manicured. Our muscles are for show... But somehow when everything is on the line. We flip the switch. On the next Snap Judgment, from PRX and NPR, we proudly present... "Survivor."