ARRVLS

On September 11th, 2001, Ney Melo watched from the window of his office at Lehman Brothers as the first tower of the World Trade Center burned. The event stirred an already brewing sense deep within that he needed to make a change in his life. And it is this sense that took Ney on an inspiring journey of self-discovery from the stock market trading floor, to the milongas (or tango clubs) of Buenos Aires.

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". Listen to Felix's story here: www.arrvls.com/arrvls-podcast/2015/8/27/felix-the-different

Felix Neals is an 86 year old retired administrative judge. He is gentle and deliberate in his manner of speaking, and stands a towering 6 foot 6 inches tall. You wouldn't know it by talking to him, but Felix hardly spoke for the first 14 years of his life. He knew that he was different from most people. And across many states and decades, from a small subdivision on the border of the Everglade swamp to a rural college town in Idaho, Felix was in search of answers. Today on ARRVLS, a man's search for a name.

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. Listen to the ARRVLS episode "Mama, I'm A Girl": http://www.arrvls.com/arrvls-podcast/2015/8/12/mama-im-a-girl

We'd like to believe that culture is something that evolves. That the current generation learns from the mistakes of the ones that came before them, and that we move, albeit in fits and starts, towards a more just, inclusive, and equitable society. But somewhere in the midst of this daily march forward, are the stories of our own complicated lives. And for some the most essential part of their identity remains misunderstood to most people. Today on the show: how one child taught their parent, who they really were. "Mommy, something went wrong in your tummy. Put me back so I can come out a girl.” Marlo heard these words from her four-year-old child. Despite being born with male organs, her child has insisted she’s a girl ever since she could form complete sentences. Marlo discusses switching names and pronouns, clothes shopping, supporting her daughter’s decision on whom she does or doesn’t tell, and her own complicated and beautiful experience of having a child she once perceived as a little boy become a little girl.

TEAM ARRVLS: The Mandela Effect by ARRVLS

This episode is a story about the transformative power of loss. How one tiny life can become so large, that you begin to see it everywhere and in everything that you do. Our first contributor piece comes to us from independent producer and storyteller Sara Curtis, who traces the loss of her and her husband Ryan's child over the course of a year. Sara is a freelance radio producer, writer and photographer based in the Bay Area. Her radio stories have aired on KCRWʼs UnFictional, State of the Re:Union, KALWʼs Audiograph and PRX Remix. She is currently an 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellow at UC Berkeley, making narrative driven radio stories from the perspective of Bay Area restaurant servers. Producer Sara Curtis Associate Producer Nora Linde Additional Sound Design Jonathan Hirsch Editor Emily Ullman Music Editor Ryan Frizzel Photo by Sara Curtis

Larry kept his sexuality a secret for fear of being rejected by his family, jailed by the government of Cameroon or subjected to mob violence. Even so, there were times he couldn’t avoid trouble from people who found out. He became estranged from his younger brother, was attacked by someone he met online and extorted by a group that broke into his hotel room. Larry and his boyfriend now live in New York, where he can for the first time be open about who he is without the threat of recrimination. Producer Jonathan Hirsch Associate Producers Nora Linde & Gabrielle Lewis Sound Design Jonathan Hirsch Additional Music by Roger Kom & Njembe Gwet Paulemond

Andrew Field channeled his love for surfing and good food into a popular sea-side restaurant in Rockaway Beach, NY. When Hurricane Sandy threatened to destroy his hard work, he was forced to think fast and face realities that come with living in an increasingly unpredictable environment.

Kaz Smith was unlike anybody Niva had ever met. He was sharp, positive, and independent. Their relationship built slowly, which at times was difficult. "He was measured in everything" Niva said. "I wanted to hang out more. I wanted to see him more than just on the weekends. But he set the pace." After weeks of escalating symptoms, an MRI showed that Kaz had developed a rare form of brain cancer, and that his diagnosis was terminal. The premiere of Season Two of ARRVLS tells the story of Kaz and Niva, whose love was larger than the illness they fought together. Produced by Jonathan Hirsch, Gabrielle Lewis, & Ben Kruse Music & Sound Design Jonathan Hirsch & Ben Kruse Associate Producer Nora Linde

Season 2 of ARRVLS starts on June 18th, but in the meantime we're bringing you a very special segment we're calling STAND BY. In between departures, we've asked producers, sound designers, and composers to reimagine their favorite ARRVLS episodes in their style and their voice. Our first installment features the work of producer Brian Garcia. Brian Garcia is a freelance audio producer based in Brooklyn by way of Detroit. He produces a fiction storytelling podcast called Aural Regions that's part modern radio drama and part internal monologue reimagined. His previous podcast, Hate Your Answering Machine, appeared weekly on Vocalo.org. To pay the rent he helps create graphics for ABC News. Check out our first STAND BY episode, "Another Side of The Blazing Echidna".