The story goes … I once asked a former lover to describe her love of astrophysics and all things string theory to me, a poet, so that I could understand her passion for them. She searched her brain for a translation from science to poetry, from nebula to nebulous. After giving it much thought, she finally said, “Everything sings.” Vibrations — whether they come from a buzzing particle, an exploding planet, or a human mouth — is what connects us all. Everything in the universe is trying to share its story, if we can only tune in to listen.
Ro Kelly interviews Auralie Wilde on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, at her home in Dutchtown. BRIAN MUNOZ / NEXTGENRADIO
This is why I feel most at home in my soul when I am connecting with other people. Growing up a child of a librarian in a home with books stacked in every room, stories have always been the foundation of what I consider home. Inside books are the triumphs, lamentations, and secrets of what it means to be a human being.
A stint of couch-surfing during the pandemic solidified this sense of home for me. I lived out of two suitcases while moving from the East Coast to the West Coast, staying with friends and family along the way, and 80% of the contents of those suitcases were books — books that I could not put in storage or sell away for petty cash. I brought stories with me because stories tether me to other people and make me feel at home on this planet, wherever I am. If I can get someone talking about themselves, I am home.
While I had experience tuning into people’s stories before this NextGenRadio program, I realized I was without the proper tools to actually share those stories once they were shared with me. This fellowship program has equipped me with technical skills that will empower me to make rich audio files, relatable print stories, and gripping social media posts I was blind to before this week.
Now I feel equipped with tools and techniques (and a warm support system of new friends and colleagues), I feel newly empowered to truly capture and share the stories, nay the songs of the universe, that come my way on my new podcast The Many Saints of Louis. The unsung heroes of St. Louis deserve a passionate storyteller, but also a professional journalist, to broadcast their songs. And I truly feel ready to take on that responsibility of amplifying their stories now that I have completed the NextGenRadio fellowship program.