Signal Hill

Omar’s grandfather ran the biggest cotton company in Egypt. It was a workman’s paradise, owned by the people of Egypt. At least, that’s the story his family has always told him. Omar Etman is a writer and editor from New York. Omar wrote and produced this story. It was edited by Annie Rosenthal and Lio Wong, with editorial support from Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach. Liza and Jackson mixed the story, too.Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

Dear listener, it's really nice to meet you all, at last. I’ll call you if I need anything.Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

My brain, I discovered, is like a mouth that demands something to chew. If I don't give it chewables, it starts eating itself.Andrew Leland is the 2024-6 Koeppel Fellow in Journalism at Wesleyan University, and the author of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir. This story was written by Andrew, and edited by Omar Etman, Jackson Roach, and Liza Yeager. Production and sound design by Jackson Roach and Liza Yeager. Fabian Cereijido was the ghost of Jorge Luis Borges, and Katz Laszlo was the meditation guide. Additional editorial support from Lio Wong, Annie Rosenthal, and the Issue Two cohort.Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

Zoe’s dad designed a bra that changed the world. Can it change her life?Zoe Kurland is a writer and audio documentarian based in Marfa, Texas. This story was written and produced by Zoe, and edited by Liza Yeager and Jackson Roach. Sound design and additional production by Liza Yeager. Additional editorial support from Omar Etman, Annie Rosenthal, and the Issue Two cohort.Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

Paul Adamus, a lifelong birder and wetland scientist, and Stan Gregory, a fisheries biologist, explain why Oregon ash matter to wildlife and waterways. They describe ash groves as habitat for birds and mammals. They show how ash shapes river channels, shade streams, and supports native fish. The discussion traces ash history, threats from emerald ash borer, and the looming landscape change.

Silvia Federici, scholar and feminist writer who links capitalism to reproductive labor, appears for a deep conversation. She and Rachel explore collective practices, Brecht’s learning play as political rehearsal, and how group work shapes selves. They debate moral dilemmas in organizing, joyful militancy versus duty, and how rehearsal models making and changing power.

In the middle of Amelia’s family, there’s a silence. She wants to crack it open, so she starts learning to sing. Amelia Schonbek writes, edits, and builds community in New York. Amelia reported and produced this story, which features the voices of Andrew Schonbek, Laura Joviala, and Emilia Kallonen. It was edited by Liza Yeager and Annie Rosenthal. Sound design and additional production by Jackson Roach. Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

Lio Wong, writer and cognitive scientist who narrates a first-person search for answers about starting testosterone. Andy Perfors, cognitive science professor and mentor who reflects on living with ambiguity after coming out as trans. They explore parsing limited medical evidence, ‘theoretical risk’ in guidelines, personal experiments with hormones, and choosing lived experience amid scientific uncertainty.

First it was the Shakers. Then, other people started coming to the mountain. All in the hopes of starting their own little utopias. Mitra Kaboli is an audio documentarian, sound designer, and artist. This story was produced, reported and sound designed by Mitra. The editors were Jackson Roach, Liza Yeager and Jess Shane. Additional editorial support from the Signal Hill cohort. Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.

Signal Hill is edited by Omar Etman, Jackson Roach, Annie Rosenthal, Lio Wong and Liza Yeager. Jackson and Liza are the editors in chief.The stories in Issue Two were created by Omar Etman, Rachel James, Mitra Kaboli, Zoe Kurland, Andrew Leland, Jaclyn Moyer, Amelia Schonbek, and Lio Wong, with support from the editors, and also from their cohort of fellow contributors.Support the showSignal Hill is a listener-funded nonprofit. Help us continue doing this work by signing up for a monthly membership, and we'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter, and other nice things.