Constant Wonder

After farmer Mas Masumoto was contacted as next-of-kin for a woman he knew almost nothing about, he set about to uncover why his disabled aunt was hidden away after WWII, and his efforts began to heal wounds that were seven decades old. His story tracks the triumphs and heartaches of four generations of Japanese Americans. Guest: David Mas Masumoto, author of "Secret Harvest: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm" Want to know more? Visit the Masumoto family's blog for new books, family recipes, and their story: https://www.masumoto.com/ Original artwork by Patricia Wakida

Amidst the annus horribilis that was 2020, New York-based writer John Oakes sought to exorcise some of his own inner noise and "automaticity" by doing a week-long liquid-only fast. He liked it so well that he and his wife, Carin Kuoni, began fasting twice a year. And he liked that so well that he wrote a book about it. In this episode of Constant Wonder he and Carin explain the how and why of these biannual fasts. Guests: John Oakes, author of "The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without" Carin Kuoni, Senior Director/Chief Curator, Vera List Center for Art and Politics Find John Oakes online: https://john-oakes.com/ Instagram: Find Carin Kouni online: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carinkuoni/?hl=en

When Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman met and married, life seemed charmed and the horizon calm. But within a year, Christian was diagnosed with a rare, incurable blood cancer, and their life veered in directions unforeseen. Now, over twenty years later, Christian and Danielle and their two teenage daughters are thriving; Christian is cancer free after the latest round of therapy. He has been the beneficiary of multiple timely medical breakthroughs. Along the way, they have experienced intense joy amidst great pain and developed a quiet, shared Christian faith. Guests: Christian Wiman, professor at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; editor; poet; author of "Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair" Danielle Chapman, poet, essayist, and lecturer in English at Yale University. her work can be found here: https://daniellechapmanauthor.com/

He's known as the "Bear Man of India" for his work rescuing sloth bears from inhumane conditions "dancing" on the streets. His obsession with helping animals began early in his life, when he'd spend full-moon nights high in a jungle tree watching a procession of wild animals visit a nearby watering hole. In the intervening 30 years, he's braved the "timber mafia" and even gunshots in a tireless crusade to protect wildlife. Guest: Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS

This week we bring you a very special feed drop. Our host, Marcus Smith, appears as a guest on the podcast "The[ART]ology: Finding God in the Movies." In this episode, Marcus describes how the Constant Wonder podcast came to be. And he shares his favorite movies, from "Babette's Feast" to "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On." "The[ART]ology" podcast puts the art back into theology by finding God in the movies. Host Vincent Nel delves into the mysteries that movies reveal about ourselves and God. Featuring guests, deep dives, and thoughtful discussions, each episode centers around a theme and explores movies from an artistic and theological perspective. Find more of the [ART]ology podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-ology/id1557323788

After Tod O'Donnell suffers a traumatic brain injury, his filmmaker son, Tim, documents his recovery and his advocacy for others. The family embraces "Tod 2.0," a more fearless, more open version of his former self. Listen to Tod's accounts of life today, what he calls "a new frontier." Guests: Tod O'Donnell, subject of the documentaries "The House We Lived In" and "No Quit" Tim O'Donnell, documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Pixela Films Original music, "The Field," by James Call Curious about Tod's other documentaries? Check out his company, Pixela films! https://pixelafilms.com/about-us/

Explore the hidden world of nematodes. These tiny—less than one millimeter long—organisms are everywhere in the soil, some as plant parasites, others as pest predators. With 57 billion nematodes in the soil for each human standing on it, turns out their importance in genetic research and biomedicine is immense. Join us as we delve into this fascinating field and tap into the excitement and humor of nematologists on the cutting edge of discovery. Guests: Byron Adams, biology professor at Brigham Young University Adler Dillman, nematology professor at UC Riverside Michael Werner, microbiology professor at the University of Utah Songs from "The Plant Parasitic Nematode Songbook" were written by Kathy Merrifield and sung by Brian Tanner, Becca Hurley, and Sam Payne

While we're busy working on Season 8 of the Constant Wonder podcast, we're pleased to bring you an episode from a podcast we think you'll love. In Curator's Choice, Ayla Sparks goes behind the scenes at museums and other points of interest, getting the stories that explain why they're so special. In this episode, you'll learn the quirky and litigious history of Luray Caverns' discovery. You'll also hear the world's largest lithophone, aka the "stalacpipe organ." If you enjoy this episode be sure to check out more Curator's Choice adventures at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And join us on May 8 for the launch of Constant Wonder Season 8, which gets going with an episode on nematodes, the astounding, ubiquitous and sometimes, you might say, iniquitous microscopic worms beneath your feet.

Facing the loss of her Elkmont cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains—a family treasure for five generations—Lynn Faust began to pay more attention to the fireflies there, the "light show," as the family called it, where thousands of fireflies would light up in unison. When she read that synchronous fireflies did not exist in North America, she knew that scientists were wrong. The creatures were right in her own yard! Realizing just how little was known about these enchanting insects, she set out to observe them, becoming a self-taught firefly expert and unveiling the mysteries of nature's tiny lanterns. Guest: Lynn Faust, author of "Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada" Learn more about Lynn's book: https://www.ugapress.org/9780820348728/fireflies-glow-worms-and-lightning-bugs/ Photo credit: SmokyMountains.com

Businesswoman Françoise Malby traveled the world for work, until a chance encounter in a London tube station changed her life. Within a year, she'd quit Paris for South Africa, where she and her partner, Lawrence, would eventually establish a wildlife preserve to shelter troubled and orphaned elephants and rhinos. The two would eventually marry and spend 14 years together operating the Thula Thula preserve. When Lawrence passed away suddenly, the responsibility for these animals fell to Françoise. In this episode of Constant Wonder, a tale of love and loss, and a touching connection beyond the grave. Guest: Françoise Malby-Anthony, owner of Thula Thula Private Game Reserve and author of "The Elephants of Thula Thula" Learn more about Françoise and the THula Thula reserve on their website: https://thulathula.com/our-story/ Thula Baba traditional lullaby accessed on the Soweto Gospel Choir YouTube channel.