

Hello Unknown
Jonathan Wright
Stories exploring the hidden parts of the human experience. Host Jonathan Wright re-examines moments from culture and history that tell us about the feelings we avoid and the big questions we don't know how to answer.
Send comments or questions to hellounknownpod@gmail.com. I'd genuinely love to hear from you!
Send comments or questions to hellounknownpod@gmail.com. I'd genuinely love to hear from you!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 22, 2025 • 1min
Special Announcement: Live Show October 29!
Reflector Project is hosting a special live event for Hello Unknown podcast listeners on Wednesday October 29, 2025. Tickets are here: https://reflector-project.square.site/product/tasting-room-theology-with-jonathan-wright/HTCPQP6EWX5TQ7PU7OR4BBLH?cs=true. The venue is the Reflector Studio, at 736 14th Street East, North Vancouver BC V7L 2P4 (yes, the studio is behind a house). Hope to see you there!

Oct 13, 2025 • 26min
The Cost
In our season finale, a railroad in Bermuda and a law firm in Vancouver. It's success, failure, and the cost to continue when everything is breaking down.

Oct 6, 2025 • 21min
The Universe
Dive into the wonders of the universe, where existential panic meets cosmic theories! Discover why the night sky isn’t as bright as we’d expect, thanks to Olbers’ Paradox. Jonathan shares insights on the Big Bang and the steady state debate, alongside the serendipitous discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Playful discussions like the Dead Frog Theory highlight the importance of community in our quest for knowledge. Join a journey through time, the cosmos, and the riveting questions that keep us gazing at the stars.

Sep 29, 2025 • 23min
Coffee
Coffee, a pope, and the spiritual being of the secondary universe. In this episode we bring you the history of coffee and get really high on God.

Sep 22, 2025 • 23min
Thief-taker
Is Jonathan literally the WORST HUMAN IMAGINABLE? We answer this question with the stories of an 18th century proto-Sherlock and a 21st century English major.

Sep 15, 2025 • 24min
For Keeps
In March '94, with POGs fever gripping his school, 11‑year‑old Chad spots the problem no one else can solve: the slammer. In this episode, the rise and fall of two POGs empires, and what it means to play for keeps.

Sep 8, 2025 • 25min
Wrong Colours
In our first episode of season two: a Glasgow rivalry and god fans in Vancouver. Welcome back to Hello Unknown!

Sep 26, 2022 • 17min
Hawaiian Mall
In the final episode of season 1, Jonathan Wright confronts the unknown, telling the stories of two Hawaiian malls: one in a pineapple cannery in Lahaina and the other in Jonathan's mind. Sources Sarah Ruppenthal, "The Sweet and Sour History of the Pineapple in Hawai'i", Flux Hawai'i, https://fluxhawaii.com/hawaii-pineapple-the-sweet-and-sour-history-of-the-island-fruit/ Duane P. Bartholomew, Richard A. Hawkins, Johnny A. Lopez, "Hawaii Pineapple: The Rise and Fall of an Industry", HortScience, https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/47/10/article-p1390.xml Thos. G. Thrum, "Hawaiian Annual for 1927 - The Refernece Book of Information and Statistics Relating to the Territory of Hawaii", chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10524/32424/1927.pdf "Labor in the Territory of Hawaii 1939", United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_0687_1940.pdfhttps://www.google.com/search?q=labor+in+the+territory+of+hawaii+1939+bulletin+no+687&oq=labor+in+the+territory+of+hawaii+1939+bulletin+no+687&aqs=chrome..69i57.11412j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Sep 19, 2022 • 21min
The 6th Dalai Lama
A monk sees footprints in the snow. He follows the footprints, belonging to his teenaged religious leader, to the home of his forbidden lover. Buddhist Tibet explodes. In this episode Jonathan Wright tells the history of his favourite Dalai Lama and reads his old notebooks to try and answer the question of how we tell our life stories. Sources Mark Tatz, "Songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama", The Tibet Journal, https://www.jstor.org/stable/43300034 Geoffrey Waters, "White Crane: Love Songs of the Sixth Dalai Lama", White Pine Press, https://www.amazon.ca/White-Crane-Songs-Sixth-Dalai/dp/1893996824

Sep 12, 2022 • 16min
Good Lost/Bad Lost
What do the TV Show Lost and Jonathan's dating history have in common? In this episode Jonathan Wright watches the first 10 episodes and last 10 episodes of Lost (why??) and also delves into his extremely anxious dating history to answer the question of whether it might, sometimes, be good to get a little lost. Sources Chris DeVille, "Lost Was The Best Before It Was The Worst", Deadspin, https://deadspin.com/lost-was-the-best-before-it-was-the-worst-1635804502 Jen Chaney, "No, They Weren't Dead the Whole Time", Vulture, https://www.vulture.com/article/lost-series-finale-oral-history-the-end.html


