Short Cuts

How do we talk to people we disagree with? How do we learn to listen? Josie Long presents short documentaries and stories about communicating across the divide. From the holocaust survivor who's dedicated her life to talking to those who hurt her to the musician who believes the world can be understood through the medium of counterpoint.Counterpoint Featuring Giovanni Dettori Produced by Rachel SimpsonIsolated Incidents Featuring Nikesh Shukla A version of this story was first published on Burnt Roti. http://www.burntroti.com/blog/isolated-incidentsForgiveness Featuring Eva Kor Produced by Claire CroftonSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2017.

Josie Long hears stories of courage, fresh hope and pinball wizardry - from two lawyers who pursue a sudden courageous career change in middle age to the pursuit of new love after loss.The items in the programme are:Go For It! Featuring Rev. Zenji Nio Produced by Just Be CuzGeis and Geis: Pinball Machine Distributors Featuring Ruth and Jim Geis Produced by Sarah GeisLeap Featuring Laura BartonThe Understudy Produced by Sophie Townsend with Mira Burt-Wintonick and Cristal Duhaime Originally made for the CBC podcast series Love Me http://www.cbc.ca/radio/loveme/episode-7-make-believe-1.3681206Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2017.

Josie Long presents documentaries about time and timing. From losing your grasp on the passing hours to a childhood fear of Sundays - how our experience of time gets under our skin.The features in this programme are:Tick Tick Tick Produced by Steve UrquhartEscaping the Present Featuring Sarah Shourd Produced by Andrea RangecroftThe Cymbal Crash Featuring Jim Gordon Produced by Maartje DuinSundays Produced by Shanida ScotlandSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2017..

Josie Long presents stories of those who have pretended to be someone they're not. From an undercover cop to stars of the art world caught in an elaborate fiction.The features in this programme are:The Connor Brothers Featuring James Golding, Mike Snelle and Marion Harris Produced by Jodie TaylorWife of a Terrorist Featuring Miss L A version of this story first appeared in the essay collection, The Good Immigrant.Undercover Featuring Ron Stallworth Produced by Claire CroftonSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2017. .

Josie Long hears stories of hope found amidst the darkness - tales of love letters, hope on the water and the man who has steered 28,000 people safely to shore across treacherous waters from the end of a phone line."I must admit I'm deeply impressed by people who step out and do something and say something... whatever dreaming they would do it. A Mexican farm worker Jessie De La Cruz said, 'we have a saying in Spanish, when things look bleak, esperanzas mueren al ultimo. Hope dies last.'" - Studs TerkelThe features in this programme are:Dear John Produced by Andrea RangecroftBird in the Breath and Other Hopeful Cargo Produced by Stephanie Rowden and Jennifer MetskerSend Me Your Location Produced by Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2017.

Josie Long presents stories on things drawing to a close - from stories captured, bottled and buried over time, to reflections at the end of a life well-lived.The Kajakman Produced by Rikke HoudToo Many Miles Originally produced for the Third Coast International Audio Festival Produced by Stephanie Rowden and Jennifer MetskerHarold Featuring Harold Stevenson Produced by Sarah GeisSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2016.

Josie Long hears stories of dreamers - from the search for utopia to striving to transform into the writer Barbara Cartland.Becoming Barbara Produced by Natalie KestecherUtopia Featuring Michaela Vieser Produced by Tim Hinman and Michaela VieserDear Face at Deer Lake with Deer People Originally made for Third Coast International Audio Festival Produced by Dear Deer Face CollectiveSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2016.

Josie Long presents stories about brushes with the unknown.Finding your voice, life or death conversations and seeking anonymity. Josie Long explores the power of the human voice. From losing yourself in a crowd of others to the medium who finds herself conversing with a murderer.Cards on the Table Produced by Andrea RangecroftFrantumaglia Produced by Phil SmithPower and Freedom Produced by Sarah BoothroydSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.

Josie Long explores uncertain territory - from a micronation to the porous borders between dreams and reality.We hear from Prince Michael of Sealand, the head of state in an unrecognised micronation that sits in the North Sea, and the doctor who's documenting the dreams of the dying.Sealand Feat. Prince Michael of Sealand Interviewed by Deborah CoughlinSquatting the Embassy Producer: Olivia HumphreysDreams Producer: Ed LawrensonSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2016.

Josie Long hears stories of what can be found as we lose ourselves - from disappearing into anonymous environments to confronting existential threats.Found Featuring Penny RimbaudLost Featuring Laura Barton Producer: Ibby CaputoSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2016.

An invitation to wander out into the darkness, an actor who discovers she's been killed off in real life and a late night wander into the Icelandic night. Josie Long hears tales of the witching hour as she ventures out for a midnight walk in the woods.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Falling in love, losing yourself and vicious sibling rivalries - Josie Long presents tales of wild youth. We hear the writer Joe Dunthorne and his sister Leah try to unpick old family scars and a story of attempted teen rebellion from Mae Martin.Rivals Featuring Joe and Leah DunthorneWild Youth Featuring Mae MartinJulius and Moses Featuring Julius Matovu and Moses Walumsimbi Producer: Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2016.

Josie Long presents stories about people who have fallen in the deep end.From the man who sets out to scam the con artists trying to exploit him, to the hypnotist who finds himself face to face with Uday Hussein, we hear true tales of falling down the rabbit hole into unsettling situations - including the moment when the poet Ross Sutherland accidentally crossed the boundary between fiction and reality and found himself being dragged into a wrestling match. Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in October 2016.

Josie Long ventures outdoors to present stories of how our hearts entwine with the landscape - forests, lakes and skylines of the natural world.The lessons about love and life that we can learn from a fig, a walk in the woods and a connection to a lost love found in the water.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.

Josie Long presents stories about rivalry.Fights for territory, standing your ground and petty feudsFrom a bitter battle conducted in a laundrette to an ongoing argument between academics on either side of the world.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.

A mysterious character offering to illuminate a course of action, an activist thrust into a glaring spotlight and the dull glow of car tail lights - presenter Josie Long looks for stories featuring illuminations in the darkness.Featuring the actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather walking onstage to collect Marlon Brando's oscar, a singing medium and Laura Barton on driving at night.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2016.

From the man who'll help you disappear to coping with a sudden, shocking loss - Josie Long looks at vanishing points.We hear stories of private investigators, the search for solitude in the dust bowl and a woman's life changing in one devastating second.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2016.

Josie Long presents stories about brushes with the unknown.Flirtations, deceptions and the kindness of strangers.An innocent encounter tips from flirtation to danger, the professional stranger you never want to see on your door step and a partner whose revelation turns him in an instant into a stranger.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.

Josie Long presents stories about wordless communication. Reading Russian literature - without a book - in solitary confinement and speaking with someone else's voice and the need to be embraced. From the melody of your speech to the brush of skin on skin, Josie explores body language. We hear about secret codes sent through walls, a sudden bodily change which left a woman feeling like a stranger to herself and the importance of touch.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2016.

From finding your way in a cold, dark sea swim to coping with the isolation at the bottom of the ocean, Josie Long hears stories of wild water. The items featured in the programme are:Mirage Produced by Cicely FellPool Party Produced by Phil SmithDiver Produced by Andrea RangecroftThe Swim Produced by Jodie Taylor with Jenny HorwellSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2015.