A conversation with poet Rajnii Eddins about using “courageous vulnerability” to navigate the darkness. Find a photo of Rajnii and the lyrics to the poems he reads in this episode at bravelittlestate.org . This is the fifth installment of Homegoings , a series from Brave Little State that features conversations about BIPOC art and experience in Vermont. Find the full series here . Have a recommendation for a future Homegoings interview? Get in touch with our team by emailing hello@bravelittlesta...
Dec 16, 2021•34 min
We journey into the weird world of Vermont's favorite jam band, to explore the culture of "phandom” and Phish’s early roots in our brave little state. In our 100th episode, Ethan Weinstein of South Woodstock asks: “Why do people like Phish? And how did they become such a big part of Vermont music culture?” Warning: There’s a bit of profanity in this episode, and some discussion of drugs and drug culture. To see photos of Phish from their early Vermont days, check out our web feature . We’ve also...
Dec 02, 2021•53 min
Question-asker Chris Jacobsen of Norwich grew up eating the renowned pancakes at Eaton’s Sugar House in Royalton. Brave Little State reporter Myra Flynn did too. They team up for our first true crime episode to explore the mysterious circumstances surrounding the fire that burned down a delicious Vermont institution. See photos of the Eaton's fire — and remains — in our web feature . If you have any information about the Eaton’s fire, you can call the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at 1-800-32-...
Nov 18, 2021•36 min
A joint investigation into a growing rental empire finds a pattern of neglect — and reveals how ill-equipped Vermont is to oversee the quality and safety of some of the state's most affordable housing. VPR's Liam Elder-Connors and Seven Days ' Derek Brouwer join us to discuss their reporting. Read the story here: Roaches and broken locks: Mark and Rick Bove’s growing empire of affordable rentals vexes code enforcers Read Mark Bove's letter to the editor in Seven Days: Bove Family Responds As alw...
Nov 11, 2021•33 min
As we enter the darkest season of the year, you may be wondering: Why do we have to fall back and spring ahead? And is there anything that can be done about it? That’s what Olga Ardova of Georgia asked us. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for the BLS newsletter Say hi on Twitter , Instagram and Reddit @bravestatevt Drop us an email: hello@bravelittlestate.org Make a gift to support people-powered journalism Tell your friends about...
Nov 05, 2021•13 min
To answer this question from Dean Lehrke of Kansas, reporter Elodie Reed travels to the Northeast Kingdom to explore the ways that isolated Amish families have become fixtures in their Vermont community. Elodie also draws on her own experiences growing up in Christian Science — a different culturally isolated community — to better understand Amish practices and Amish beliefs that go against convention. As always, our journalism is better when you’re a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sig...
Oct 21, 2021•39 min
To answer this question from Robert Small of Stannard, we take stock of not one, not two, but three pharmaceuticals currently in development. This episode features reporting from Sue Halpern, who coincidentally answered Robert’s question for The New Yorker in August: Why It Took So Long to Develop a Vaccine for Lyme Disease . More recommended reading: The Lyme Vaccine That Got Away (from The New Republic’s podcast The Politics of Everything) Where’s My Lyme Vaccine? (from Slate) Finally, a Shot ...
Oct 07, 2021•30 min
Call us rivals, or frenemies...But where does this half-serious tension come from? Ian Harding of Los Angeles asked us to break it down. Check out our 2017 episode about how some of the differences between Vermont and New Hampshire stem from our geology, and go back literally hundreds of millions of years. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Sep 23, 2021•23 min
In the latest installment of a Brave Little State tradition, we journey to the back roads of Vermont to learn about three mystifying road and place names: Cow Path 40 in Marlboro, Agony Hill Road in Reading, and Texas Falls in Hancock. Check out bonus content, including maps and photos of the roads in question, at bravelittlestate.org . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powe...
Sep 09, 2021•35 min
A listener's request about the legacy of Tropical Storm Irene prompted us to tell three stories about resilience — personal, entrepreneurial and spiritual. Check out bonus content, including photos of the Graham-Frock family, the Woodlawn Cemetery project, and other people and places from this episode, at bravelittlestate.org . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journ...
Aug 19, 2021•34 min
In honor of the show’s 5th birthday, we revisit our inaugural episode — about the past, present and future of the Vermont accent. Thanks to Erin Creley for being our first-ever question-asker, and to Alex Keefe for helping us launch the show back in 2016. To find more audio recordings that demonstrate the features of the Vermont accent, and learn about some recent research on the “glottal stop,” check out our web feature . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a quest...
Aug 05, 2021•25 min
A question from Bobby Arnell of Winooski about the complex, controversial decision to base fighter jets in Vermont's most populous county. Check out bonus content, including video by VPR's news fellow Marlon Hyde, at bravelittlestate.org . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Jul 22, 2021•39 min
We get comfortable — or uncomfortable — and talk about living in Vermont with, or as, a Black kid. See photos of the families we heard from in this episode, some adorable pix of producer Myra Flynn as a Vermont kid, and archival photos of Randolph Union High School's "Galloping Ghost" mascot, here . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism bravelittlestate.org...
Jul 08, 2021•40 min
What factors go into placing those yellow road signs? A question from Jocelyn Hebert gets to the heart of a tension between the natural world and human infrastructure. Check out photos of "Moose Alley" and data visualizations here . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism bravelittlestate.org...
Jun 24, 2021•34 min
A conversation with DonnCherie about compassion, artistic authenticity and taking Blackness back. (Warning: Profanity) This is the fourth and final installment (for now) of Homegoings , a special series from Brave Little State that features conversations with musicians of color who live in Vermont. Check out the lyrics to DonnCherrie’s “For Keeps,” see the original art for this episode here . Explore the rest of our series at here . We'd love your feedback on this series. Drop us a note at hello...
Jun 16, 2021•25 min
A conversation with Rivan Calderin about BIPOC exhaustion, safety and music as a platform for consciousness. Check out the original art for this series and read the lyrics to "Mayday to Pilot" here . This is the third installment of Homegoings , a special series from Brave Little State that features conversations with musicians of color who live in Vermont. Follow the series here as we release new episodes weekly through June 15. bravelittlestate.org...
Jun 09, 2021•18 min
(Warning: Profanity) A conversation with Senayit Tomlinson about Black trauma, music and getting through. See a photo of Senayit, read the lyrics to "Hard Reign" and watch the music video here . This is the second installment of Homegoings , a special series from Brave Little State that features conversations with musicians of color who live in Vermont. Follow the series here as we release new episodes weekly through June 15. bravelittlestate.org...
Jun 02, 2021•16 min
A conversation with Bobby Hackney Jr. about Black grief, resilience and music. This is the first installment of Homegoings , a special series from Brave Little State that features conversations with musicians of color who live in Vermont. Follow the series here as we release new episodes weekly through June 15. bravelittlestate.org...
May 25, 2021•15 min
(Warning: Profanity) Vermont's underfunded pension system has forced an awkward question: If the state makes a promise to its workers, does it have to keep its word? And just how urgent is the problem, anyway? Jon Cherico, of Waterbury asked us to look into Vermont's pension tensions. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
May 20, 2021•26 min
Normally you hear a mixture of VPR reporters on this show, and that’s not gonna change -- but you’ll also be hearing a lot from our new producers, Myra Flynn and Josh Crane. We journalists like to show, not tell. So today, Myra and Josh are gonna introduce one another to all of you, so you can hear for yourselves how excellent they are, and get excited for what’s to come here on Brave Little State. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up...
May 06, 2021•18 min
What if you had to choose between working full time and keeping your benefits? We take on a question from Matthew LeFluer of Alburgh about the conundrum facing some Vermonters with disabilities who rely on federal benefits. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Apr 22, 2021•25 min
It's an aspect of Vermont history that some say is overlooked. We return to an episode from May 2018, which explored your questions about Anglicized names and discrimination. As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Apr 08, 2021•37 min
More than 200 Vermonters have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. How did they live? VPR reporter Liam Elder-Connors spoke with their loved ones and recorded their memories. Hear more memories, and see photos, on VPR's digital COVID memory wall . As always, Brave Little State's journalism is better when you're a part of it: Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Mar 18, 2021•26 min
How did Vermont end up with so many small, one-room schools? And why don’t we use them anymore? That's what Chelsea Smiley of Monkton wants to know. To see archival photographs from Vermont's one-room schoolhouse heyday, check out our web feature here . As always, our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism...
Mar 05, 2021•22 min
This one goes out to our future neighbors. With your help, we answer a question from soon-to-be Vermonter Samantha Spano, of South Florida. See photos of Samantha, Wylene and Tul, and find some bonus advice from our Twitter community, here . We mention several episodes from our archive in this listen. They are: A Vermont Town & City Pronunciation Guide What Are The Pros And Cons Of Heating With Wood? Why Is Vermont So Overwhelmingly White? How To Support Vermonters Of Color: 'Listen To Us' I...
Feb 19, 2021•26 min
Not sure how to say Calais, or Topsham, or Beebe Plain? With your help, we've built a guide for all those tricky names on the Vermont map. If you've lived here a long time, you might think you don't need this guide. But trust us: You'll learn something. Explore an interactive version of the guide, and check out a map of Abenaki place names, at bravelittlestate.org . Thanks to Samantha Spano of Florida for inspiring this special episode. If you liked it, may we recommend: Is The Northeast Kingdom...
Feb 11, 2021•20 min
The Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump is set to begin on Feb. 9. And Vermont’s own Sen. Patrick Leahy will preside. How did Leahy land this role? And, given his recent health scare, what will happen if he’s not up to the task? Our colleague Bob Kinzel answers these Qs and more. Plus: We need your help! We're creating an audio guide for Vermont's hard-to-pronounce towns and cities. Check out our list and add your voice. We're also collecting advice for a question-asker who...
Feb 05, 2021•11 min
The small town of Fletcher did notably well during the 1918 flu pandemic. How did they manage that, and how are they managing COVID? That's what Chris Crawford of Exeter, N.H. and Holland, Vt. wants to know. To see photos of Fletcher, and find a transcript of the episode, head to our web feature. Our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism bravelittlestate.org Find more from t...
Jan 21, 2021•24 min
A listener question with some local implications. We pass the mic to our friends at New Hampshire Public Radio's Outside/In. Find more from Outside/In here. Our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism bravelittlestate.org...
Jan 07, 2021•38 min
A question about blatant stereotypes, and the Green Mountain lingo we use for them. Today's question comes from Ryan McLiverty, of Woodstock. Our journalism is better when you're a part of it! Ask a question about Vermont Sign up for our free BLS newsletter Make a gift to support people-powered journalism bravelittlestate.org...
Dec 17, 2020•18 min
