Home of the Brave

Home of the Brave

Scott Carrier

Home of the Brave: new and old stories from "This American Life" contributor Scott Carrier.

The Green River

The Green River

(This is the fifth story in an album I am building. For more information please go to homebrave.com.)This story began as a series of stories produced for “Weekend All Things Considered” over the summer of 1991. I’d spend a week or so on the river then come home and send a story to WATC, and then go back and float another section of the river, come home and send another story, and so on. Here they are all together, with music by Pat King (recorded in my house).I invite everyone to listen to these

Feb 22, • 0:00

The Avalanche

The Avalanche

(This is the fourth story in an album I am building. For more information please go to the website, homebrave.com.)The Wasatch Mountains, just east of Salt Lake City, are known for having the best snow in the world for powder skiing. Powder is the kind of snow that flies over your head as you ski through it. The snow flakes are big and dry—they take up space but weigh almost nothing, so skiing through them can feel like flying. When we were kids we learned to ski by riding the lifts at the reso

Feb 20, • 0:00

The West Desert

The West Desert

(This is the third story in an album I am building. For more information, please go to the website homebrave.com.)I think of this story as a cultural history of the Great Salt Lake Desert, the big landscape just west of my home in Salt Lake City. It used to be covered by an inland sea the size of Lake Michigan, but the climate changed and the water evaporated, leaving only salt. The introduction is from “Roughing It,” by Mark Twain. He crossed this desert in a stagecoach in 1861.The West Desert,

Feb 18, • 0:00

The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood

(This is the second story in an album I am building. For more information, please go to homebrave.com.)The Neighborhood was inspired by Suburbia, a photo-essay book by Bill Owens. The photos are of Owens’ neighbors in a suburb of Livermore, California, during the late sixties and early seventies. They pose in their garages, bedrooms, backyards… with their stuff— their tools and toys, the accoutrements of suburban lifestyle. With each photo there is a short quote from the person in the photo. Thi

Feb 16, • 0:00

Running After Antelope

Running After Antelope

(This is the first story in a larger album I’m building. For more information please go to the website homebrave.com.)Forty years ago, 1985, I was sitting in Art Silverman’s office at NPR in Washington, D.C. Art was a producer for All Things Considered. I was an independent producer, mainly for Weekend All Things Considered. We were working on something, I don’t remember what, and NPR Science Editor Anne Gudenkauf came by to talk to Art.“Hey, tell Anne your idea for a science story,” Art said to

Feb 14, • 0:00

Getting Up Off the Floor

Getting Up Off the Floor

Jan 4, • 0:00

Nasser Hospital

Nasser Hospital

Dec 19, 2024 • 0:00

Belief Over Reason

Belief Over Reason

Nov 12, 2024 • 0:00

Fascism In America

Fascism In America

Nov 2, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Epilogue

Beirut Epilogue

I wrote this after I got back home the other night, but it took a few days to get it posted. I had a good trip, thanks very much for your support. Donate

Oct 27, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part Six

Beirut Part Six

Oct 21, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part Five

Beirut Part Five

Oct 18, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part Four

Beirut Part Four

Oct 13, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part Three

Beirut Part Three

Oct 11, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part Two

Beirut Part Two

Oct 9, 2024 • 0:00

Beirut Part One

Beirut Part One

Oct 7, 2024 • 0:00

Alan Chin Is Back From Ukraine

Alan Chin Is Back From Ukraine

A photo-journalist's account of the first days of the war in Ukraine.

Mar 21, 2022 • 0:00

End of Season Two

End of Season Two

I'm going to take a break for awhile, at least until the pandemic is over. Thanks very much for your support and letters. I will be back with more stories soon.

Feb 8, 2021 • 0:00

A Photographer's Account of the Insurrection

A Photographer's Account of the Insurrection

Alan Chin describes what it was like at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.

Jan 11, 2021 • 0:00

How Much Time Has Gone By: Part Two

How Much Time Has Gone By: Part Two

Part Two of a trip across the country two months before the 2020 election.

Dec 31, 2020 • 0:00

How Much Time Has Gone By: Part One

How Much Time Has Gone By: Part One

Interviews from a road trip across the country.

Dec 6, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: War Zone

Culture War: War Zone

The seventh and final report from a long trip across the country before the 2020 Presidential Election.

Oct 15, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: Home of the Blues

Culture War: Home of the Blues

The sixth report from a long trip across the country.

Oct 5, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: St. Louis

Culture War: St. Louis

The fifth report from a long trip across the country.

Sep 28, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: Creeped Out

Culture War: Creeped Out

The fourth report from a long trip across the country.

Sep 22, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: Standing Rock

Culture War: Standing Rock

Third report from a long road trip across the country.

Sep 18, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: Trump Country

Culture War: Trump Country

Second report from a long trip across the country.

Sep 14, 2020 • 0:00

Culture War: Introduction

Culture War: Introduction

A new series of reports from a long trip across the country.

Sep 8, 2020 • 0:00

The Round River

The Round River

I went fishing in some beautiful mountains I first visited in 1968 when I was a Boy Scout. When I was older, we took our kids there so they could see it as well. It’s still very beautiful, but things have changed due to global warming.

Aug 9, 2020 • 0:00

Time To Get My News From A River

Time To Get My News From A River

My thinking is off, my approach is wrong...time to go fishing.

Jul 5, 2020 • 0:00

Coming To Ground

Coming To Ground

I recorded these interviews with my family two weeks ago, before George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. Now they seem unimportant, like from another er

Jun 4, 2020 • 0:00

Coming to Ground: Introduction

Coming to Ground: Introduction

Following the news is like watching a competition for the worst case scenario and I’ve grown weary of all the blaming and shaming. Now we can’t trust anyone, not

May 22, 2020 • 0:00

The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood

It seems more of us are paying attention to our neighborhoods lately, so perhaps this is a good time to replay this story, produced in 1988. I still live in the s

May 1, 2020 • 0:00

Echo People by Trent Harris

Echo People by Trent Harris

My friend Trent Harris has a problem caused by the coronavirus. It’s not a big problem compared to a lot of other things that have come up recently, like the poss

Apr 10, 2020 • 0:00

Our Show by Erica Heilman

Our Show by Erica Heilman

Shana from Achterarder, Scotland. My friend Erica Heilman has a podcast called Rumblestrip. She drives aroun

Mar 28, 2020 • 0:00

The Dry Wall

The Dry Wall

This story was originally broadcast on All Things Considered in 1993. The ground was shifting under my feet back then and I had to figure out what to do. Now it’s

Mar 17, 2020 • 0:00

Anti-War Stories: Adrienne Kinne and Douglas Peacock

Anti-War Stories: Adrienne Kinne and Douglas Peacock

Adrienne Kinne just after basic training in 1994.

Feb 26, 2020 • 0:00

Anti-War Stories: Elliott Woods

Anti-War Stories: Elliott Woods

Elliott Woods as a soldier in Iraq, 2004 Today I have a conversation with Elliott Woods, a veteran who is al

Feb 12, 2020 • 0:00

Anti-War Stories: Garett Reppenhagen

Anti-War Stories: Garett Reppenhagen

Garett Reppenhagen in Iraq, 2004 I believe that sometime in the future, sooner or later, people in the Unite

Feb 2, 2020 • 0:00

Interview in Amsterdam

Interview in Amsterdam

Last spring I was invited to speak at the Oorzaken Audio Festival in Amsterdam. I remember seeing leaves come out on the trees along the canals and tulips bloomin

Jan 17, 2020 • 0:00

The Wordshaker

The Wordshaker

His real name is Alissandru Francesco Caldiero, born into the old world on the island of Sicily, he came to the U.S. on a boat when he was nine years old, sailing

Jan 3, 2020 • 0:00

Re-Play: The Rebel Yell

Re-Play: The Rebel Yell

I’ve been in Armenia teaching a podcasting workshop sponsored by the U.S. State Department. I think it went well, overall, and the students were exceptional. Per

Dec 20, 2019 • 0:00

Encountering the Other, Part Three

Encountering the Other, Part Three

My operating hypothesis is that our cultural divide is a function of our oligarchic government. If a relatively few super-rich people control our wealth and power then

Nov 22, 2019 • 0:00

Encountering the Other, Part Two

Encountering the Other, Part Two

I was driving around rural western Colorado, near the border with Utah, near where Jack Kerouac saw a vision of God in the clouds that looked like Pooh Bear. I w

Oct 26, 2019 • 0:00

Encountering the Other

Encountering the Other

It’s not easy for me to walk up to people and ask if they want to be interviewed for my podcast. I’m afraid they will think I’m a fool, or an idiot, or be suspici

Oct 3, 2019 • 0:00

Fund Drive

Fund Drive

Yellowstone Lake, August 2019 This show is a request for funding, a responsibility for which I am ill-suited

Sep 13, 2019 • 0:00

The Life and Times of Solidod

The Life and Times of Solidod

Solidod in Bozeman, Montana, 2012. Photo by Jake Warga. Larry met Solidod by chance, or happenstance. He hap

Aug 23, 2019 • 0:00

The Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz

I wanted to see the place where a war between the United States and Iran may begin. It turned out people over there couldn’t talk to me on tape because they live

Aug 10, 2019 • 0:00

Alan Chin--Photographer

Alan Chin--Photographer

Alan Chin talks about his experience covering wars since 9/11.

Jul 9, 2019 • 0:00

Let's Talk About Not Going To War

Let's Talk About Not Going To War

For the solstice, the sun tunnels in the West Desert of Utah. Stories about going to war come from the top d

Jun 23, 2019 • 0:00

Dreamers by Joe Frank

Dreamers by Joe Frank

Maybe like the Phoenix rising from the ashes following a drawing by M.S. Escher.

May 31, 2019 • 0:00

Getting Into Cars With Strangers

Getting Into Cars With Strangers

Interviews with taxi and ride share drivers from New Orleans to Jacksonville.

May 7, 2019 • 0:00

Some Spring Time Stories

Some Spring Time Stories

I just got back from speaking at two radio conferences in Europe. I saw the leaves come out on the trees along the canals in Amsterdam. I woke up in Ireland next

Apr 16, 2019 • 0:00

The Pacific Northwest Trail

The Pacific Northwest Trail

This is a story I produced last summer for The New Yorker Radio Hour. It’s about a controversy over one of the newest long-distance hiking trails in the United St

Mar 14, 2019 • 0:00

Warriors Zulu Nation Honduras

Warriors Zulu Nation Honduras

A day inside the gang-ridden community of Chamelecon, Honduras. Donate

Feb 19, 2019 • 0:00

Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa

Donate

Feb 5, 2019 • 0:00

Honduras Part One: A New Caravan

Honduras Part One: A New Caravan

An introduction to a series about social conditions in Honduras

Jan 20, 2019 • 0:00

Tijuana

Tijuana

Ruth Pena and her daughter, from El Salvador, at the beach in Tijuana. That’s the border wall in the background.

Dec 22, 2018 • 0:00

Across the Desert

Across the Desert

A sticker on one of the steel columns of the border wall south of Las Cruces, NM. Donate

Dec 12, 2018 • 0:00

Casa del Migrante

Casa del Migrante

Juana and Estela talk about why they left their homes in Guatemala to seek asylum in the United States.

Dec 4, 2018 • 0:00

No Solution

No Solution

Immigrants crossing the border near Agua Prieta, Sonora, 2005. Photo by Julian Cardona. Welcome to Season Tw

Nov 14, 2018 • 0:00

End of Season One: A Walk On the Beach

End of Season One: A Walk On the Beach

I need to take a break so let's call this the end of season one. And I'd like to play the second story I produced for the show, an interview with Alex Chadwick.&n

May 8, 2018 • 0:00

Rumble Strip: It's a Podcast

Rumble Strip: It's a Podcast

Erica Heilman produces Rumble Strip from her home in Calais, Vermont. I like it because I never know what she's going to do next. This is a satire about modern li

Apr 27, 2018 • 0:00

Lick the Crickets by Larry Massett

Lick the Crickets by Larry Massett

Collage by Charles Hope From following the news lately I feel like I don't know who to believe or who to tru

Apr 18, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part Six: Industrial Tourism

Bear's Ears, Part Six: Industrial Tourism

Which is worse--a campground or an oil well?  Donate

Mar 31, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part Five: Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Bear's Ears, Part Five: Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Firewood in Monument Valley, collected on Cedar Mesa to heat Navajo homes. A story about the origin of

Mar 15, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part Four: The Hopi Way

Bear's Ears, Part Four: The Hopi Way

Comb Wash A conversation with Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, Hopi elder.  Donate

Feb 28, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part Three: The Sand Island Petroglyphs

Bear's Ears, Part Three: The Sand Island Petroglyphs

From "Early Rock Art on the San Juan River" by Joe Pachak Donate

Feb 13, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part Two

Bear's Ears, Part Two

Bear Ears Buttes in the background. Looking north from the top of Cedar Mesa, San Juan County, Utah. Elevation 7000 feet.

Jan 30, 2018 • 0:00

Bear's Ears, Part One

Bear's Ears, Part One

Looking south towards the Navajo Reservation from the top of Cedar Ridge, Utah. The first in a series of rep

Jan 16, 2018 • 0:00

Two More Stories About Mountains

Two More Stories About Mountains

A stitched panorama of the Salt Lake valley, from the north end.

Jan 1, 2018 • 0:00

Ski Lesson

Ski Lesson

I don't know who took this photo, but it sure is a good one. Maybe it's Thor. Something to get your mind off

Dec 6, 2017 • 0:00

The Bicycle Artist

The Bicycle Artist

One of Grant Petersen's personal bicycles. An interview with Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycles Works in W

Nov 22, 2017 • 0:00

War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds

This is a Halloween special for people who have not heard the original 1938 CBS broadcast.

Oct 30, 2017 • 0:00

Basin and Range

Basin and Range

Donate

Oct 22, 2017 • 0:00

We Thought It Was a Movie

We Thought It Was a Movie

Oct 8, 2017 • 0:00

NFL Sunday

NFL Sunday

A short commentary on the protests. Donate

Sep 29, 2017 • 0:00

The Oracle

The Oracle

My friend Alex and I try to visit the Utah Data Center, 20 miles south of my house in Salt Lake City.DONATE BY TEXT 801-876-1913Check out The Sonosopher, a docume

Sep 1, 2017 • 0:00

The Continental Divide, Part Two

The Continental Divide, Part Two

I try it again, this time with some respect.The short clip of music in the middle of the story is by the Icelandic group MUM.The music at the end is a North Vietn

Jul 7, 2017 • 0:00

The Continental Divide

The Continental Divide

The top of the highway through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Jun 16, 2017 • 0:00

The Green River

The Green River

Paul Brennan, Creighton King, and myself at the Green River Lakes in the summer of 1991. I thought, consider

May 26, 2017 • 0:00

Trump's Wall: Your Neighbor

Trump's Wall: Your Neighbor

An undocumented farm worker in New England, USA. Photo by Erica Heilman. Donald Trump promised to build a wa

May 10, 2017 • 0:00

Trump's Wall, Part Two

Trump's Wall, Part Two

The opening of Santa Elena's Canyon, Big Bend National Park. The left side of the canyon is in Mexico, the right side is in the United States.

Apr 21, 2017 • 0:00

Trump's Wall, Part One

Trump's Wall, Part One

The Rio Grande in Bend Bend Ranch State Park, Texas, just west of Big Bend National Park. The first part of

Apr 6, 2017 • 0:00

My First Radio Story

My First Radio Story

I-10, Texas, 1983 This is how I started producing stories for public radio in 1983. I was extremely lucky. S

Mar 15, 2017 • 0:00

It's All Over Now

It's All Over Now

photo by CNBC Who is this guy? Who is he really? We think of him as a villain, but perhaps he's more the tra

Feb 23, 2017 • 0:00

What's Happening at Standing Rock: An Interview with Jenni Monet

What's Happening at Standing Rock: An Interview with Jenni Monet

Photo from jennimonet.com. (Her name is misspelled in the photo.) On February 8th, the Army Corps of Enginee

Feb 16, 2017 • 0:00

i thought i'd throw out this idea and see if it has legs

i thought i'd throw out this idea and see if it has legs

drawing by Creighton King I started to work on a new story, then decided to change tactics.Music: Soundtrack

Feb 8, 2017 • 0:00

Listening to the Winners

Listening to the Winners

Donald Trump is a manifestation of our collective fear and anger. We created him. This show is a collection of interviews with people who supported Trump leading

Jan 19, 2017 • 0:00

The Test

The Test

This story originally aired on This American Life in 1996, but there's a new rant at the end. Music: White Rabbit by Grace Slick, performed by Mayssa Karaa f

Jan 3, 2017 • 0:00

Standing Rock, Part Three

Standing Rock, Part Three

The Army Corps of Engineers denies the permit

Dec 19, 2016 • 0:00

Standing Rock, Part Two

Standing Rock, Part Two

The Missouri River at Lake Oahe, one mile downstream from the proposed crossing of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Nov 29, 2016 • 0:00

Standing Rock, Part One

Standing Rock, Part One

A water protecter, near Mandan, North Dakota. The battle at the bridge, November 20, 2016.Music by Mum.

Nov 23, 2016 • 0:00

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly, Part Three

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly, Part Three

How people feel about trophy hunting the bear.Link to savetheyellowstonegrizzly.org Donate

Nov 7, 2016 • 0:00

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly, Part Two

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly, Part Two

Courtesy of Bradley Orsted In this episode, the scientific arguments surrounding the Greater Yellowstone grizzly

Oct 25, 2016 • 0:00

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly

The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly

The battle over taking the grizzly bear off the list of endangered species

Oct 13, 2016 • 0:00

The Road

The Road

I-80, Wyoming Donate

Sep 7, 2016 • 0:00

The End of Hope: Outside the DNC

The End of Hope: Outside the DNC

What if you threw a protest against the oligarchy and not many people showed up?Music by Laurie Anderson: "From the Air," Big Science.

Aug 20, 2016 • 0:00

Cleveland RNC Part 2

Cleveland RNC Part 2

Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio The RNC in Cleveland followed two weeks of brutal (YouTubed) shootings in Am

Aug 12, 2016 • 0:00

Opening Day Outside the RNC in Cleveland

Opening Day Outside the RNC in Cleveland

Sean Whitty and Christopher Traviano. I went to the Republican and Democratic conventions in Cleveland and Phila

Aug 5, 2016 • 0:00

After Thinking About What To Do

After Thinking About What To Do

And a request for funding

Jul 9, 2016 • 0:00

Reagan's Neighbors

Reagan's Neighbors

Interviews with people in Lafayette Park, Washington D.C.

Jun 27, 2016 • 0:00

Why People Vote for Hillary Clinton

Why People Vote for Hillary Clinton

Plus some of Clinton's speech in Fresno, California, June 4, 2016.

Jun 11, 2016 • 0:00

Trump and Sanders in South Bend: Part Three

Trump and Sanders in South Bend: Part Three

Interviews with Sanders supporters two days before the Indiana Primary on May 3, 2016.Music by The Youngbloods, Get Together. New t-s

May 19, 2016 • 0:00

Trump and Sanders in South Bend: Part Two

Trump and Sanders in South Bend: Part Two

May 2, one day before the Indiana Primary

May 12, 2016 • 0:00

Trump and Sanders in South Bend, Indiana

Trump and Sanders in South Bend, Indiana

Trump is still promoting racist propaganda.

May 7, 2016 • 0:00

My Trip To Palestine

My Trip To Palestine

An attempt at podcasting from Palestine goes awry.

Apr 21, 2016 • 0:00

Maybe He Became a Bear: An Interview with Jim Harrison

Maybe He Became a Bear: An Interview with Jim Harrison

Originally broadcast in 2007 on KUER in Salt Lake City

Apr 6, 2016 • 0:00

Prisoner of Zion

Prisoner of Zion

An essay on where I live and what I live for.Music by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir--Come, Come Ye Saints

Mar 25, 2016 • 0:00

Searching for Amnesia

Searching for Amnesia

A story originally produced for This American Life

Mar 22, 2016 • 0:00

One Year Review Meeting

One Year Review Meeting

In which I present the numbers, an accounting, to the listeners/supporters of the show.Music by Mum, Slow BicycleDonate or Subscribe through Pay Pal.Donate through St

Feb 25, 2016 • 0:00

The Iowa Caucus

The Iowa Caucus

Two Sanders supporters at the caucus in Dubuque. A trip to Iowa to see if young people would turn out for the ca

Feb 8, 2016 • 0:00

Saints of the Last Days

Saints of the Last Days

Mormon polygamists in Manti, Utah, circa 1996

Jan 28, 2016 • 0:00

Absolutely, God Told Us To Do This

Absolutely, God Told Us To Do This

An interview with one of the occupiers.

Jan 14, 2016 • 0:00

The Balkan Route

The Balkan Route

The final report on the refugee trail, describing how they travel from Athens to Germany.Music: Crossroad Metamorphosis and Super FM Dub by Hayvanlar Alemi.

Jan 1, 2016 • 0:00

On the Ferry from Lesbos to Athens

On the Ferry from Lesbos to Athens

Donate Photos by Camilla Q. Madsen

Dec 17, 2015 • 0:00

On the Isle of Lesbos

On the Isle of Lesbos

Interviews with refugees on the beach in Lesbos, Greece

Dec 11, 2015 • 0:00

On the Border of Greece and Macedonia

On the Border of Greece and Macedonia

People from Somalia, Pakistan, Morocco and Iran are no longer allowed to immigrate to Northern Europe.

Nov 24, 2015 • 0:00

The Refugee Trail

The Refugee Trail

A Somali refugee at the Sandholm Asylum Center outside Copenhagen, Denmark, November 12th, 2015. Timothy John Hinman of Third Ear invited me to speak about podcasting at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival on November 9th, and I was supposed t

Nov 14, 2015 • 0:00

The Death of Ruth Tuck: A Docu/Drama

The Death of Ruth Tuck: A Docu/Drama

A story for Halloween from the archives (19

Oct 30, 2015 • 0:00

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