When an extremely drunk diner stirs up trouble at Otis’ restaurant, he knows just what to do. Photo credit: Jen Cleary. The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special

#117 Only Child

Dec 8th, 2015 8m 20s

Nisse illustrates the ups and downs of yo-yos, and being an only child.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks.The post #117 Only Ch

#116 In Their Footsteps

Dec 1st, 2015 15m 31s

Jacob explores what it means to be the grandson of a refugee, and retraces the route his family took to escape the Nazis.Photo credit: Zamani Feelings. More information about Jacob’s work at www.jacobwinterstein.com. The First Person Arts Pod

#115 Confessions of an Illegal Alien

Nov 24th, 2015 14m 48s

Nimisha tells the story of her family’s brave immigration to America, in search of a better life. The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s News

#114 Coming Clean

Nov 18th, 2015 7m 44s

Chris‘ clever fibs are no match for his super tough mom.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks.The post #114 Coming Clean appeared

#113 Ready to Check Out?

Nov 10th, 2015 7m 18s

Talia tries to explain incriminating items found in her Amazon shopping cart.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks.The post #113

#112 What Not to Wear

Nov 3rd, 2015 7m 20s

Clayton discovers what friends are for: tough love and fashion advice. The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks.The post #112 What N

#111 Fighting the Elements

Oct 28th, 2015 8m 21s

Paratrooper Ray Christian knows his stuff, but is unprepared for what lies outside of the drop zone.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s Ne

#110 Hero

Oct 13th, 2015 7m 38s

Rob’s hero performs a hulk-like stunts, and shares life-saving advice.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks. The post #110 Hero ap

#109 Career Day Gone Awry

Oct 6th, 2015 8m 36s

Kelsey turns her class over to an eccentric Career Day guest who leaves everyone wondering the same thing: Who let this guy in?The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. S

#108 Nothin’ But Mammals

Sep 29th, 2015 7m 24s

Irv travels to Nairobi during lion mating season, and things get National Geographic-esque pretty quick.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s

#107 Twice A Winner

Sep 22nd, 2015 15m 13s

It is a rare feat in StorySlam history to win multiple Slams in a season. Hear the tales that won Otis Gray back-to-back Slams at World Cafe Live in this melange of space ships, jungle adventures, and facing that infuriating high school arch ne

#106 Becoming Rich Medina

Sep 15th, 2015 16m 21s

From Cornell University to cooperate America, DJ Rich Medina was living what some might call “the American Dream”, but he traded it all in for something greater.BEyond Expectations: Engaging Males of Color was co-presented with The City of Ph

#105 Super Bowl Champ Shares of Sadness & Success

Sep 8th, 2015 17m

Philadelphia-native and Super Bowl Champion Raheem Brock tells his personal story of dedication, sacrifice, and proving the naysayers wrong.BEyond Expectations: Engaging Males of Color was co-presented with The City of Philadelphia DBHIDS. Th

#104 Passing

Sep 1st, 2015 14m 20s

Christian, a transexual black male, “passes” as a man for the first time. But it’s not as empowering or joyous as he imagined the moment to be.BEyond Expectations: Engaging Males of Color was co-presented with The City of Philadelphia DBHIDS.

#103 Black Thought of The Roots Goes “BEyond Expectations”

Aug 25th, 2015 24m 40s

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots gets personal with stories of his father’s murder, addiction, homelessness, and how thanks to a lot of hard work, he became a multi Grammy Award-winning recording artist.BEyond Expectations: Engaging

#102 I Spy

Aug 18th, 2015 9m 56s

Hired to catch a couple of adulterers in the act, Kitty Hailey finds that neighborhood gossip can be a Private Investigator’s best friend.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Fou

#101 The Way Things Ought To Be

Aug 11th, 2015 9m 44s

When looking for a book to steal, Andrew finds an unexpected paperback with an even stranger inscription.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s

#100 Hundredth Episode Extravaganza!

Aug 4th, 2015 12m 58s

Human ashes are scattered at Disneyland, Luke Skywalker denies the force to find Jesus, and more. All of us here at First Person Arts, along with some special guests, look back at some highlights from our first 100 episodes.The First Person Ar

#99 Striking Out

Jul 28th, 2015 9m 3s

Michael strikes out on his first bowling date, and not in the way that puts points on the scoreboard. The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s Ne

#98 Learning Laolish

Jul 21st, 2015 12m 23s

Three generations of family live under one roof, and the only language they share is love. Featuring Catzie Vilayphonh.This story was presented live at First Person Arts’ Translation Slam made possible thanks to Penn’s English Language Progra

#97 Vote for Steve

Jul 14th, 2015 8m 22s

Steve gets into a clip art conundrum, and Avril Lavigne helps him redeem himself.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Special thanks to WHYY’s NewsWorks. Photo credit

#96 Playing It Forward

Jul 7th, 2015 8m 45s

One small act of kindness inspires a musical memory in this tale by Gergana Haralampieva, a student at the Curtis Institute of Music.This story was performed at Composing Our Lives, a co-production with Curtis Institute of Music. The First Per

#95 Potty Mouth

Jun 30th, 2015 10m 24s

Potty mouth Christy Shea can’t find the right words to say, but finds the wrong ones work just fine.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This story was performed at F

#94 Kid Wizard Sings the Blues

Jun 23rd, 2015 8m 36s

Here’s what happens when parents confuse encouragement of their child’s natural abilities with social suicide. Story by Emma Hitchcock.The First Person Arts Podcast is made possible thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Founda