Nocturne

Series produced by vanessa lowe

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Image by: Robin Galante 

Peering into the dusty corners of the night. Nocturne is a monthly podcast. www.nocturnepodcast.org

There are 24 hours in a day. Seems pretty straightforward. But what do you really know about the hours between say, 11pm-6am. From graveyard shift jobs to “secret identities”, who we are and what we do at night is often less fully perceived by others, whether by choice or by circumstance. Peering into the dusty corners of the night, Nocturne explores these often overlooked and undisclosed slices of life. Under cover of darkness, our thoughts and feelings can take on strange new shapes, sometimes barely recognizable as our own. And the pulse of the world seems to alter too, sort of creating a curtain of privacy around our behaviors and even our appearance. Do I truly know you if I only know the daytime you? Let’s find out in Nocturne.

Nocturne is essay radio – a hybrid form of audio storytelling that blends elements of documentary, fiction and sound-art.

The Nocturne podcast was created by Vanessa Lowe and Kent Sparling, and is produced by Vanessa Lowe. Theme music composed by Kent Sparling. Hide full description

There are 24 hours in a day. Seems pretty straightforward. But what do you really know about the hours between say, 11pm-6am. From graveyard shift jobs to “secret identities”, who we are and what we do at night is often less fully perceived by others, whether by choice or by circumstance. Peering into the dusty corners of the night, Nocturne explores these often overlooked and undisclosed slices of life. Under cover of darkness, our thoughts and feelings can take on strange new shapes, sometimes barely recognizable as our own. And the pulse of the world seems to alter too, sort of creating a curtain of privacy around our behaviors and even our appearance. Do I truly know you if I only know the daytime you? Let’s find out in Nocturne.Nocturne is essay radio – a hybrid form of audio... Show full description


16 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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An introduction to Nocturne.

Bought by HowSound


  • Added: Dec 17, 2014
  • Length: 15:14
  • Purchases: 1
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Nighttime feels different to different people. Some are at their most energized and creative, while others are a little creeped out. Which side of ...

  • Added: Dec 17, 2014
  • Length: 19:02
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What happens for a visually oriented person when the darkness of night takes away all of the reference points for making a memory?

  • Added: Dec 17, 2014
  • Length: 17:39
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While working at night in the wilds of the Marin Headlands, baker Eduardo Morell witnesses the struggle between life and death. This struggle plays...

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 21:51
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Amanda Gefter is nocturnal. Really. Being an extreme night owl works for her in a lot of ways, especially since she makes her living as a writer. B...

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 27:35
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Al Wilkinson drove a big rig through the night for 28 years, and it was a new experience each time. The runs offered beautiful scenery and time to ...

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 25:25
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A man, a bird, and a hose. The sounds of night can delight or enrage, in equal parts; and lack of sleep can lead to desperate measures, in some.

Bought by HowSound and PRX Remix


  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 24:27
  • Purchases: 2
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The stars are disappearing. We’re losing natural darkness. It’s happened rapidly, but just slowly enough that it’s hard to notice. But once your ey...

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 30:09
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The darkness of night offers rich opportunities to mine and explore our fears. When you choose to walk straight into the darkness you don’t know wh...

Bought by HowSound and KALW


  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 26:09
  • Purchases: 2
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Sometimes the best way out of the darkness is to walk through it. A woman transforms her life through motion.

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 17:41
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The blurred edges of the night can inspire excitement and transformation. The shroud of darkness emboldens some to reveal hidden aspects of their p...

  • Added: Sep 17, 2015
  • Length: 24:24
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Things happen sometimes that don’t make sense, that we can’t explain. And would we really want to if we could?

  • Added: Nov 10, 2015
  • Length: 24:05
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The moon, the stars and the tides are through-lines connecting us to the beginning of life on our planet. These lines can flicker in and out of awa...

  • Added: Dec 18, 2015
  • Length: 21:37
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Sleep can serve as both refuge and captor. That’s the case for Monica, who’s blessed with the enviable ability to consistently sleep through the ni...

  • Added: Mar 17, 2016
  • Length: 25:44
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The night can be like the great frontier to a kid; a forbidden zone; the perfect place to explore autonomy and independence. At first it might be t...

  • Added: Mar 17, 2016
  • Length: 24:00
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Lynne Cox has spent her life swimming vast distances and pushing herself to the edges of possibility. Since the beginning, she has thrived on explo...

Bought by KALW


  • Added: Mar 17, 2016
  • Length: 27:24
  • Purchases: 1