The Soil

Two men on different continents share a love of butterflies, a swimming instructor seeks solace in the water and we dive inside an inner landscape. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures that emerge from the earth, water and sky.Psalm Featuring Emil Blicher Bjerregaard and Mudar Salimeh Inspired by the poem Psalm written by Wisława Szymborska Music by Simon don Eriksen and Gregor Quendel Mix by Lærke Soedring Nielsen Produced by Nanna Hauge KristensenMy Body is of Earth Created by Zara Zimbardo and Lily Sloane With editorial support from Keisha "TK" Dutes and sound consultation from Adriene LillyFinding Freedom in the Water: Gaza’s Swimming Teacher A version of this story first aired on BBC World Service's Outlook in March 2023 ('My Life in Seven Swimming Pools') and in an updated version in April 2024 ('Finding Freedom in the Water: Gaza's Swimming Teacher) presented by Jo Fidgen Sound design by Joel Cox Interpreter Youssef Taha Producer Louise MorrisCurated by Axel Kacoutié and Eleanor McDowall Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

A grand piano slowly climbs the stairs in Glasgow, a man in Brighton keeps finding his upright pianos going missing, a piano decays slowly in the woods while a grandson finds himself thrust into the role of a ship's pianist. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures with a piano at their heart.Pianos Aren't His Forte Featuring Mark Campbell Produced by Phil Smith Including piano performances from Mark Campbell and Songs Without Words composed by Felix Mendelssohn and performed by Vassily Primakov from the Free Music ArchivePiano in the Woods Written and produced by Ross Sutherland Featuring performances from the project Piano in the Woods by the improviser, artist and curator Sam Bailey. You can learn more about the project at pianointhewoods.comTwo, Three, Hup Produced by Steve Urquhart Featuring piano performances by Steve UrquhartSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall Curated by Axel Kacoutié and Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Chrononormativity, duppies and post-colonial thought. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures exploring beyond the past, present and futures. Language in the Land of Duppies: Exploring the origins of Jamaican folklore as a gateway to understanding the legacy of slavery on the island. Produced by Laura Carty Special thanks to Alexander Powell, Carmen Johnson, Natalia Downer, Kandice Thompson and Jean Smart.All my friends are turning into Stars Written and performed by David Amber Devereux With Dr Matthew Temple, Research Fellow, Universidad Diego Portales Additional voices by Lou Sutcliffe and Alessa Catterall Featuring quotes from De Profundus by Oscar Wilde, Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and In A Queer Time And Place by Jack HalberstamInterjections on the future: There is not currently any obvious path to reconstructing a popular faith in political, economic and even some social institutions but while it might not always feel like it today, the unwinding of colonial modernity is underway and accelerating. Produced by composer and researcher, Sara Rahman. Featuring psychiatrist Isabel Valli and writers and artists Fer Boyd and Maedeline Stack.Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Produced by Axel Kacoutié A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Word spirits, back rooms and a reply all-pocalypse - Josie Long presents short documentaries that emerge from the internet.Word Spirits With thanks to Caroline Hesse, Donovan McGrath, Mary Dolejsi, Nicole Reinsch, Nalini Kumari, Zen Priest & Buddhist Scholar John Stevens (for permission to include his Classical Aikido Kototama Chant), and Critical Sound Explorer & Artist Matt Parker (for permission to include excerpts from The People's Cloud / Field Recordings of Internet Data Centres): https://www.earthkeptwarm.com Additional mixing by Maitreya Produced by HJ RadiaThe Back Rooms Produced by Mae-Li EvansThe Bello Tolls for Thee Produced by Nadia MehdiCurated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Josie Long presents short documentaries that go back to the start. The musician Lucinda Chua traces the journey of a rose, a connection is forged between a young woman now and a trapeze artist on New Year's Eve 1942, and a touching personal archive illuminates the journey of a word. Muscles and Mysteries Produced by Teresa KristofferssonFirst Words Produced by Kalli Anderson Featuring the voices of Kalli's parents, Kathy Hunt and Lance Anderson, as well as Kalli's husband, Zack Finkelstein, and their two children, aged 12 and 8. Reclaiming The Rose Produced, narrated and music by Lucinda Chua Chinese Narration by XiaoQiao Poetry in English and Chinese by He Sun Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

A couple looks for each other in their dreams, a research facility delves into the otherworldly, and a philosopher imagines a flow of time set to the rhythm of our rivers - Josie Long presents short documentaries that emerge from the dreams of others.River Time Featuring Jonathon Keats Produced by Nadia MehdiHaunted Featuring Linda Fleishman Produced by Elizabeth FriendDarling, Are You Dreaming? Featuring Jules and Vital Produced by Eloise StevensCurated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

A pamphlet from the 1980s illuminates the world we live in now, a musical invitation for your domestic space, and some dazzling canine choreography for your ears. Josie Long presents short documentaries based around instructions.How to Listen... including How Not To, How You Ought To, and How You Won't (Extract) Written by Stephen Potter and Joyce Grenfell Produced by Stephen Potter Originally broadcast on BBC Third Programme in 1946Hot Dogs! Presented by Alan Smith Produced by Steve Urquhart Originally broadcast on Alan Smith's Mid Morning Show, BBC Radio Cumbria in 1999Hell Rubs and Sobs Produced by Sami El-EnanyHow To Look 30 When You're 30 Produced by Jesse LawsonCurated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

The moment of time before a camera shutter closes, a symphony of ums reveals a partner's untruths, and two women linked by a phantom thread reflect on their changing bodies. Josie Long presents even shorter short documentaries.Is This An Image? Produced by Jon TjhiaDeath from Above Written and read by Joe DunthorneBody of Work Featuring the voices of writer Marleen Kruithof and cinematographer Babette Mangolte Music by Nicola Mecca Produced by Georgia WalkerWhat's in an Um? Produced by Talia AugustidisCharon Composed, produced and performed by Jamie PayneCurated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Liminal prose and cryptic hotlines. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures navigating our relationship and imaginations to history collecting.The Flight of Sankofa Produced by Weyland Mckenzie-Witter Featuring Lisa Anderson, the Director of the Black Cultural Archives, Dr Etienne Jospeh of Decolonising the Archive and Christopher West the inaugural curator for the Black diaspora, John Hay Library, Brown University, who recently curated an exhibition using Brown University’s Mumia Abu-Jamal collection.Xenoglossia Produced by Kamikaze JonesFish & Chips (best listened to with headphones) Produced by Abira Hussein and Olani Ewunnet Recorded with Sue Bowerman Featuring the voices of Somali Aunties from London Special thanks to Alan Archer-Boyd, and Whose Knowledge?Produced by Axel Kacoutié Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Getting lost in childhood longings, the search for the home we carry inside ourselves and exploring true sexual desire in a world shaped by media and societal pressures. Josie Long presents short documentaries and audio adventures that explore our desires.American Glove Cafe Featuring Conor O’Toole and Fán Written and produced by Conor O’TooleAre We There Yet? Featuring Angeliki Androutsopoulos, Garth Davis, Amira and Danita, plus recordings by Mary Hufford for The Library of Congress. Produced by Jaye Kranz Original commissioned and produced for Constellations podcastDesire Shapes Featuring Poppy Produced by Phoebe McIndoeProduced by Andrea Rangecroft Curated by Axel Kacoutié, Eleanor McDowall and Andrea Rangecroft A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4