POV

When her son leaves to study abroad, a Polish mother feels bereft until she finds a baby squirrel in her backyard.

The story of a grandfather’s perilous swim from China to Hong Kong that parallels his granddaughter’s own quest for a new freedom.

In 1971, George Ju was running a Chinese restaurant in Miami, Florida. George was born in China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he settled in Miami, and this is where he met Angela Rivas. One night, while attending her friend’s engagement party, Angela met George, who was cooking for the event. There began their journey of love and laughter.

After 30 years away from her hometown of Milwaukee, Sharon Adams moved back into the house where she grew up. As she was fixing up her family home, Sharon needed an electrician. That’s when she met her now-husband, Larry. At StoryCorps, they remembered how as their relationship grew, so did their involvement in the community. When Sharon Adams moved back

Marty Smith and her father, Paul Wilson, 93, discuss the first time he set eyes on her mother, Wilma. She was an elevator operator in the building where he was working, and he had just been drafted and was about to spend the next three years in the service. They married three days after he returned, and remained together and in love for the next 63 years before her death.

After ten years of marriage and two children, Les GrantSmith had a secret to tell. At StoryCorps, Les spoke with Scott GrantSmith and their children, Thea and Amanda, about the conversation that transformed their family.

Jeremy Sicile-Kira uses painting to transcend his disability and communicate his dreams to others.

When her son leaves to study abroad, a Polish mother feels bereft until she finds a baby squirrel in her backyard.

An idealistic, young journalist in Beijing profiles China's biggest real estate speculator. Their divergent life experiences and clashing values reflect the generational and societal changes happening in the country.

When Jeffrey Perri was nine years old, his grandfather, Tony Perri, came out to him as gay. At StoryCorps, grandfather and grandson share memories of their respective coming out journeys and reflect on how much they mean to each other.

Mary Stepp Burnette Hayden was born into enslavement in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She was 7 years old when she was freed. She stayed in Black Mountain and became a midwife, delivering several hundred babies including her own grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Mary Othella Burnette, came to StoryCorps with her daughter, Debora Hamilton Palmer, to honor the family matriarch.

In the mid-1990s, Miss Betty Thompson retired from her job in state government, and started a second career working at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization as a counselor. By 2004, it was the only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi. Often faced with incredibly long distances to travel, and protesters on the ground upon their arrival, Betty helped all those who walked through the doors.

Laura Greenberg grew up in Queens, New York in the 1950s. At StoryCorps, she talks with her daughter Rebecca about realizing that not every family was like hers.

Mary Mills grew up in 1960s Los Angeles as an only child, but her house was always filled with kids from the neighborhood. At StoryCorps, Mary spoke with her mother Joyce Carter Mills about those days.

Lourdes Villanueva’s parents worked as migrant workers picking fruit across Texas, Florida, and Georgia. At StoryCorps, she spoke with her son Roger about what it was like going to school while her family was constantly on the move.

In the projects of Watts, Meryland Gonzales, a twelve-year-old female boxer trains to be crowned the 2019 Junior Olympics champion. Meanwhile, her immigrant parents work tirelessly to give their child a shot at achieving her dreams.

During the onset of the Soviet-Afghan war, Ajmal Achekzai and his family fled to the United States to seek asylum. More than 20 years later, Ajmal returns to the place he once called home as a United States Marine. In 2021, as the political state of Afghanistan took a turn for the worse, Ajmal came to StoryCorps to reflect on the dualities he faced as an Afghan-born U.S. Marine.

Explore the unconditional love between siblings as one sister interviews another on the eves of her 14th and 15th birthdays.

This short follows Tristan, a young adult who grew up queer, trans, and traumatized. They took a chance on an experimental therapy, finding their authentic place.

Along the scorching southern border in Arizona, only an estimated one out of every five missing migrants is ever found. Águilas is the story of one group of searchers–the Águilas del Desierto–who volunteer monthly to recover the missing.