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Constant Wonder

BYUradio

Stay in tune with our phenomenal world. Join us for explorations of science, art, history, and more. We're on a quest to find awe and wonder in all nature—human or wild, vast or small. Encounters that move us beyond words. Hosted by Marcus Smith, Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio.

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Avg 52 min
English

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S14 · E2
May 6 · 52 min
Bacteria Rewrote My Reality: Hallucinations, Assassins, and Recovery
Entomologist Steven Peck came down with a bacterial infection that plunged him into a chaotic world of hallucinations, where he thought even his kids were imposters. Now, he has a new definition of what "real" really means. In this episode, Marcus Smith speaks with Steven Peck, an author and BYU biology professor. Peck found his world overturned by a brain infection that caused severe hallucinations. Suddenly, he plunged from the rational world of academia into a terrifying realm of assassin-children, evil doctors, and river-rafting MRI machines. Emerging from that chaos, he decided to explore the wonders of the human mind, uncovering unexpected kindness along the way. Steven Peck, professor of biology at BYU and author of over forty short stories and novels https://stevepeckniche.com/ (0:00) Reptilian Gateway to Wonder (15:50) The Beginnings of Madness (21:02) Assassins, Evil Organizations, and Detainment (30:56) A Changed Steven (36:46) A Break in the Illusion (41:14) Fly Fishing with a New Perspective Originally aired Nov 1, 2023
S14 · E1
April 29 · 57 min
How to Make Fast Friends with Words
What does it mean to be truly speechless—struck dumb by beauty, grief, or awe? In this episode of Constant Wonder, host Marcus Smith sits down with Martha Barnette, co-host of the beloved radio show and podcast A Way with Words, for a wide-ranging conversation about language, wonder, and the moments that leave us reaching for words we don't have. Martha shares memories of her Greek tutor Professor Leonard Latkovski, and a remarkable moment when her father, theologian Henlee Barnette, invited Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conversation moves through the concept of "thin places”—those uncanny moments where the boundary between the ordinary and the transcendent seems to dissolve—and closes with a handful of surprising word etymologies that reframe how we see the world. Guest: Martha Barnette is an author, word-lover and co-host of A Way with Words. Find her at www.marthabarnette.com Enjoyed this episode? Rate, review, and share it with a friend. Get bonus content in your inbox: constantwonder.substack.com Chapters: (0:00) Martha Barnette on Language and Wonder (4:20) Family Roots: Henlee Barnette (12:59) Professor Latkovski and the Love of Greek (27:54) MLK, Jr.’s Visit to Southern (34:32) When Words Fail Us (42:41) Thin Places & Thresholds (45:18) Scintillating Words Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio. Find us at www.byuradio.org
S13 · E16
April 22 · 55 min
The Magic Of Wild Foraging (Anyone Can Do It!)
Tama Wong didn't feel like a great gardener—until she discovered that the weeds she was battling were delicacies from across the world. Now, she forages (and farms like a forager!) for fine dining restaurants, and she encourages others to enjoy wild flavor by foraging, too. Guest: Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of "Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager" and founder of meadowsandmore.com Knotweed Crumble and more at our Substack: https://constantwonder.substack.com Chapters: (0:00) Meet Tama Wong & Wild Lawns (5:43) What is a Weed? (14:22) Foraging for Fine Dining (30:12) Cultivation and Community (32:03) Moving at the Speed of Life (38:02) Editing the Weeds (47:50) Memories in the Garden
S13 · E15
April 15 · 52 min
Encountering Thin Places: One Priest's Hope in the Modern World
Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal grew up wandering the ruins of Fountains Abbey in the UK—one of his "thin places." After he was ordained an Anglican priest in his twenties, he learned to find the sacred as easily in seminar rooms as on the side of the road. Teal believes in the power of inhabiting the world, be it through philosophy, poetry, or simply your presence. Guest: Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal, an Anglican priest, chaplain, fellow, and lecturer in theology at Pembroke College, Oxford University Chapters: (0:00) Introduction (3:55) Fountains Abbey (13:17) Grief and silence (20:23) Rachel's thunderbolt (24:57) Thin spaces (32:35) Prodigal sons and sacred hymns (43:34) Illumination
S13 · E14
April 8 · 55 min
Into the Woods: Finding a New Way to Feel Loved
After severe depression turns his life upside down, Jarod Anderson heads for the woods, where he finds a renewed connection to nature: from the sacred herons of his childhood to the strange creatures of his imagination. He now shares that world with listeners as host of "The CryptoNaturalist." Guest: Jarod Anderson, host of "The CryptoNaturalist" and author of "Something in the Woods Loves You" Author page: https://www.crytopnaturalist.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarodkanderson/ Originally aired January 22, 2025
S13 · E13
April 1 · 41 min
How to Find a Flow State on the Waves (and in Life!)
Hugo Tagholm describes the transcendent connection between a storm at sea and a surfer sitting, many hours later, on a board. Using surfing as a metaphor for life, Tagholm urges us to show up for each other—and for the Earth—as our best-prepared selves. His is a message of hope for all of us on "Planet Ocean." Guests: Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director of Oceana UK Katherine May, author of "Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age" Photo Credit: Nick Pumphrey CHAPTERS (0:00) Introduction (4:55) Hugo's childhood (9:39) Surfers Against sewage (17:36) The wonder of surfing (25:32) Conserving the oceans (35:05) Katherine May's quest for enchantment and wonder
S13 · E12
March 25 · 53 min
One Man's Lifelong Crusade to Save a Vanishing Tree
Emmett Hoops was seven when he decided to save the nearly-extinct American chestnut tree. He's 66 now, but little else has changed since then. Together with a chorus of other chestnut-lovers, the people who grew up under those leaves and relied on those nutritious nuts tell the story of how a tree shaped generations. Guests: Emmett Hoops, Director for District 5 and Vice President for Outreach, New York Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation (at time of recording) Andy Newhouse, Director of American Chestnut Project at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (at time of recording) Want to get involved with Chestnut restoration? Visit the American Chestnut Foundation online to learn more about their mission! https://www.americanchestnut.org/ Special thanks to Bethany N. Baxter for archival interviews from Appalachia conducted in 2008. Originally aired: March 20, 2024