Off the Path
Storytelling Podcasts
Davis Dunavin is back with another amazing season of Off the Path! Join him on his summer road trip through northern New England where he explores beautiful, historic—and even mysterious—sights. Learn what brought iconic poet Robert Frost to Vermont, who first thought up the idea for the Appalachian Trail, and why this graffiti appears on a rock in New Hampshire: “Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You.”In the tradition of great storytellers, Davis is approaching this season’s Off The Path in serial form. He’ll explore each subject in 2 or 3 installments, and then combine them into a single podcast episode. Here, you’ll find those individual installments--which we’re calling “Mile Markers.” Enjoy the ride!
Location:
United States
Genres:
Storytelling Podcasts
Description:
Davis Dunavin is back with another amazing season of Off the Path! Join him on his summer road trip through northern New England where he explores beautiful, historic—and even mysterious—sights. Learn what brought iconic poet Robert Frost to Vermont, who first thought up the idea for the Appalachian Trail, and why this graffiti appears on a rock in New Hampshire: “Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You.”In the tradition of great storytellers, Davis is approaching this season’s Off The Path in serial form. He’ll explore each subject in 2 or 3 installments, and then combine them into a single podcast episode. Here, you’ll find those individual installments--which we’re calling “Mile Markers.” Enjoy the ride!
Twitter:
@WSHUPublicRadio
Language:
English
Contact:
203-365-6604
Email:
offthepath@wshu.org
Episodes
The legend of Sleepy Hollow lives on
10/27/2023
In 1820, Washington Irving wrote a short story steeped in the ghostly folklore of New York’s Hudson Valley. Its simple premise and terrifying climax has spooked and entertained people for two centuries. It was set in North Tarrytown, but Irving called it Sleepy Hollow.
Duration:00:06:44
A 'close encounter' in New Hampshire
9/1/2023
Barney and Betty Hill claimed they had an encounter with aliens more than 60 years ago. Their story became the launching point for alien abductions in popular culture. And it happened — supposedly — late one night on a lonely road in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Duration:00:21:27
The Desert of Maine: An ecological odyssey at a tourist spot
8/10/2023
The state of Maine has deep forests and rocky shores. It also has one small stretch of sandy dunes in the town of Freeport — that looks more like the Sahara than northern New England.
Duration:00:07:11
Christina's World: The "enigma" and friendship behind a classic American painting
8/4/2023
Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting “Christina’s World” shows the reality of life for his longtime friend, a woman with a disability, on her farm in coastal Maine.
Duration:00:12:00
"Appreciate the Mundane" at a museum for umbrella covers
7/20/2023
A small museum on an island in Maine boasts the world’s largest collection of a specific kind of artifact: umbrella covers. Not umbrellas — just the covers.
Duration:00:07:07
The "Lost Limner" returns in a new play
7/13/2023
Duration:00:09:29
Chicken Farmer I Still Love You
7/6/2023
There are six words spray painted on a rock along a highway near Newbury, New Hampshire. How they got there is still a mystery. Davis Dunavin took a drive up Route 103 to see the mystery rock — and maybe get some answers.
Duration:00:12:14
The view and the visionary behind the Appalachian Trail
6/23/2023
The Appalachian Trail stretches more than 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. It was the brainchild of an idealistic forester who drew inspiration from a mountain top in Vermont.
Duration:00:13:07
Inside Robert Frost's legendary stone house
6/9/2023
The beloved poet bought a home in Vermont — where he wrote some of his most famous poems, weathered family tragedy and picked lots of apples.
Duration:00:15:40
Off the Path: Trailer
5/24/2023
Host Davis Dunavin is back on the road as he previews his next set of adventures on a new season of Off the Path!
Duration:00:02:09
Herb Lore: Why it's okay to eat off the ground in New York City
6/7/2022
Most New Yorkers might be a little skeptical about eating something they found on the street — if it’s not from a food cart. But one New Yorker has made it his life’s work to convince his neighbors that nature’s bounty is accessible even in the heart of the city.
Duration:00:08:43
Herb Lore: How witch hazel made its way into everything
5/17/2022
Take a look through your medicine cabinet — from skin cream to body wash and deodorant. Many of these products share an ingredient: witch hazel. And the witch hazel industry has deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley.
Duration:00:07:17
Herb Lore: The nearly 400-year-old fruit tree that keeps giving
4/27/2022
The first colonial governor of Massachusetts planted a pear tree in the 1600s. It’s now believed to be the oldest cultivated fruit tree in the Americas.
Duration:00:08:37
LGBTQ Stories: How "Family Week" helped gay families find acceptance
3/22/2022
A few LGBTQ families met up on the tip of Cape Cod one summer in the mid '90s. Their fun beach week had a bigger impact than they expected. Family Week — as it’s called — has helped redefine ideas of marriage and family for more than 25 years. And it still takes place every summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Duration:00:05:11
LGBTQ stories: Andy Warhol's unlikely spirituality
2/24/2022
One of America’s most beloved artists kept a secret. Andy Warhol — pop artist and gay icon — was also a lifelong Catholic who went to mass regularly at a church in New York City’s Upper East Side.
Duration:00:07:51
LGBTQ stories: The 'Sip-In' paved the way for gay rights
2/4/2022
A few years before the Stonewall riots, a protest took place at another New York City gay bar, just about a block away. It didn’t draw as much attention, but in its own way, it was a milestone for gay rights.
Duration:00:05:55
Folk Songs: Opening up traditional music to new audiences
1/18/2022
Musician Nicole Singer, the organizer of Youth Traditional Song Weekend, which took place online this month due to the pandemic, is trying to bring young people and non-traditional audiences into folk music.
Duration:00:05:29
Folk Songs: Sea Shanties are the sound of New England's nautical history
12/16/2021
Sea shanties have enjoyed some renewed attention on social media. A lot of them have strong ties to New England’s maritime culture and whaling industry.
Duration:00:06:54
Folk Songs: An 'Exceedingly Good' Night of Music
11/23/2021
A group singalong has hopped from bar to bar in New York City for years — and in the age of the pandemic, it lives on Zoom. It’s called Exceedingly Good Song Night.
Duration:00:07:23
Folk Songs: A folk dancing camp for the people
11/4/2021
There’s a camp in the woods of Massachusetts where traditional styles of folk music and dance from around the world are kept alive. It’s the oldest continuously operated folk dance camp in the United States. It’s called the Pinewoods Camp.
Duration:00:06:14