Signal Hill – Details, episodes & analysis

Dear listener, it's really nice to meet you all, at last. I’ll call you if I need anything.

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My brain, I discovered, is like a mouth that demands something to chew. If I don't give it chewables, it starts eating itself.

Andrew Leland is the 2024-6 Koeppel Fellow in Journalism at Wesleyan University, and the author of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir. This story was written by Andrew, and edited by Omar Etman, Jackson Roach, and Liza Yeager. Production and sound design by Jackson Roach and Liza Yeager. Fabian Cereijido was the ghost of Jorge Luis Borges, and Katz Laszlo was the meditation guide. Additional editorial support from Lio Wong, Annie Rosenthal, and the Issue Two cohort.

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Signal Hill, Issue Two comes out on November 3rd.

(Art by Aidan Koch)

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Signal Hill is a listener-powered publication, and we're running our first-ever membership drive right now. If you can, sign up to support us. 

We'll send you our special Inspirations Newsletter (with curated recommendations from our editors, contributors, and special guests). And, for a limited time, members at every tier will receive a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted mystery shirt. 

When Issue Two comes out in the fall, you'll be able to say: "Hey! I helped make that happen!"

Thanks for listening.

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The first transatlantic radio signal ever received hit an antenna attached to a kite attached to a wire attached to a tower on top of Signal Hill, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada on December 12th, 1901. It said ‘s’ in Morse Code (‘dot dot dot’).

We’re named after all the places in the world called Signal Hill. There are eighteen that we know of.

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Every spring since 2020, people from all over LA have come to a windy downtown park to make and fly kites at The Community & Unity People's Kite Festival. 

Jackson Roach is a freelance radio producer, and co-editor-in-chief of Signal Hill. They live in Chicago.

This story was reported, produced, and sound designed by Jackson. It was edited by Omar Etman, with help from Annie Rosenthal, Lio Wong, Liza Yeager, and the Issue One cohort.

Music in this story is from the Signal Hill music library, which (so far) includes original work by Clara E. Brill, J. Mamana, Ethan Philbrick and Jackson Roach.

Special thanks to Sue Bell Yank and Caroline Kanner at Clockshop, and to Stevie Choi.

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Neena Pathak conquers her senses at hot yoga. Kind of. 

Neena Pathak is a writer and audio maker based in Los Angeles.

This story was written and produced by Neena, and edited by Lio Wong and Jackson Roach. Sound design and additional production by Jackson Roach. Additional editorial support from Omar Etman, Annie Rosenthal, Liza Yeager, and the Issue One cohort.

Alex Laughlin, Lasha Madan, Salimah Mohamed, Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr., and Schuyler Swenson played the five yoga teachers. 

Yoga consultation by Utkarsh Sanjanwala. Sanskrit consult by Vijaya Chitre.

Music in this story is from the Signal Hill music library, which (so far) includes original work by Clara E. Brill, J. Mamana, Ethan Philbrick and Jackson Roach. “Desperado” is originally by The Eagles, but the cover version discussed in this story is by The Langley Schools Music Project.

Special thanks to Stella Tan, Joanna Leigh Simon, Jase Miles-Perez, Julia Furlan, Priya Mehendale, Nick Shapiro, and the Green Box artist residency.

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Robin D. G. Kelley listens back to the oral histories that became his groundbreaking book Hammer and Hoe. Music in this piece is by Nathan Bowles.

Conor Gillies is the audio editor at Jacobin, where he makes shows such as Long Reads and People's History. 

This story was produced by Conor, and edited by Liza Yeager and Omar Etman. Additional editorial support from Jackson Roach, Annie Rosenthal, Lio Wong, and the Issue One cohort.

Music in this story is by Nathan Bowles, except for the song “Long-Haired Preachers” by Harry McClintock, courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways.

Special thanks to Jacobin Radio, where a longer series based on this story is forthcoming.

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Hannah Sassoon went to southern France to work on a sheep farm. Then she learned about the military camp.

Hannah Sassoon is a writer living in New York.

Hannah reported and wrote this story. It was edited by Jackson Roach, Liza Yeager, and Annie Rosenthal, with help from Omar Etman and Lio Wong. Sound design and additional production by Jackson Roach. Additional editorial support from the Issue One cohort. 

Fact checking by Alan Dean.

Music in this story is from the Signal Hill music library, which (so far) includes original work by Clara E. Brill, J. Mamana, Ethan Philbrick and Jackson Roach.

Special thanks to Amelia Schonbek, Bernard Parsy, Ginette Parsy, Léa Parsy, Christiane Burguière, Michèle Vincent, Alex Marizon, and Léon Maillé.

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An amateur documentarian, a neighborhood historian, and the story no one tells about San Francisco’s Sunset District. 

Ian Lewis is a filmmaker and radio producer living in Marfa, Texas.

Ian wrote, directed, and produced this story, which also features the voices of Rob Weiner and Adrienne Humblet. It was edited by Jackson Roach and Lio Wong, with sound design and additional production by Jackson Roach. Additional editorial support from Annie Rosenthal, Liza Yeager, Omar Etman, and the Issue One cohort.

Music in this story is from the Signal Hill music library, which (so far) includes original work by Clara E. Brill, J. Mamana, Ethan Philbrick and Jackson Roach.

Special thanks to Graham Stevenson.

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