When people say, "You're only as good as your last hit," are they referring to the music or the drugs? From the sidelines, the band's agent, tour manager, and record label have more say about whom they associate with than its members. And although Sage may have started as a muse travelling with lead singer Dex from the infamous rock band Whilder, her destiny as the future Mrs. Dex Whilder was never guaranteed. There are other unexpected players involved in shaping the lives of the members of Whilder and their entourage.

What does it mean to live in your skin as a Black woman in 2021? There is no one answer - but in this powerful, spellbinding audio special, there are 11, told by women ranging in age from 17 to 91. Together, they share stories about love, work, microaggressions, mothering - about the way the world breaks your heart and how other Black women heal it.  

After Mallory Shields graduates from college in her idyllic Midwestern hometown, she embarks on an adventure with her best friend Jenna, taking a gap year to explore the other side of the world. Their journey quickly takes an unexpected turn, and the two young women find themselves in danger and exposed to crime, abuse, and the most dehumanizing conditions possible. 

Alex has called it quits and stormed off, leaving Harlow alone and vulnerable in the danger zone with little chance of survival and a broken heart. Luckily, Jax finds her and brings her back to the caves. However, little does she know she’s returning with multiple souvenirs. Standing out for all the wrong reasons has become Harlow’s specialty, and as the effects of her vertic switz tattoo set in and new issues are brought to light, she and her friends will find themselves in the line of fire with Rae and Electra.

Angie is awakened by a midnight call from an officer with the Boise Police Department and thinks there must be a misunderstanding. The officer tells her that her husband was involved in a shooting at a local bar, but how can that be when her husband is sleeping right next to her? But when she turns to wake him, he isn’t there. Tessa is the 23-year-old bartender who escapes to a backroom storage closet during the shooting. When it comes to light that five people were killed, she is burdened with the question of why she survived. 

Twins Thomas and Ashley Ross knew at a young age that their gift - the ability take on another person’s memories - would eventually be used for the “good” of humanity. But it would come at a price. Contracted with the government from age 12 until their 18th birthday, the twins would be forced to endure the destructive process that had taken the lives of many other children like them. As each day passes, they wonder if survival is even possible, or worse: Will it even matter when they’re already broken beyond repair?

A hunting accident, a rural home break in, and the disappearance of a teen, all occur in a 30-mile stretch of rural Minnesota. Jon Frederick realizes they are all symptoms of a larger problem. Lying Close also involves a relationship between a white rural Christian, and a Somali Muslim woman in St. Cloud. It’s hard to believe in 2020 that there are still young people in the United States who can’t tell their parents who they’re dating because of hate. Lying Close is a thrilling mystery, with a forbidden love affair. 

Panic is a legendary game played by graduating seniors in the middle-of-nowhere town of Carp, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher: After a series of challenges ranging from sleeping in a haunted house to running across a highway blindfolded, one winner takes home a cash prize in the tens of thousands at the end of the summer. Participating players are sworn to secrecy, which means little is known of Panic’s history. Until now.  

The 12 essays in Voices of Change, by 15 inspiring youth leading the climate change movement in Canada, explore the most challenging issues around climate change, from sustainability to activism. The contributors, from all across the nation, describe their own work developing successful initiatives that have positively brought about environmental change.

Gordon Downie, lead singer and lyricist for the popular Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, released his first solo record, Coke Machine Glow, in spring 2001. Alongside the album, his first book of poetry and prose under the same title was published, including the lyrics to the 16 songs on the record. Now, on the 20th-anniversary year of Coke Machine Glow, fans have more to delight in: the audiobook of Coke Machine Glow and a brand-new album by Downie, released posthumously. 

Manydown, an original 30-minute play, imagines one pivotal night in the lives of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra. This audio theatre adaptation of the play, which debuted at the Jane Austen Summer Program in June 2021, was co-adapted, directed, and produced by Mia Moravis (Moravision) and features performances by Lilli Cooper, Sarah Rose Kearns, and Laura Rocklyn.

Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.

Four teens have dug up the time capsule that their parents buried in 1986 and never bothered to recover. But in addition to the expected ephemera of mixtapes, Walkmans, photographs, letters, toys, and assorted junk, Elayah, Liam, Marcie, and Jorja discover something sinister: a hunting knife stained with blood and wrapped with a note. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kill anyone."

At Recovery and Relief, a treatment center for girls with eating disorders, the first thing Shoshana Winnick does is attach herself to vibrant but troubled Rowan Parish. Shoshana — a cheerleader on a hit reality TV show — was admitted for starving herself to ensure her growth spurt didn’t ruin her infamous tumbling skills. Rowan, on the other hand, has known anorexia her entire life, thanks to her mother’s “chew and spit” guidance.

Over the last 20 years, New York City has been convulsed by enormous challenges: terrorist attack, blackout, hurricane, recession, pandemic. New Yorkers is a grand portrait of the irrepressible city and a hymn to the vitality and resilience of its people. Craig Taylor spent years meeting New Yorkers - rich and poor, old and young, native and immigrant - and getting them to share indelible true tales.