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What can a handwritten record reveal after someone is gone? In this episode, we follow two very different paper trails. 

Marci Pelzer shares the 109-page list her father kept of more than 3,500 books he read over six decades. After going viral, his private habit became a public window into his life. 

Dan Fogel lost his wife of 45 years to cancer, and then found diaries including writing that made him question how well he really knew her. 

Together, these stories are about grief, memory, mystery, and the strange power of paper to preserve not just facts, but personality, silence, love, and what still can’t be explained. 

Suggested episodes:
What's in that note? Stories about messages in bottles
The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth 

 

GUESTS: 
Marci Pelzer: The daughter of Dan Pelzer, who left behind a 109-page handwritten list of every book he read from 1962 to 2023. After his death at 92, she helped bring the list to a wider audience
Dan Fogel: Wrote a Huffington Post essay about finding his late wife Sue’s journals after her death and realizing how much of her inner life had remained unknown to him during their 45-year marriage

What can a handwritten record reveal after someone is gone? In this episode, we follow two very different paper trails.&nbsp;
Marci Pelzer shares the 109-page list her father kept of more than 3,500 books he read over six decades. After going viral, his private habit became a public window into his life.&nbsp;
Dan Fogel lost his wife of 45 years to cancer, and then found diaries including writing that made him question how well he really knew her.&nbsp;
Together, these stories are about grief, memory, mystery, and the strange power of paper to preserve not just facts, but personality, silence, love, and what still can&rsquo;t be explained.&nbsp;
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-04-14/whats-in-that-note-stories-about-messages-in-bottles">What's in that note? Stories about messages in bottles</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-12-20/the-weight-of-family-secrets-finding-freedom-in-the-truth">The weight of family secrets: Finding freedom in the truth</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Marci Pelzer: The daughter of Dan Pelzer, who left behind a <a href="https://www.columbuslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/What-Dan-Read-Booklist.pdf">109-page handwritten list</a> of every book he read from 1962 to 2023. After his death at 92, she helped bring the list to a <a href="https://www.what-dan-read.com/">wider audience</a></li>
<li>Dan Fogel: Wrote a <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wife-45-years-died-journals-2_n_67816b5fe4b0f559989ed6ab">Huffington Post essay</a> about finding his late wife Sue&rsquo;s journals after her death and realizing how much of her inner life had remained unknown to him during their 45-year marriage</li>
</ul>

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.

For more: ctpublic.org/audacious

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.
For more: <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. 

Audacious with Chion Wolf

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.

Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we’re often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.

Listen at ctpublic.org/audacious

Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.
Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we&rsquo;re often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human.
Listen at <a href="http://ctpublic.org/audacious">ctpublic.org/audacious</a>
Support is provided by a generous contribution from Suzanne Hopgood, in Memory of Frank Lord.

Paper trails: A viral book list and a wife’s secret thoughts revealed

The International Space Station was designed for science, research, and survival. But astronauts turned it into a music studio, an art studio, and a sewing room. 

Former ISS commander and musician, Chris Hadfield, astronaut-painter Nicole Stott, and astronaut-quilter Karen Nyberg take us inside the strange, beautiful reality of making music, paintings, and handmade objects while orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles an hour. 

Suggested episodes:
Nicole Stott on being a NASA entertainment consultant
What it's like at the bottom of the world with Dr. “Deepsea Dawn” Wright 

 

GUESTS: 
Chris Hadfield: Musician, fighter pilot, retired Canadian astronaut, and bestselling author, whose performance of Space Oddity became the first music video ever filmed in space 
Nicole Stott: Retired NASA astronaut, watercolor artist, and the first person to paint with watercolors in space. She co-founded the Space for Art Foundation to connect children around the world through art and space exploration
Karen Nyberg: Engineer, retired NASA astronaut, and textile artist who hand-sewed a stuffed dinosaur, a Texas flag, and a quilt block aboard the International Space Station. It was later placed at the center of a massive community-made “astronomical quilt” 

The International Space Station was designed for science, research, and survival. But astronauts turned it into a music studio, an art studio, and a sewing room.&nbsp;
Former ISS commander and musician, Chris Hadfield, astronaut-painter Nicole Stott, and astronaut-quilter Karen Nyberg take us inside the strange, beautiful reality of making music, paintings, and handmade objects while orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles an hour.&nbsp;
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2026-01-09/from-the-pitt-to-nasa-to-fbi-profilers-the-experts-who-make-movies-and-tv-feel-real">Nicole Stott on being a NASA entertainment consultant</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-04-26/what-its-like-at-the-bottom-of-the-world-with-dr-deepsea-dawn-wright">What it's like at the bottom of the world with Dr. &ldquo;Deepsea Dawn&rdquo; Wright&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://chrishadfield.ca/">Chris Hadfield</a>: Musician, fighter pilot, retired Canadian astronaut, and bestselling author, whose performance of Space Oddity became the first music video ever filmed in space&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.npsdiscovery.com/">Nicole Stott</a>: Retired NASA astronaut, watercolor artist, and the first person to paint with watercolors in space. She co-founded the <a href="https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/">Space for Art Foundation</a> to connect children around the world through art and space exploration</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://karennyberg.com/">Karen Nyberg</a>: Engineer, retired NASA astronaut, and textile artist who hand-sewed a stuffed dinosaur, a Texas flag, and a quilt block aboard the International Space Station. It was later placed at the center of a massive community-made &ldquo;astronomical quilt&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Astronaut artists: Painting, quilting, and playing Bowie aboard the ISS

What if the real mystery isn’t Bigfoot or Nessie, but the people who devote their lives to searching for them? 

Chion talks with Mike Wanders, who spent a year traveling through legendary Bigfoot country, and Steve Feltham, who has spent decades on the shore of Loch Ness. 

What keeps a person returning, again and again, to a mystery that refuses to resolve itself? And what if not knowing can be its own kind of joy? 

Suggested episodes:
Meet a man who is committed to having coffee at every corporate-owned Starbucks on the planet

GUESTS: 
Mike Wanders: Bigfoot researcher, adventurer, and documentarian. He traveled to alleged Bigfoot hotspots across North America for a year and documented the journey
Steve Feltham: Known as the “Nessie Hunter,” he moved to the shores of Loch Ness in 1991 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vigil seeking the Loch Ness Monster  

What if the real mystery isn&rsquo;t Bigfoot or Nessie, but the people who devote their lives to searching for them?&nbsp;
Chion talks with Mike Wanders, who spent a year traveling through legendary Bigfoot country, and Steve Feltham, who has spent decades on the shore of Loch Ness.&nbsp;
What keeps a person returning, again and again, to a mystery that refuses to resolve itself? And what if not knowing can be its own kind of joy?&nbsp;
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-01-26/a-coffee-fueled-celebration-of-passion-purpose-and-pursuing-an-impossible-goal">Meet a man who is committed to having coffee at every corporate-owned Starbucks on the planet</a></li>
</ul>
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Mike Wanders: Bigfoot researcher, adventurer, and documentarian. He traveled to alleged Bigfoot hotspots across North America for a year and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@mikewanders">documented the journey</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Steve Feltham: Known as the <a href="https://www.nessiehunter.co.uk/">&ldquo;Nessie Hunter,&rdquo;</a> he moved to the shores of Loch Ness in 1991 and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous vigil seeking the Loch Ness Monster&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster: The hunt for wonder

For the past two years, at the end of interviews for Audacious, host Chion Wolf has been asking guests one question: have you ever had a dream or premonition that came true? 

Twenty-three guests describe vivid dreams, sudden urges, eerie intuitions, and moments of certainty that later proved accurate in ways they can’t explain. Some sensed love before it arrived. Some saw danger coming. Some felt loss before they knew what they were losing. 

Take a personal look at intuition, mystery, and the possibility that the world may be stranger and much more connected than we realize. 



Suggested episodes:
Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time 
Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us  
Why you so salty? 
What smells remind you of childhood?
Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk  
Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments 
How regret teaches us to live 
Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief 
The surprising ways we ritual 
Are you superstitious or just a little 'stitious'? 

 

GUESTS (in order of appearance): 
First segment: Caroline Mandaro, Casper ter Kuile, Timothy Schultz, Christine Ha, Achivai Sofer, Tom Burgoyne, Kerry Kennedy, and Joe Stone
Second segment: Dr. Gale Ridge, Katina DeJarnett, Rachel Lithgow, Andy Corren, Bill Edgar, Lindsay Childress-Beatty, RoseMarie Wallace, and Dr. Kruti Parekh
Third segment: Bettina Hunt, Joy Brooker, Paperboy Love Prince, Rebekah Spicuglia, Leslie Wharton, Sarah Napoli, and Harriet Newman Cohen 

For the past two years, at the end of interviews for Audacious, host Chion Wolf has been asking guests one question: have you ever had a dream or premonition that came true? Twenty-three guests describe vivid dreams, sudden urges, eerie intuitions, and moments of certainty that later proved accurate in ways they can&rsquo;t explain. Some sensed love before it arrived. Some saw danger coming. Some felt loss before they knew what they were losing. Take a personal look at intuition, mystery, and the possibility that the world may be stranger and much more connected than we realize. 
Suggested episodes:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-01-10/life-advice-one-audacious-guest-at-a-time">Life advice, one Audacious guest at a time</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2024-03-14/forgiveness-how-we-define-it-and-how-it-defines-us">Forgiveness: How we define it and how it defines us</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-01-13/why-you-so-salty-the-anger-episode">Why you so salty?</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-10-13/what-smells-like-childhood-hear-eighteen-answers">What smells remind you of childhood?</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2022-03-03/kitchen-objects-with-a-story-listen-at-your-own-whisk">Kitchen objects with a story. Listen at your own whisk</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-03-14/awe-yeah-exploring-the-magic-of-mind-blowing-moments">Awe yeah! Exploring the magic of mind-blowing moments</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-04-11/how-regret-teaches-us-to-live">How regret teaches us to live&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-07-11/stories-of-everyday-courage-from-getting-a-needle-in-the-eye-to-tackling-a-purse-thief">Stories of everyday courage, from getting a needle in the eye to tackling a purse thief&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2025-05-16/the-surprising-ways-we-ritual">The surprising ways we ritual&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2021-11-16/are-you-very-superstitious-or-a-little-stitious">Are you superstitious or just a little 'stitious'?&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
GUESTS (in order of appearance):&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>First segment: Caroline Mandaro, Casper ter Kuile, Timothy Schultz, Christine Ha, Achivai Sofer, Tom Burgoyne, Kerry Kennedy, and Joe Stone</li>
<li>Second segment: Dr. Gale Ridge, Katina DeJarnett, Rachel Lithgow, Andy Corren, Bill Edgar, Lindsay Childress-Beatty, RoseMarie Wallace, and Dr. Kruti Parekh</li>
<li>Third segment: Bettina Hunt, Joy Brooker, Paperboy Love Prince, Rebekah Spicuglia, Leslie Wharton, Sarah Napoli, and Harriet Newman Cohen&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Paper trails: A viral book list and a wife’s secret thoughts revealed

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