A SquashWise team member returns a drop shot on-court at Meadow Mill Athletic Club

Matt Gilman can ride his customized trials bike over just about any obstacle in front of him… (he also happens to be blind)

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

In this edition of The Signal: a special two-hour collection of favorite recent stories from the show…

• A reality series to redefine the genre: Hometown Baghdad profiles the friendships and struggles of three college students trying their best to live normal lives in the midst of a war-torn city. We talk about the pioneering documentary project with its director, Iraqi refugee Ziad Jazzaa.
• Anne Watts of the neo-cabaret noise ensemble Boister reflects on 13 years of making music and memories with her band.
• Christine Ferrera has found the perfect pen-pal. It’s someone she knows she’ll never meet, someone she can entrust with her deepest thoughts, and someone who never judges her harshly. It just happens to be a global coffee corporation. The Starbucks comment card said: “We’d love to hear your thoughts.” And so she obliged, every day, for the next five years.
• We hit the courts with Baltimore’s first urban squash team, a group of middle school students who’ve dedicated themselves to a new program called SquashWise. In addition to honing their backhands, these young athletes are taking on extra academics and competing at tournaments up and down the East Coast.
• Horror movie maven and self-proclaimed “zombie expert” Davida Breier stops by to preview Rigor Mortis, a new zine that celebrates the horror genre and offers some practical survival tips to use in the event of a “zombie outbreak.”
• Plus: a profile of mountain bike trials rider Matt Gilman, who conquers some seriously precarious terrain – all without the benefit of eyesight.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Here’s where you can check out episodes from the “Hometown Baghdad” series: http://chattheplanet.com/index.php?page=videos&v=38

Check out Boister at: www.boister.net

Christine Fererra told her Starbucks diary story at the Baltimore storytelling series, The Stoop. Here’s a link: www.stoopstorytelling.com

Learn more about SquashWise at: www.baltimoresquashwise.org

Curious about the finer points of zombie-ology? Check out: www.livingdeadzine.blogspot.com

Find out more about Matt Gilman and see some incredible videos of his riding at: www.blindbiketrials.com