March 19, 2010
Jonathan Mitchell is a writer from Los Angeles. He wrote a novel about his life experience with Asperger's syndrome, an autism-spectrum disorder. Independent producer Tamar Brott met Mitchell in a writing class a few years ago.
(Originally aired March 28, 2008)
Autism researcher Blythe Corbett explores the connection between autism and creativity. She addresses the controversies surrounding autism, including the debunked link to vaccinations and the emerging neurodiversity movement among adults, which says that autism isn't worse - just different.
(Originally aired March 28, 2008)
Amanda Baggs' "In My Language:"
Science is looking for ways to better understand an autistic person's perception of the world. Using laser technology, Ami Klin and Warren Jones of the Yale School of Medicine screened "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and tracked the gazes of autistic viewers precisely, to study how they perceive social interactions. Biologist David Gruber visited their lab to learn about the technique.
(Originally aired March 28, 2008)
When Kurt recently interviewed Bill Flanagan about his novel, Evening's Empire, we presented a challenge to listeners: write music to fit the lyrics of "He’s At War" – a horrible song by Flanagan's fictional character Simon Potts. The entries are posted on YouTube, and Flanagan returns to discuss them and pick a winner.
Indie band Shearwater plays the South by Southwest festival this week. Lead singer Jonathan Meiburg - an ornithologist by training – explains how his passion for birds and islands shaped the band's new record: The Golden Archipelago. Produced by Michael May.
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
