© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Enjoy a collection of poetry and other word artistry curated by WNPR.

Audacious Little Things: Elevation by Reduction

This is the first installment of Audacious Little Things!

Meet an anthropologist who explains why she thinks the human animal delights in making miniatures of things, and then meet a sculpturist dubbed “The 8th Wonder of the World” whose art requires a microscope to see.

Find out how one kind of hydrozoan earned itself the title of “The Immortal Jellyfish”. Plus, what researchers think is going on when starlings fly together in those mesmerizing clouds, and what that has to do with creating underwater robots.

Finally, former US and New York State Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, reads his piece, “The Butterfly Effect” and ponders the reason why we are so compelled by its concept.

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Merry White is a professor of Anthropology at the College of Arts & Sciences at Boston University
  • Dr. Willard Wigan MBE is a British sculpturist who has set two world records with his microscopic art
  • Dr. Naomi Leonard is a professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University who studies how starlings fly in groups to develop underwater robots that react to each other
  • Dr. Maria Pia Miglietta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston. She is also the Head of the Miglietta Lab, where she studies Turritopsis Dohrnii, a.k.a. the Immortal Jellyfish
  • Billy Collins is a poet who served as Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003) and as New York State Poet (2004-2006)

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content