Cultureverse

If you enjoyed Cultureverse, you'll love Mija Podcast, an audio drama that tells immigrant stories from around the world through immersive sound design. The show is available in English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic versions and is recommended by Common Sense Media for kids and families! The latest season of Mija was produced in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and tells a special story of musical migration. *Mija Música* tells the story of how the city of Monterrey (México) became so fond of the Colombian musical genre known as vallenato. This is Episode 1: El Vallenato. *********** For more on Mija Podcast check out the rest of the season and past seasons on https://www.ochentastudio.com/mija-podcast Follow Studio Ochenta on social media for updates on our shows! IG: @ochentapodcasts TikTok: @studioochenta Twitter: @ochentapodcasts ************ CREDITS: This show was produced by Studio Ochenta. Our executive producer is Lory Martínez. Story, sound design and original music by Luis López Editorial direction by Lory Martínez, with editorial assistance from Maru Lombardo and Jeremías Juárez Our project coordinator is Catalina Hoyos Art by William Guevara

Hey Cultureverse fans! Studio Ochenta here to share a brand new show from the team that brought you Cultureverse! If you enjoyed Cultureverse, then you’ll love ADVENTURE IN ATACAMA. In this comedy-adventure show, you get to help Mariela, a Mexican-American flight attendant find her missing mother and save the world from the #Atacama Effect, a mysterious phenomenon that is affecting language and speech around the globe! Adventure in Atacama is our first interactive podcast game that allows listeners to choose their story path at the end of each episode to help Mariela find one of 12 endings to her story! Here’s a first look at episode 1! If you enjoyed this episode, you can start playing the game on http://chooseyourpodcastadventure.com/ and jump to the number you chose at the end of this episode to begin your journey! You can also enjoy the game by searching for ADVENTURE IN ATACAMA on your favorite podcast app. And if you want to flex your language muscles, the entire show is also available in Spanish under the title: Azafata en Atacama on your favorite podcast app. It takes less than half an hour to get to an ending so choose wisely and have fun! And just like with Cultureverse, we’ve prepared crossword puzzles, madlibs and more cool content to continue the fun over at ochentastudio.com/adventure-in-atacama!

Hi Cultureverse Fans! We’re off this week but we wanted to share a brand new show that you might enjoy: Milky Way Underground! Lydia and Elijah are going through a lot: Lydia’s best friend isn’t talking to her, Elijah thinks he might have a crush on his best friend, and their father’s alcoholism threatens to tear their family apart. On top of this, Lydia and Elijah are both having stranger and stranger dreams… though neither of them realize their dreams mirror each other’s. Then one night, their dad goes missing. In an attempt to find him, Lydia and Elijah head into the subway. But something is… off about the station. Taking the first car that arrives, Lydia and Elijah find themselves in the middle of a far-off creek, with New York City nowhere in sight. Join siblings Lydia and Elijah on a fantastical, surreal journey through a mysterious dreamworld as they search for their missing father. Are the people they meet in this other world really who they say they are? Who—or what—seems to be protecting them? Can they trust their surroundings, or each other, or themselves? Milky Way Underground is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery fit for the whole family. Inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki and books like A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver, Milky Way Underground is about both the difficulties and the joy of growing up and becoming yourself. Journey further into the world of the show with bonus interactive episodes, where listeners can truly become a part of Lydia and Elijah’s multiple worlds. Cultureverse and Milky Way Underground are part of the TRAX network from PRX. You can listen to both shows on TRAX.FM and wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Amita meets the Loyal Mongoose from the ancient Indian tale of the same name. This story is inspired by the Indian morality folktale about the Loyal Mongoose. An ancient tale from the Panchatantra collection, an enormously influential group of stories from ancient India. In this particular story, a farmer couple has a pet mongoose. One day, the couple leaves the mongoose with their baby, assured that he would guard their baby well. While they’re gone, a snake enters the house and tries to attack the baby. The loyal mongoose attacks the snake to protect it. But, when the mother arrives home, she sees the mongoose with bloodstains. She thinks the mongoose tried to harm the baby. In her anger, she kills the loyal mongoose. When she enters her house, she sees her baby is fine with a dead snake beside him. She realizes what happened and regrets her actions. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX and hosted by Yara Shahidi. Amita was voiced by Sakshi Sharma. Mongoose was voiced by Jacob Lukose. Vinit was voiced by Aaryan Arora. With Salim Mohammed as Mr. Singh. Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Indian folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse? In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Kevin celebrates the Korean ceremony of Jesa and travels through a sacred cosmic tree. This story represents the importance of Sacred Trees in South Korean mythology. These trees are usually outside of villages in South Korea, and they are the location for the community's rituals. According to Korean shamanism, the Sacred Tree, also known as the Cosmic Tree, keeps a connection between the mortal and the spirit realms. This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta for Trax on PRX. Hosted by Yara Shahidi. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Kevin was voiced by Jonathan Kim. Kevin’s Dad was voiced by G-Su Paek. Halmeoni was voiced by Patty Sang, and Harabeoji was voiced by June Yoon. Special thanks to the CultureVerse editorial team for this episode, Dr. Kiona, David Yi and Ji-Youn Kim for advising on elements from Korean culture. Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Korean folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, May finds a curious watermelon that connects her to her Vietnamese heritage and herself. This story is inspired by the Vietnamese folktale, The Watermelon Prince. It is the story of a king’s adopted son who gets banished to a faraway island after the king’s biological son spreads vicious rumors about the adopted one. It is on the island that the son discovers the watermelon. One day, he carves a message of love to his adopted father in the watermelon and throws it in the ocean, so that someone else may discover it. It washes up on the shores of Vietnam and is taken to the king. The king sees the message and discovers the truth: that the rumors about his adopted son were not true. Two weeks after that, a ship sent by the king brings his son back to the palace where he eventually becomes king of Vietnam and rules to the end of his days. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. May and May The Driver were voiced by Vicky Nguyen, Stephanie was voiced by Helen Chhea, Mrs. Nguyen was voiced by Hua Szu Yang and May’s Mom was voiced by Lory Martínez. Special thanks to the Cultureverse editorial team for this episode, Ty Nguyen and Liz Kleinrock for advising on elements from Vietnamese culture. Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Vietnamese folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse? In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Ahuli learns to listen to his animal relative: Gitli in this homage to the Cherokee myth of The Deluge. This story is inspired by the Cherokee myth called “The Deluge”. In the story, a long time ago a man had a dog, which began to go down to the river every day and look at the water and howl. The dog warned of a flood that would soon cover the entire world. The dog convinced the man to build a raft and the man’s family (and the dog) remained safe in the raft as the water rose. It rained for a long time, and the water covered the mountaintops. When the rain stopped, the man climbed to the top of a mountain and saw that everything was still and they were the few that survived. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Ahuli was voiced by Calvin Joyal. Ama was voiced by Lorna Bowen. Andre was voiced by Kevin Thelwell. Sandy Poplore, the Newscaster, is Cherie B. Tay. The Animal Control Officer was voiced by Bryan Green. Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: Joseph Pierce, Melanie McKay-Cody and Jack Cooper who brought their experiences as Cherokee people to this story. Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Cherokee folklore are available at ochentastudio.com

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse? In this episode of our cultural adventure series, David and Jenny meet the most revered creature in the Chinese Zodiac: The Water Dragon. This story is based on the ancient Chinese legend of The Water Dragon in which a young boy in the countryside finds a stone that brings him a lot of luck. He hopes to use it to bring rain to his village during a terrible drought. The boy ultimately learns to harness the magic of the stone and he himself transforms into a “water dragon”, and then gives the gift of water to all of China and their crops. The dragon is also one of the most revered animals in the Chinese zodiac, as it represents divinity, dignity, power and good fortune. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX and is hosted by Kelly Marie Tran. David was voiced by Ivan Mok. Jenny was voiced by Jenny W. Chan. The Water Dragon was interpreted by Andy Lowe. Auntie Ming was voiced by Hua Szu Yang, and Sandy Poplore is Cherie B. Tay. Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: Yilan Batista, Dorothy Li and Alan Z, who brought their experiences as Chinese and Chinese-Americans to this story. And also to our Cantonese translators, Jane Lui, Leqi Zhong and Dorothy Li. Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Chinese folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

From Studio Ochenta and TRAX: Cultureverse is an immersive audio drama that celebrates our collective cultural past. It is a place where myths and legends come alive in the modern world, hosted by Kelly Marie Tran and Yara Shahidi. Airing weekly on TRAX beginning June 17th, 2021, wherever you get your podcasts. So subscribe now and follow us on IG @CULTUREVERSEPOD for updates!