The Next Big Thing travels along the edges of September 11th, where things are a little quieter. We make stops at an open marketplace in Brazil - to listen to reports of the attack in medieval verse form - and then visit the collective unconscious in Meg Wolitzer's radio play "My Nightmares." Jazz musician Matt Glaser invites us to consider the human race from the perspective of the little green men in space who discover the phonograph record aboard Voyager 1 with music from all corners of the earth. From the most far-reaching to the most intimate of perspectives, it's all here, in this special edition of The Next Big Thing.

Peripheral Vision

The calendar year, and tradition, dictate that one year later we revisit those events that have life-changing implications. But what if we're not ready? Host Dean Olsher weighs the pros and cons of turning our gaze away from, rather than towards, the day that no one's been waiting for.

What's on Your Mind?

A year later, we go back out on the street and check the pulse of the city.

Tolerance

For the past year, many Americans have felt under attack — not only from terrorism but from the suspicions of others. In a climate of fear, have we become less tolerant? Host Dean Olsher puts the question to Gary Orfield, co-director of Harvard's Civil Rights Project.

Mom Talks Back

Next Big Thing contributor Jesse Green used to talk to his mother every day. She died last November, but he is determined to call her up for one more conversation — about life, death, and... basket weaving.

Terror Nas Torres Gìmeas

The "cordel" is a ballad tradition dating back to the Middle Ages and traditionally sung outdoors as a means of sharing the news. This one, by Brazilian poet/musician Azul"o, tells the story of the attacks on the World Trade Center. It is introduced and translated by Steve Zeitlin, director of City Lore, who met Azul"o when he visited New York City in 1999.
Click here to hear the whole cordel.

The Nightmares of Meg Wolitzer

Writer Meg Wolitzer has nightmares, and they're like no one else's. Or, at least, they didn't used to be. But now that's changed, and she's finding there's a strange comfort in having the same nightmare as everyone else. Meg wrote this radio play, which features her, Jonathan Freeman, Mary Testa and Robert Stanton. Produced by Curtis Fox.

This is Us...in Potential

In 1977, NASA launched spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2. Twenty-five years later, they are the most distant human-made objects in space. And on Voyager 1, there is a record, containing sounds, voices and music from all over the world — literally, a record of the human race. Jazz musician Matt Glaser marvels at this ambitious effort, and wonders what aliens might make of us after they listen to Louis Armstrong's "Melancholy Blues," shakuhachi flute music from Japan, or Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F.

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