Now when you think summer solstice, you might think: St. John the Divine. So this week we're heading up there to hang out with the organist. And here's a warning: She's not your typical organist. Speaking of summer, shouldn't you be packing for camp? One of our favorites, Sarah Thyre, has some recollections from when she did just that. And we've got our winner - Five Sounds in Search of an Author.

What's the Next Big Thing?
It's what to put in Grandma's Trunk This week, we're out and about on Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, seeking suggestions for the Smithsonian. Each year on the Mall in Washington, the Smithsonian puts on the Folklife Festival honoring various cultures. This year, it's us: New York City! That Statue of Liberty won't fit, so our subjects had to be a little more creative. What's your suggestion? We love to hear from you. Write to us at thenextbigthing@wnyc.org

Fruitflies, chimps and ... Olshers?
Where life begins, maybe. What our past can teach us about our future. The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science that Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. All this and a catchy tune based on DNA codes in a Next Big Thing look at genomics. Reported by Dean Olsher. Produced by Jad Abumrad.

Caption Contest, Part II
Five sounds find an author with Judge Jesse Green. Produced by Jule Gardner.

Stories from Camp
Hello Mother. Hello Father. Hello Sarah Thyre. The storyteller, actress and Next Big Thing contributor is back with more true confessions.

Improv: "The Buick Classic"
Comedy without a net, a Tiger Woodsian feat from the minds of Mark O'Donnell and Pam Woodruff Lobely. Produced by Curtis Fox.

The Organ in "Summertime"
Gershwin's not exactly what you'd expect in the sprawling cathedral of St. John the Divine. We feel the same about the organist, Dorothy Papadakos. A conversation with Dean Olsher.

Garbology: The Science of Plundering
Writer Tom Beller engages in the time-honored practice of rooting around in the trash. Produced by Catherine Fenollosa.

Take a Number
It's the only way to get the good stuff at the rummage sale to beat all rummage sales. The social event of the year, sponsored by the Women's Society in Cornwall, CT. Produced by Emily Botein.

WNYC archives id: 9003