Matthew Tofolo reviews Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Knicks storm back and defeat the Spurs.

Sports Storytelling Podcast

THE GHOST ON THE HILL, 5min., USA
Directed by Sean Garland Findley
Beckett, a high schooler whose house burned down in the Palisades Fire, visits the remains of his former home on a mission to find a work-in-progress art piece that he held dearly to his heart.

https://www.instagram.com/seanfindl...

Performed by Val Cole

"Going to Phoebe" details the challenge of watching a beloved parent diminish during her last weeks on earth.

Performed Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

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POEM:

My Reflection Has Notes

The light in my life is my foe.
I look in the mirror
In the bewitching and treacherous gold of the afternoon

And see the imperfections
I see every spot and pore
Created by ineffable voices
Of undoing in my head

Conjured from every sn...

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

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POEM:

Doppelgänger

They say a name is just a word
until someone is hunted by it.
My great-grandfather carried Herman Jager
like a lit match
small, bright,
but dangerous if seen.

In the camp,
an Aryan spoke it
Herman Jager
and for a second
the name split open.
Two me...

Performed by Val Cole

Of people: In terms of healing, growth, and the “choosing me” syndrome.

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Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

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The Shape It Leaves

Grief does not arrive like thunder.
It seeps
through the quiet crack of an ordinary morning,
in the space where a voice should be.

It teaches absence its own language:
a chair pulled out but never used,
a name that echoes longer than it’s spoken,...

Performed by Val Cole

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POEM:

Liars "Country Club" , by Linda Oconnell

dedicated to all the snakes—you know who you are

Snakes have lying eyes.

You're all predators hiding in the grass.

You betray another for your own gain.

You're trying to save your own skin.

You're all predat...

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

Poetry by Val Cole

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A Message for Trans Youth
There are many who come before you
We are shining bright
Holding you in our warmth
We are working
To make
The world a place
Where you can smile, live, play
And be celebrated
Until then
Tend the flame
Of who you are
In your wild creative hearts
...