128: Four Corners

6/28/20261 hr 1 min

We try to tell the story of life in America through portraits of life on four different corners, in four different states across the nation.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about the Four Corners tourist monument where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico meet. (2 minutes)
Act One: Sarah Vowell has a theory that you can tell the entire history of the United States by standing on one street corner—specifically at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive in Chicago—and describing all the events that happened within eyeshot of the corner. She covers three centuries of history, from Louis Joliet to Keanu Reeves. (21 minutes)
Act Two: Scott Richer and Julie Riggs of Louisville, Kentucky, were supposed to have their first kiss at the corner where South Fourth Street meets the alley behind the West End Baptist Church. But it went wrong. (7 minutes)
Act Three: Writer Mike Paterniti tells a story of dogs and a community of dogwalkers that formed on the grounds of an old cemetery at the corner of Vaughn and Clifford in Portland, Maine. (14 minutes)
Act Four: Writer Achy Obejas reads a piece of short fiction from her book, We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This? (11 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

Clips

First 90 seconds

Ira Glass· Host0:01
Support for This American Life comes from Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which, uh, means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents, so when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. What does speak of our nation's monuments? When you're at the Statue of Liberty or standing under the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol, or when you're at the Alamo, it is clear what they mean. But why do thousands of tourists go every day of the summer to Four Corners, that spot in the wilderness where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, four different states, meet at one point? I went one summer, drawn inexorably, magnetically, without quite knowing why, just like every other wandering tourist who strays within 250 miles of the place. Chances are you have done this yourself. You've driven three or four hours out of your way, and you show up, and there's a marker on the ground ringed by dozens, literally dozens of T-shirt stands, and families come, and they stand on the supposed spot where the four states meet, and what? They hold hands. They sit on the ground, and then Mom or Dad or Sis stands on a little platform they have there built specially