This week on Inner States, we have stories of not one but two people who came really close to being professionals in very competitive fields, and then hooked left. Diana Hong fell back on…stand-up comedy. ‘Cause that’s a safe bet. And Jack Canfield is packing boxes in a warehouse. Quite happily, as it turns out.

Welcome to Night Vale has been described at the fiction podcast that launched a million fiction podcasts. It’s set in a desert town – Night Vale – where every conspiracy theory is true. Jeffrey Cranor - one of the show’s creators – says making a comedy show about conspiracy and horror got trickier as time went on. This week on Inner States, Welcome to Night Vale’s Jeffrey Cranor. Then, Mallory Keenoy remembers a panic in France, and Violet Baron's guilty pleasure: a dating podcast for the one - or maybe three - percent.

Growing up in the 1990s, Kei Ito was surrounded by superheroes - in comic books, on the big screen. And it got him wondering, was he a superhero too? After all, so many of them had gotten their powers from radiation. Ito had radiation in his family too. His grandfather was a survivor of Hiroshima. Now, Kei Ito’s photographic work is a practice of remembrance. Each year, he creates a “sungazing scroll” by exposing photographic paper to the sun as he breathes 108 times. The number references the practice of Japanese temples tolling their bells 108 times to cleanse evil desires at the new year. For Ito, it’s also about cleansing – and honoring – the legacy of the nuclear bomb. And one of those Sungazing Scrolls is up as part of the Eskenazi Museum’s cameraless photography exhibit, “Direct Contact,” open now through July 2. WFIU’s Avraham Forrest tells the story.

Comedian Mohanad Elshieky came to Bloomington for the Limestone Comedy Festival in early June. He talks with producer Avi Forrest about why, after something bad happens, it’s important to wait before talking about it onstage, and how he tries to avoid being pigeon-holed as a comedian. Then we have a short throwback to an earlier episode.

We’ve been framed! Or you’ve been framed? Well, all of us have been framed, really.

This week on I’m No Expert, we sit down with associate professor Lesa Major to talk about the mechanics of framing in media. How does a reader connect with a story? How do we understand how important a given issue is? How do we make sure stories are never framed in order to hurt people? Listen in and find out!

Special thanks to host Avi Forrest and producer Karl Templeton. Original music was created by Avi Forrest and Natalie Ingalls.

Ugh, what a week. You know what sounds perfect? Staying in and watching a bunch of movies. Avi and Karl take a break from their usual adventures to hang out with Novotny Lawrence, director of the Black Film Center & Archive and Media School associate professor, and watch some important pieces of Black film history.

Special thanks to host Avi Forrest and producer Karl Templeton. Original music was created by Avi Forrest and Natalie Ingalls.

IU’s current prayer rooms for Muslim students do not provide consistent access to enough space without scheduling conflicts, members of IU’s Muslim Student Association told the Indiana Daily Student.

Junior Nina Harrod, an IU nursing student, was initially afraid to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

When IU made vaccines available to nursing students working with COVID-19 patients, Harrod said her first instincts were to consult her mother and fellow nursing students. Although she was still nervous, she decided to get vaccinated. Her concerns faded after the shot — she experienced no side effects.

Distractions can be numerous while learning online, whether they be noisy environments, long hours of screen time or constant tempting phone notifications. While these obstacles to attention are widespread for students in the pandemic, the neurodiverse community at IU has especially struggled to focus in their virtual classes.

IU’s Black Student Union and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s leaders critique the state of civil rights on campus, using Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reflect on past instances of racism on campus and consider the present challenges of funding with IU administration.