Meet some of the amazing people at The World! Our coverage wouldn’t be possible without the incredible individuals working behind the scenes. From the reporters who bring you the fact-based, human-centered journalism you depend on week after week, to the producers and editors who make sure that our show runs smoothly day after day: These are the superheroes of The World.
Favorite Music Album?
Billie Holiday, "Songs for Distingue Lovers" (Today. Tomorrow it could be something else.)
Best Book Ever Written?
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, though Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" has lines that I read over and over and marvel at as if they're the frame of a building that seems to defy gravity.
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" — never gets old.
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Ice cream. Or dried mango.
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Speak every language on earth.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Traveling to Mali in 2002 to report on retired (now late) guitarist Ali Farka Toure's farm. “When Northern Mali Had Music”
Favorite Music Album?
Anything by Billie Holiday
Best Book Ever Written?
"Secondhand Time" by Svetlana Alexievich
Greatest Film of All Time?
"My Cousin Vinny"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Cheese and crackers
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Being able to magically find my keys, wallet, cell phone and mask, etc. without having to look, because I would lose my head if it weren't attached to my body.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
New app helps Inuit adapt to changing climate: ‘It’s time for the harpoon and computer to work together'
Favorite Music Album?
"Lungs" by Florence + The Machine or "Achtung Baby" by U2
Best Book Ever Written?
I find myself comparing everything I read to "The Neapolitan Novels" by Elena Ferrante. And it's a bit of a cliche but "Moby Dick!"
Greatest Film of All Time?
Not "greatest of all time" but I know "Bridesmaids" by heart. Another fave is "The B-Side" about the late great Elsa Dorfman.
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Cheez-Its
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Hmm, I'm not sure! My current superpower is that I can fall asleep anywhere (great on planes!)
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
This is a recent favorite interview — This Mexico City architect transformed an empty public square into a storytelling stage
Favorite Music Album?
I love Soda Stereo's live album "Comfort y Música Para Volar" but it's hard to pick an all-time favorite!
Best Book Ever Written?
I'm reading "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison right now, and it certainly seems like the best written book ever.
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Tommy Boy" is definitely the greatest for a pick me up.
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Water
Superpower You Wish You Had?
To read your mind!
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
All of them, I would hope! But if there's one I wish people will remember, it's this one about how to wash your hands: Die, bacteria, die': Mexican nurses croon in hand-washing PSA video
April Peavey, studio director/producer
Favorite Music Album?
"Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys
Best Book Ever Written?
"Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser
Greatest Film of All Time?
Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thief"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Buttered Popcorn
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Freeze people — because too many people do things without thinking.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
“A Christmas Classic by Dylan Thomas is set to music”
Favorite Music Album?
"Free Yourself Up" by Lake Street Dive
Best Book Ever Written?
"Felicity" by Mary Oliver
Greatest Film of All Time?
Maybe not of all time. But I love "Spotlight!"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Popcorn
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Teleportation
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
“This trans woman sparked Kuwait's biggest LGBTQ movement in history”
Carol Hills, senior producer and host
Favorite Music Album?
Too hard to answer ... OK. I'll be predictable. "Blue" by Joni Mitchell
Best Book Ever Written?
Too hard to answer.
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Chinatown"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Nothing. I am already asleep.
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Flying really fast and not being affected by the really cold air up there, with the ability to bring the things I need for where I'm going. Why? Because there's so many places I want to visit. Planes are a drag.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
I don’t know.
Favorite Music Album?
"Elgar: Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures," Jacqueline Du Pré
Best Book Ever Written?
"The Iliad" by Homer
Greatest Film of All Time?
"School Daze"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Chips Masala
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Flying — so that I can travel the world without having to wait in line at the airport.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Doing Western students' homework is big business in Kenya
Favorite Music Album?
"Coming Home" by Leon Bridges
Best Book Ever Written?
"Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Deer Hunter"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Ruffles Potato Chips
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Time travel. There are so many interesting moments in history that I would have loved to witness. So many open ended questions that would have a simple explanation, if one were to have the power of traveling back in time. I guess getting a glimpse into the future would be interesting, but I think I would spend most of my time in the past.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Alyona Alyona brings new life to rap scene in Ukraine
I had a fun time working on this story from start to finish. It was my first time traveling to Ukraine. I was able to get an interview with Alyona. At the time, she was the most popular rapper in Ukraine. She also had a super interesting biography, a kindergarten teacher who became a rapper. She had a fun bubbly personality as well. All of that came out in the story. It's always fun working with music, especially when you enjoy it.
Favorite Music Album?
"The King is Dead" by The Decemberists
Best Book Ever Written?
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Greatest Film of All Time?
"When Harry Met Sally"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate PB Cups
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Invisibility
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Tokyo's Most Boring Halloween Party
Best Book Ever Written?
"Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Gabriel García Márquez
Greatest Film of All Time?
"The Constant Gardener"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Chips and guac. Always guac.
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Clean up all plastic pollution from the oceans
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Scientists rush to rescue sea turtles threatened by mysterious Brazil oil spill
Favorite Music Album?
"Talking Timbuktu" by Ali Farka Touré
Best Book Ever Written?
"Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Moonlight"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Cereal mix — a bit of every kind in the cupboard. With milk. Beware of noisy crunching!
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Ability to conjure out of thin air the cell number of dictators, revolutionaries and everyday heroes. Would patch directly into the studio.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
A family looks back on Rwanda's genocide and considers when forgiveness is 'too much to ask'
Favorite Music Album?
"Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys
Best Book Ever Written?
"Ulysses" by James Joyce
Greatest Film of All Time?
Most of my favorites are not great. I like "Zardoz"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Kashi Peanut Butter Crunch with vanilla yogurt
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Mind Reading. “You know why.”
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Getting married amid airstrikes in Yemen
Favorite Music Album?
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles
Best Book Ever Written?
"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte
Greatest Film of All Time?
"The Sound of Music"
Go-to Late Night Snack?
Bread
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Mind reading. I’m always wondering what people are thinking.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
The Green Sweater
Tania Karas, deputy editor for digital
Best Book Ever Written?
This is hard! Right now my faves are Salt Houses by Hala Alyan, The Plague by Albert Camus and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.
Greatest Film of All Time?
"Mean Girls" of course.
What is your go-to late night snack?
Chips and guac
Superpower You Wish You Had?
The ability to rewind 2020 and do the whole year over, sans pandemic.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Meet the Petrochallengers: A new generation wants to bring accountability to Haiti. Can they succeed?
The World sent me to Haiti in April 2019 to report on young activists who called themselves the Petro Challengers. To this day they're still trying to bring accountability to their country and usher in leaders that represent the country's best interests.
Favorite Music Album?
"Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis
Best Book Ever Written?
"House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski
Greatest Film of All Time?
"The Big Lebowski"
What is your go-to late night snack?
Bell's Two Hearted
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Flying, duh!
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
Reporting from SXSW just after the 2016 election: There’s a buzz in the air at SXSW — but it’s not just about the technology
Favorite Music Album?
Can't choose … too many all time favorites for me.
Best Book Ever Written?
"Wheel of Time Series," book one, "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan
Greatest Film of All Time?
"School of Rock" (obviously)
What is your go-to late night snack?
Greek Yogurt (yup, seriously)
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Time travel because hindsight is 20/20.
Most Rewarding Story You've Been Involved With on The World?
I am an audio engineer for The World — I enjoyed working on the Corona Diaries series and making soundscapes for it.
Corona Diaries: Open-source project chronicles pandemic life via voice notes
Greatest Film of All Time?
"The Natural" — Baseball, Americana, lifelong dreams realized, a fallen hero redeemed — all against a music score that pulls at the heartstrings. (My favorite TV show is "Veep," which is pretty much the opposite of all that ...)
What is your go-to late night snack?
Red Vines. Superior in all ways to Twizzlers. Do not argue, you will not win.
Superpower You Wish You Had?
Flight. Go anywhere at anytime unencumbered, with the big picture and the horizon laid out in front of you.