A new era of threats are facing the next generation of islanders, but they look different from the ones their elders faced.

When Moses Simon was a baby he found himself caught in what's known as a circle of death on the river. Hear his take on this tale which has become island lore, and a song written by host Gina Favano to honor the late Tyra Faulk.

As the river rats get older, what happens when life on the water becomes just too hard?

It was a Wolf Spider Island mini miracle when Gina Favano happened upon some unmarked cassette tapes that had some of the only remaining recordings of Leslie Eaton’s music and the Weird Winonans. This extra is a mix tape mash up some of the best parts of those found recordings.

There were all kinds of river rats living in boathouses off the island—and not everybody agreed on the best way to keep their community afloat.

More ideas on justice and philosophy from the late Judge Dennis Challeen that couldn’t fit into the episodes.

While the islanders were carving out a new type of life, mostly off the grid, government agencies started pushing down and wanting them out.

John Rupkey reads a poem by Walt Whitman that helped inspire his pseudonym.

John Rupkey is a philosopher, rabble rouser, and the unofficial history keeper of Wolf Spider Island’s past.

Gina shares a song she wrote about an unfortunate drowning on the river.

The boathouses of Latsch Island have become an iconic symbol of the town, but they weren’t always seen in such a celebratory light.

Back Channel Radio is a storytelling project committed to preserving and sharing oral histories from beyond the mainstream. Listen to the trailer for the first season, A Wolf Spider Island Story.