Curiosity expands our minds and widens our horizons. With KZSM 104.1FM/KZSM.org, you can “Choose to Be Curious” every Tuesday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Host Lynn Borton’s unique broadcast features some research and theory, but “mostly it’s conversations about how curiosity shows up in work and life,” her website explained. Some guests are academic researchers, like the psychologist who studies morbid curiosity (not necessarily a bad thing, apparently); other guests demonstrate “applied curiosity” about pretty much anything. Upcoming episodes will focus on birding, food trends, high school debate and playing the cello.
Lynn gets ideas and finds guests from reading and surfing the internet, and “sometimes I spin up long lists of topics I think would be fun to explore and then I try to figure out who can talk with me about them.” Tuesday’s show will feature Rob Walker, author of the book “The Art of Noticing” and the Substack newsletter of the same name — 'a fabulous and wildly varied collection of ways and things to notice,” as she described it.
Curiosity can be transformational, for both host and listeners.
“[My guests] have been thinking about things that had never dawned on me,” she admitted. “I have come to realize ‘curiosity’ is deeper, wider and more varied than even I had thought. Curiosity is a great opener — of minds, doors and possibility. Research is showing more and more ways that curiosity contributes to learning, memory, trust, innovation, creativity, well-being and even evolution.”
Lynn became fascinated by curiosity while working as COO of the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Illness, where “it was my job to know everything.” She discovered that she “was better at the work if I didn’t know it all and instead showed up with curiosity.” When WERA-LP 96.7 FM Radio Arlington launched in her city, she saw an opportunity to keep learning and talking about curiosity.
Her show debuted in 2016 and was picked up by the Pacifica Radio network and community radio stations around the country. This year, “Choose to Be Curious” was awarded the Hometown Media Award for Best Audio Programming by an Independent Producer.
Lynn’s many years with Radio Arlington have inspired loyalty to community radio and interest in the communities that have picked up her show.
“I have a lot of respect and appreciation for the people who make independent media happen, especially when they center locally-produced shows as KZSM does,” she said.
