The State We're In, 13 November 2010. A man with Asperger’s Syndrome talks about not talking for much of his adolescence. A Northern Irish woman is shocked by what she reads in the diary she wrote nearly 40 years ago. And why perfect strangers in London are sharing intimacies about their lives with each other in public. Photo - conversations at the 'Feast of Strangers' in London's Hyde Park, organised by philosopher Theodore Zeldin.

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Joe’s world
Joe Powell has Asperger’s Syndrome and has trouble understanding the social norms which govern friendships and relationships. As a teenager, he stopped talking almost completely. Yet he’s able to articulate to host Jonathan Groubert a clear portrait of what it’s like to grow up with Asperger’s. Joe’s now writing a book called A Dead Pig in a Plastic Sack. You can read more about Joe and Asperger's Syndrome here.
Link - for more information on autism visit the Research Autism website.
 
Troubled diaries
When Eimear O'Callaghan found the diary she kept as a teenager, she was delighted. It had been nearly 40 years since she'd read it, so she was excited about opening it up and rediscovering her lost youth. What she found came as a shock, but it shed a fascinating light on what it was like to grow up during the sectarian troubles in Northern Ireland.
YouTube video - Eimear mentions the iconic image of a priest waving a white handkerchief while trying to rescue a fatally shot boy on Bloody Sunday (at 5 minutes 30 seconds).
 
'Feast of Strangers'
Every year on his birthday, the philosopher Theodore Zeldin invites strangers to a London location for an afternoon of conversation. Guests can choose their topics from a large "menu" of topics: love, loneliness, family, rebellion and more. There’s a catch, though: they have to talk to complete strangers. Zeldin's website: The Oxford Muse
 
Stealing air
Russian poet Katia Kapovich believes that poetry is about the forbidden, that it thrives on "stealing air" and challenging convention. She tells Jonathan about her brushes with Russian police… and why she likes to be photographed while smoking cigarettes. Katia's website
 
Ellen’s story
Ellen Szita was illiterate till she was 45 years old. She hid the fact from everyone, including her children, until she hit a breaking point. Now, she’s a campaigner for adult literacy – she talks to Jonathan about how she made that journey. Click here for more on Ellen.
 
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