Far From Mars

Nine Creative Nonfiction Stories Featuring People and Places in Champaign-Urbana

By: Sal Nudo

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Beyond the Noise, Life is Waiting.

We are bombarded daily by a "Mars" of media—global strife, political division, and celebrity scandals that feel lightyears away from the reality of our own streets. In Far From Mars, award-winning journalist Sal Nudo invites you to step out of the noise and into the quiet, extraordinary lives of the people right next door.

These nine creative nonfiction stories prove that the most fascinating worlds aren’t found in outer space, but in the passions and resilience of our neighbors.

Meet the people who make the twin cities pulse:

• The Couch Potatoes: A pack of retired racing Greyhounds and their devoted owners who find peace on a Sunday stroll through Meadowbrook Park.

• The Working Chef: Mark “Shades” Hartstein, a veteran cook rolling the dice on one last dream at a downtown chicken shack.

• The Time-Traveler: A photographer blending the grainy ghosts of old Champaign with the vibrant reality of the modern campus.

• The Survivor: Bob Swisher, an antiquing columnist who found "peace through pieces" after a harrowing battle with addiction.

• The Soldier of the Blues: A therapist-turned-musician who finds his true voice while battling a cold and a bum ear during a live radio set.

From the meditative silence of a sensory deprivation tank to the crackling energy of a community radio station at midnight, Far From Mars is a celebration of longform storytelling. It is an intimate look at the "chinks in the armor" of everyday life—the moments of struggle, hobby, and transition that define what it means to be human.

Discover the stories that are worlds away from the headlines, but right at home in the heart of Illinois.