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WSHU's 'Off the Path' sets sail in its new season

Davis Dunavin goes off the plank in the new season of his podcast, Off the Path, debuting May 10

On Friday, May 10, WSHU will launch a new season of Off The Path, the popular broadcast and podcast series hosted by WSHU reporter Davis Dunavin that explores quirky roadside attractions, eccentric oddities and places with deep historical significance from New York to Boston and beyond. There have been nearly 200,000 downloads of the last season to date, and previous episodes have won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow and FOLIO awards.

This season has been nicknamed “Off The Plank,” and Davis is headed to the sea to tell stories of submarines, lighthouses, white whales, sea monsters… and, of course, pirates. The first episode will air on Friday, May 10, on 91.1FM, 89.9FM and wshu.org. The first podcast release will follow on May 24.

Davis Dunavin

“I’ve always been fascinated by ships and the sea — maybe because I grew up in the landlocked parts of Middle America," host Davis Dunavin said. "From old sailing ships to lighthouses, there’s just something special to me about the places that tell the nautical history of New York and New England.”

This season will feature stories of famous pirates — including Captain Kidd, Black Sam Bellamy, and William Fly. There’s a female lighthouse keeper who performed heroic rescues and became a national celebrity. And there’s the story of the great American novel Moby-Dick, with its deep ties to New Bedford, Massachusetts, once the whaling capital of the world.

For the first time, Off the Path is adding a musical touch! Each podcast episode will end with a traditional song of the sea chosen and performed by the Ranzo Boys, a New York City-based folk trio. Some are shanties, some are ballads, but all of them tell sailors’ stories or celebrate aspects of life on the high seas.

Off The Path will air through the summer.

Born and raised in the Boston area, Janice spent the early part of her career managing the marketing communications efforts of entrepreneurial, high-tech companies in Massachusetts. After moving to Connecticut, she discovered WSHU and quickly became an avid listener. These days, she’s much happier communicating about public radio than tech widgets. She extends a big thank you to every listener who contributes…even a little.
Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.