This week on the podcast, three tales of high school shenanigans. Patrick Gilbert raises the roof. Richard Meltzer raids the refrigerator. And Diane Coraggio plays a prank — except the joke is on her.

This week on the podcast, two tales of high-stakes gambling. Joe Challmes bets on the horses ... and wins. Aaron Henkin plays blackjack with a system ... and wins (for a while).

This week on the podcast, three complicated, contradictory, and confusing tales from young people confronted with the racial divide — and trying to find their way across it. David Schwarz recalls negotiating the hellish halls of high school as a minority; comedienne Meshelle moves a few miles west in Baltimore and discovers a very different world; and David Ross tests his teacher.

This week’s episode of The Stoop podcast, “The Story Behind The Story,” offers a peek behind the printed page, to the sausage-making of reporting, research and writing. Dan Fesperman offers a spy-worthy yarn from Guantanamo; Lauren Francis Sharma tells the tale that leads to her debut novel; and journalist Wil Hylton gets a lesson in changing his mind.

In honor of the New Year, The Stoop offers an encore version of its first podcast ever, a collection of stories about First Times. Ab Logan reminisces about his first kiss. Physician Ethel Weld remembers learning an important lesson about patients and death; and Baltimore City Health Commissioner shares the story of finding her voice.

Learn more at stoopstorytelling.com