What are the building blocks of great stories? Ira Glass of “This American Life” certainly knows. The program aired weekly on many NPR stations, explores a theme from various angles. The program is always insightful, often surprising. In 2008, “This American Life” won a Peabody Award for a comprehensive look at the origins of the housing crisis, “The Giant Pool of Money.”

In this conversation with Current.tv, Glass  talks about the power of anecdote and reflection in storytelling, and the importance of “abandoning crap.”

Stick with this next part: You absolutely have to hear Glass deconstruct one of his old NPR news pieces that he freely admits is “moronic.”