Sylvie, On Love and Mallards
From Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
| 00:05:30
Producers: Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
My eight year old recently taught me how to be free from the entanglements of love, including the word itself. In this commentary, the focus shifts quickly from a mother who worries about her daughter, to one who wishes she could be more like her.
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Review of Sylvie, On Love and MallardsThis piece is close to perfection for a radio essay. We aired it on our weekend magazine show in Alaska, and it remains one of the most commented-on and best-remembered pieces we've ever run. The writing is both inventive and down-to-earth, and the ending will ring in your ears for days. People love to say that radio is an "intimate medium." This sort of piece is a huge reason why -- it has the air of a confidence, maybe part confessional, but also funny, surprising and deeply memorable. Really, "On Love and Mallards" is one of my favorite pieces af radio. |
Broadcast History
Originally aired April 2005 on AK, The Alaska Public radio magazine which airs statewide. A longer version of this story won grand prize in the Anchorage Daily News writing contest in June 2005
Transcript
A longer version of this story can be found at: http://litsite.alaska.edu/uaa/akwrites/2005/hitchcock.html
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Host intro: Sometimes communication is difficult just because of preconceived notions of what words really mean. In this piece Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock tries to understand her daughter's unique way of saying "I love You."
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Additional Information
- Produced: Apr 01, 2005
- Added to PRX: Feb 22, 2006
- This piece is in English
Aaron Henkin
Posted on August 17, 2006 at 12:14 PM | Permalink
Review of Sylvie, On Love and Mallards
This essay is a great example of radio storytelling in its purest and simplest form: one voice, subtle and intimate, painting a verbal portrait and allowing us to reflect on a topic that's near and dear to anyone who's ever been a parent. I've corresponded with Hitchcock and she says her biggest fear about this piece is that it comes off as over-sentimental, but she gives thanks to her KUAC producers for a series of edits that have given the essay its careful pitch and restraint. This would be a nice addition to any longer-format talk program about childhood development and/or the inner-workings of family dynamics.