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Playlist: Valentine's Day

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13041737@N08/2207710404/">clarescupcakes.co.uk</a>
Image by: clarescupcakes.co.uk 
Curated Playlist

Love is on the air! Celebrate Valentine's Day with these great pieces.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can find other options for Valentine's Day by using our search.

Hour (49:00-1:00:00)

Mixtape: The PRX Remix Valentine's Special

From PRX Remix | 59:00

Mixtape: The PRX Remix Valentine’s Special is exclusive stories about love of all kinds from radio & podcast stars like Al Letson and Phoebe Judge, plus talented new producers not yet heard on public radio. The hour is sound designed in a “mixtape” format with popular storyteller Shannon Cason (Snap Judgment, The Trouble) as cupid deejay...or er, host.

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Remember how you would make a mixtape of songs for the love of your life… or the person you had a crush on that week? Well, PRX has a crush on public radio listeners and is bringing them Mixtape: The PRX Remix Valentine’s special. It’s exclusive stories of love of all kinds -- for those who like the holiday or could leave it -- from The Truth, Al Letson, This Is Love, and new producers listeners won’t soon forget. Shannon Cason of the popular podcast Homemade Stories is the cupid deejay -- or, er, host.

PRX Remix is PRX’s stream of the best podcasts, documentaries, and stories, handpicked from both independent creators and our podcast network Radiotopia. It airs on XM 123, public radio stations around the country, and online. This special hour of PRX Remix is offered FREE to PRX affiliates. It will be available for audition by Jan. 14, 2019.


"Valentine's Day Special" with Naomi Ekperigin, Anis Mojgani, and The War and Treaty

From Live Wire! Radio | Part of the Live Wire Specials series | 59:00

This Valentine's Day-themed episode features comedian Naomi Ekperigin (Couple's Therapy podcast), Poet Laureate of Oregon Anis Mojgani, and music from husband and wife team The War and Treaty.

Ep In celebration of Valentine's Day, host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello give some love to the inanimate objects that get us through life; comedian Naomi Ekperigin, who co-hosts the podcast Couples Therapy with her partner, riffs on her reluctance towards motherhood; Poet Laureate of Oregon Anis Mojgani rewrites a love poem to reflect his post-divorce reality; and husband and wife duo The War and Treaty perform their heart-wrenching song "Five More Minutes."

The Science of Love

From WHYY | Part of the The Pulse Specials series | 58:59

What is love? That warm and fuzzy feeling, that crazed obsession, that deep sentiment of trust and good will. It’s all of those things, but where and how does love happen in our bodies?
On this episode, we put love under the microscope (and into a brain scanner) to understand where this emotion begins, and where it takes us. We talk with neurologists and psychologists to get a better understanding of the feeling that can turn us into heroes, fools — or both.

Playing
The Science of Love
From
WHYY

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On this show:

Science can cure heart break in voles, what about in humans?
Believe it or not, scientists have found a cure for the broken heart — at least, for a small hamster-like rodent called voles. For humans, it’s far more complicated, but researchers have found winning strategies. Reporter Jad Sleiman explores why our hearts break, and what we can do about it.

Love or limerence?
Call it a crush, call it infatuation, call it obsession — some experts call it limerence. Reporter Grant Hill explains the difference between love and limerence, and what it has to do with “love addiction.”

Are we letting an algorithm choose our mate?
How much has online dating changed the way we pick our romantic partners?
We talk with biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, who developed an in-depth questionnaire for the dating site Match.com.

What is co-dependence, really?
“Co-dependence” has become our go-to term for describing unbalanced and unhealthy relationships. But what does it actually mean? And can people learn to be less co-dependent?

The Break Up Project Performance (Clean)

From Megan Hall | 49:03

Clean version of a recording of a live mix of Providence break-up stories.

Breakup_small On Wednesday, February 14th, Valentine's Day, the Stairwell Gallery hosted the premiere of the audio documentary "The Breakup Project: Tales of Woe, Wonder, and Other Psycho Pop." The project began over a winter dinner when producers and friends Megan Hall and Sue Ellen Kroll commiserated about their own recent breakups- laughing about the difficulty of navigating social circles and small town rumor mills. The joke grew into a full hour-long audio presentation featuring the break up stories of over 20 Providence residents and live music mixing by Tom VanBuskirk.

10,000 GOOD SONGS - #079 - (Love First-1)

From Paul Ingles | Part of the 10,000 Good Songs series | 59:01

For Valentine's Day or anytime, every song title in this music mix starts with the word LOVE, and it's not a schlocky collection. It's a hip list including John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Erick Clapton, Joe Cocker and more. (ALTHOUGH OUR TITLE ABOVE SAYS IT'S PART 1 - THAT REFERENCE ISN'T MADE DURING THE SHOW SO THIS HOUR STANDS ON IT'S OWN. ALSO "VALENTINE'S" ISN'T MENTIONED, PER SE, SO THE PROGRAM IS EVERGREEN - A CELEBRATION OF LOVE)

10000goodsongs_small Every song title in this music mix starts with the word LOVE, and it's not a schlocky collection.  It's a hip list including John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and more.  Paul Ingles offers light hosting in this music instensive hour.

Playlist:

Love - John Lennon
Love - Joni Mitchell
Love - Paul Simon
Love Comes To Everyone - George Harrison
Love and Happiness - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Love Has No Pride - Bonnie Raitt
Love In Mind - Neil Young
Love Is A Rose - Linda Ronstadt
Love Has Brought Me Around - James Taylor
Love and Affection - Joan Armatrading
Love Don't Leave Me Waiting - Glen Hansard
Love Don't Live Here Any More - Joe Cocker
Love In Vain - Eric Clapton
Love Is Alive - Joan Osborne
Love Is The Answer - Todd Rundgren

Shortcuts to Love & Romance

From Peter Bochan | Part of the Shortcuts series | 58:31

A Valentine's Day Mix of romance and love songs featuring classic clips from the vaults of Hollywood, Broadway, Tin Pan Alley and All Mixed Up with a special blend of "My Funny Valentine" with Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Carly Simon and Frank Sinatra.

Shortcuts_to_love_back_small Shortcuts to Love & Romance with Dick Powell, Ingrid Bergman, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Woody Allen, W.C. Fields, Joel Grey, Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, Laurel & Hardy, The Marx Brothers, David Bowie, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Mary Martin, Aretha Franklin, The Spinners, Ed "Kookie" Brynes, 10 CC, Orson Welles, The Volumes, Marilyn Monroe, Maurice Chevalier, Ethel Waters, Archie & Edith Bunker, Ruby Keeler, Mickey & Minnie Mouse, The Bonzo Dog Band, Nelson Eddy & Jeanette McDonald, Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Charles Boyer & Bette Davis, Edgar G. Robinson, Joni Mitchell, Marlene Dietrich, Roy Wood, Cinderella, Dooley Wilson, Bobby Short, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Carly Simon,  T-Rex, The Rolling Stones, Hoagy Carmichael, Mae West, Randy Newman, Todd Rundgren, NRBQ, Cary Grant, Tarzan & Jane, Helen Kane, John Gielgud, Karen Black, Jack Nicholson, The Beatles, and more   

HV050- Love's Labors

From Hearing Voices | Part of the Hearing Voices series | 54:00

For Valentine's Day, affairs of the heart and the intricacies of intimacy.

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Host: Amy Dickinson of Chicago Tribune "Ask Amy"

Affairs of the heart, and the intricacies of intimacy:

Lovelorn letters to an advice columnist, our Host, "Ask Amy".

A "Valentine" from Kevin Kling (from his Stories from the Shallow End CD).

The Girls Glee Club of New Palestine High School, Indiana singing the theme from "Midnight Cowboy" (off the out-of-print Poly High - School Bands Play The Classics).

Women's tales of true but tainted love, what Nancy Updike calls "Cringe Love", from This American Life.

One of the "6 terrific teen-age tunes sung by Barbie and Ken (and you can sing along, too!)," a 45-rpm record from Mattel Toymakers (mp3 at UBU.com's 365 Days Project- May 31).

James Rivieto's "Wedding", told by David Greenberger, with music by 3 Leg Torso (off their Whispers, Grins, Bloodloss & Handshakes CD).

"Love & Marriage Atop the Towers," stories of weddings at the World Trade Center, collected by The Kitchen Sisters for their Sonic Memorial Project.

Host Amy Dickinson and the hundreds of other "Leftover Brides" lined up for mass Moonie marriages. A "Parent and Child" discussion between Jessica and Scott Carrier on what makes a good marriage, from This American Life.

And the Phi Mu Washboard Band sings "Love Hurts" (mp3 at UBU.com's 365 Days Project- May 24).

Crazy Love

From Playing on Air | Part of the Playing on Air Hour Length Episodes series | 53:00

John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez and Bobby Cannavale star in Playing on Air's first recording in front of a live audience! In CRAZY EIGHTS by David Lindsay-Abaire (Pulitzer Prize winner), recovering addicts (Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo) have their Saturday night card game rudely interrupted by Bobby Cannavale who plays good cop/bad cop all by himself. And in ACORN by David Graziano, a clothesline, acorns, and laundry add up to romance in Brooklyn. Evening was recorded at BRIC Media Arts in Brooklyn and hosted by Bobby Cannavale.

Playing
Crazy Love
From
Playing on Air

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John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez and Bobby Cannavale star in CRAZY EIGHTS by David Lindsay-Abaire (Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner. Two recovering addicts (Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo) have their Saturday night card game rudely interrupted by Bobby Cannavale who plays good cop/bad cop all by himself. And in ACORN by David Graziano, a clothesline, acorns, and laundry add up to romance in Brooklyn. Evening was recorded at BRIC Media Arts in Brooklyn and hosted by Bobby Cannavale. 

ACORN by David Graziano features Bobby Moreno and Megan Tusing and is directed by John Giampietro. CRAZY EIGHTS by David Lindsay-Abaire (Pultizer Prize winner for RABBIT HOLE, screenwriter for Sam Raimi's upcoming POLTERGEIST) stars Bobby Cannavale (VINYL, BLUE JASMINE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, CHEF, THE MOTHERF***ER WITH THE HAT), John Leguizamo (one-man shows GHETTO KLOWN, MAMBO MOUTH, SPIC-O-RAMA; ICE AGE series, ROMEO + JULIET, CHEF), Rosie Perez (DO THE RIGHT THING, THE VIEW, Academy Award nominee for FEARLESS, WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP) and Kevin Hogan and is directed by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. Interviews with playwrights, directors and cast moderated by Producing Artistic Director and Founder Claudia Catania. 

Love Syndrome

From Israel Story | 54:00

Israel Story's Valentine's Day Special is the most unusual, unpredictable and touching love affair you've heard in a while.

Avikeren240_small 'Israel Story' is one of the most popular national radio shows in Israel. Many call it the local 'This American Life.' In their Valentine's Day special, they bring the hour-long story of Chaya Ben Baruch. 

Chaya grew up as Enid, in a traditional Jewish family in Far Rockaway, N.Y. Midway through college, she left that world behind to study sea otters in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Fast-forward a decade: Enid is now married to a nice Catholic salmon fisher named Stan. She’s just given birth to her sixth child, and discovers he has Down syndrome. Many parents in her position would be devastated. Some might place their baby in an institution, or put them up for adoption. For Enid, the birth of Angkor started her and her family on an incredible journey—to Tzfat, Israel, and from there to court rooms, hospitals, ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, and wedding halls, all so she could do right by her child and the other special-needs children she picked up along the way. 

At the center of the story is the most unusual and unpredictable love affair you've heard in a while.

Lean & Hungry Theater Presents: Romeo And Juliet

From Lean & Hungry Theater | 53:58

A radio drama adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," set in modern day “Verona, California,” with live sound effects and some of the finest Shakespearean actors in Washington, DC. Modern-language narration provides an ongoing recap of the original text throughout the show. Lean & Hungry’s “Romeo and Juliet” was aired originally by Washington, DC's WAMU on February 14, 2011, as WAMU’s Valentine’s Day treat for its listeners.

R_j_graphic_small Lean & Hungry Theater, DC’s only radio drama company and Washington DC’s NPR affiliate WAMU-88.5, present this radio drama adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet .”

The one-hour production was recorded before a live audience and was originally broadcast by Washington DC NPR affiliate WAMU 88-5 on Valentine’s Day,   February 14, 2011.

Set in modern-day “Verona, California,” Lean & Hungry’s “Romeo and Juliet” recasts Shakespeare’s classic characters as students of the Prince Preparatory Academy, with other action taking place on the grounds of the Verona Country Club and the fashionable estates of the wealthy Montague and Capulet familes.

The cast of “Romeo and Juliet” includes artists who have appeared with or taught at The Folger Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, The Washington Shakespeare Company, Studio Theatre, and other local and national companies.

“The story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is among the best known – and most frequently taught – of Shakespeare’s plays,” explained Jessica Hansen, Lean & Hungry’s Artistic Director. “The tragic love story takes on special significance in the time leading up to Valentine’s Day.”

 “We’re making it particularly relevant and understandable to younger and underserved audiences by placing it in a contemporary setting with modern-day sound effects.” Hansen added. “We also have edited the production to one hour, with modern-language narration providing recap of the original text throughout the show. It’s an ideal way to introduce the broadest audiences to this important work.”

Lean & Hungry Theater is the only company in the Washington, DC metropolitan area dedicated to adapting works of Shakespeare and other classic playwrights for radio broadcast.

 

The productions and recordings of Lean & Hungry Theater productions are endorsed by the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.

Real Love (hour)

From With Good Reason | Part of the With Good Reason: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 53:53

In her book Real Love, Sharon Salzberg—one of the world’s leading authorities on love—shows us it isn’t just an emotion we feel when we’re in a romantic relationship. It’s an ability we can nurture and cultivate.

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In her book Real Love, Sharon Salzberg—one of the world’s leading authorities on love—shows us it isn’t just an emotion we feel when we’re in a romantic relationship. It’s an ability we can nurture and cultivate. Also: The idea of “The Pause,” where medical caregivers take a moment together at the bedside of a patient who has died, began with emergency care nurse Jonathan Bartels at the University of Virginia hospital. This quiet moment honors the life of the person who has died and the efforts made by the caretakers. 


Later in the show: How do we go about creating a sense of self? Dr. Oliver Hill Jr. (Virginia State University) tells the story of his search for identity, first as a child caught up in a legal battle for school integration in the 1950s, then as a radical college student at a historically black university. After an unexpected connection at an ashram, he became a lifelong student of mindfulness and meditation practices he now brings into the lab and the classroom. 

Second Chances

From Playing on Air | Part of the Playing on Air Hour Length Episodes series | 53:00

Three short plays, with Amy Ryan, Michael Stuhlbarg and others. In SKIN, romance sparks at the college health clinic, and a student sings in Bengali to win over a fellow co-ed. Next, in YOU BELONG TO ME, two old friends from grad school meet in a subway car - 18 years later, and under vastly different circumstances. And to conclude, ANNIVERSARY, a comic drama about falling in love with someone who is still grieving. Featuring interviews with all three playwrights.

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Three short plays, with Amy Ryan, Michael Stuhlbarg and others. In Skin, romance sparks at the college health clinic where two Bengali students await results and recognize their past - and perhaps their future - in one another. Next, in You Belong To Me, two old friends from graduate  school meet in a subway car 18 years later under vastly different circumstances. And to conclude, ANNIVERSARY, a comic drama about a young man falling in love with someone who is still suffering from grief. Original music composed for each play. Interviews with all three playwrights: Naveen Choudhury, Daniel Reitz and Rachel Bonds. These short pieces star Amy Ryan (Oscar nomination for Ben Affleck’s Gone, Baby, Gone; Birdman), Michael Stuhlbarg (Coen brothers’ A Serious Man, HBO’s "Boardwalk Empire"); Vandit Bhatt, Nitya Vidyasagar ("Sesame Street"); Steven Boyer (Tony nom. for Broadway's Hand to God,this coming season's "The Trail" on TV), Michael Esper (Broadway's The Last Ship), Sue Jean Kim, Sarah Sokolovic ("Homeland").


The R&B Chronicles -Valentines Day Special featuring The Delfonics & The Dells

From WHRV | Part of the The R&B Chronicles series | 59:27

A musical and historical look at Valentine-themed R&B tunes.

Chronicles1_small Perhaps more than any other genre of popular American music culture, soul music is the result of the combination and merging of previous styles and sub-styles in the 50's and 60's. At it's inception soul music combined the African American concepts of gospel and blues sensibilities in creating a passionate, soulful and musical presentation of the African American spirit. Rhythm and Blues is itself a combination of blues and jazz and developed in the 40's as small groups of predominately African American musicians built upon the blues tradition which morphed itself into soul music coming into the 50's. "The R&B Chronicles" is a weekly musical biography that will focus on classic R&B and soul music and feature many of the great artists and groups.... such as Otis Redding, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Earth, Wind and Fire and many more. "The R&B Chronicles" airs Friday evenings at 7pm on 89.5 WHRV-FM. Hosted and produced by Jae Sinnett.

A Rodgers and Hart Valentine's

From Fred Flaxman | 57:30

The best of Rodgers and Hart's love songs as interpreted by some of the most famous American male and female vocalists.

Default-piece-image-0 Beginning with Frank Sinatra singing My Funny Valentine, this new Valentine's Day public radio special includes a brief history of the holiday followed by the greatest of the Rodgers and Hart love songs: Lover;  My Romance; I Could Write a Book; Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered; You Are Too Beautiful; There's a Small Hotel; I Didn't Know What Time it Was; Where or When; Falling in Love with Love; and Thou Swell as sung by great vocalists of the past and present: Bing Crosby, Dorris Day, Maureen McGovern, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes; Melissa Errico, Lanny Meyers, and Ivy Austin. Hosted by Steve Jencks. Written and produced by Fred Flaxman.

Folktale of Heartstrings

From Northeast Indiana Public Radio | Part of the Folktales series | 59:58

Folk music selections for Valentines.

Ft_weekly-fb__prx_heartstrings_verse_small "The Heart is but the beach beside the sea that is the world." That's an old Chinese proverb, and a sweet starting point for this week's Folktale. We're setting out on a heart-smart fieldtrip, and ready to gather musical customs, and wise words from around the globe--a journey that takes us through the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the South Pacific.

Featured artists this week include Megan King, Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy & D.L. Menard, Rondo Segoviana, Inkuyo, Muriel Mwamba, Armik, Sam Cooke and more. Hope you can join us--as they say--It's the best gifts that are tied with heartstrings!

Chasing Love

From Miguel Macias | 59:46

Explores the ways late capitalism has affected and is affecting the idea of Romantic Love and consequently, the way relationships are handled and viewed in American society.

Chlove_small Chasing Love started as a meticulous look at the arrival and evolution of the idea of Romantic Love in Western society. But since the very beginning, I felt attracted by the connection that Octavio Paz establishes between capitalism and Romantic Love. During over 80 hours of interviews, I asked questions having to do with psychology, anthropology, biology, linguistics, history and philosophy. Chasing Love is a one-hour audio documentary that explores the ways late capitalism has affected and is affecting the idea of Romantic Love and consequently, the way relationships are handled and viewed in American society. In the three years it took to produce this documentary I explored the field of computer music, video art, radio drama and try to mix them all together. The results are contained in Chasing Love. Chasing Love proposes a way of conceiving a piece as a whole, where music is composed as the bits of interviews are blended together, where secrets are told behind words of narration. Where the producer is nowhere to be found and present in every second of it.

BEAT LATINO 015: Love, amor!

From Catalina Maria Johnson | 59:34

Tunes from all over the Latin & Latino universe to celebrate love!

Picture_20_small Every hour of Beat Latino celebrates a different facet of the past, present and future of Latin & Latino music. This special hour is all about L-O-V-E. Or A-M-O-R!

We Latinos love to sing about love! Included in this hour: Multiple Grammy-winner Juan Luis Guerra from the Dominican Republic does a merengue-croon about all the kinds of loves in our life, Spanish alt-flamenca Martirio belts out  a jazzy rendition of a song describing the feeling of love and Afroperuvian diva Susana Baca´s velvety voice lingers languidly in a lovely sung poem about the same topic. There´s also highly danceable tunes for the month of Love & Romance -  sizzling salsa  about the ABC´s of loving and Latin alternative group Kinky from Mexico rocking out to a tune about that feeling we call "love" - all this and more as we musically celebrate romance in February!


My Funny Valentine , A Valentine's Day Special; Jazz and Pop A Cappella sung by The Western Wind with love poetry read by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee

From William Zukof | 57:59

A musical celebration for Valentine's Day featuring sophisticated close-harmony arrangements of classic American love songs by jazz and pop songwriters from the 1930s-'90s.

Mfv1_small A musical celebration for Valentine's Day featuring sophisticated close-harmony arrangements of classic American love songs by jazz and pop songwriters from the 1930's - 1990's. The music includes songs by Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, Rogers and Hart, George Gershwin, John Denver, and Bonnie Raitt. The musical selections are woven together with selections of American love poetry by Langston Hughes, e.e.cummings, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Nikki Giovanni read by and Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis. Song and Poetry List: 1. I'm Beginning To See The Light 2:03 Duke Ellington arr. Warren Kellerhouse 2. Sunday by the Combination/ Midnight Dancer 00:30 Langston Hughes 3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore 2:07 Duke Ellington, arr. Warren Kellerhouse 4. Miss Blues'es Child 00:53 Langston Hughes 5. Mood Indigo 3:25 Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Barney Bigard , arr. Warren Kellerhouse 6. my love is building a building around you 0:58 e.e.cummings 7. My Funny Valentine 5:49 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, arr. Mark Johnson 8. O Distinct Lady of my unkempt adoration 1:25 e.e.cummings 9. O Lady Be Good 3:02 George and Ira Gershwin, arr. Dick Hyman 10.there are so many tictoc 0:44 e.e.cummings 11.I Got Rhythm 4:54 George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, arr. Neil Farrell 12. Dream 0:26 Langston Hughes 13. 'Round Midnight 3:14 Thelonious Monk, arr. Neil Farrell 14. Boogie 1:00AM/Lady's Boogie/Chord 0:35 Langston Hughes 15. Well You Needn't 1:47 Thelonious Monk, arr. Neil Farrell 16.Song for Billie Holiday 0:51 Langston Hughes 17. Ruby My Dear 5:37 Thelonious Monk , arr. Mark Johnson 18. And Don?t Think I Won't Waiting 0:43 Audre Lourde 19. Leaving on A Jet Plane 4:19 John Denver, Arr.: Steve Friedman 20. Walker 0:23 Alice Walker 21. I Can't Make You Love Me 4:13 Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, Arr.: Mark Johnson 22. What Lips My Lips Have Kissed 1:00 Edna St. Vincent Millay 23. In My Room 2:15 Brian Wilson and Gary Usher, Arr.: Steve Friedman 24. Things That Go Together/And I Have You 1:09 Nikki Giovanni 25. Sh'boom, Life Could Be a Dream 2:31 James Keyes, Claude and Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and James Edward, Arr. James Bassi


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

The Return of the Childhood Crush

From JP Davidson | 28:08

The funny and touching love story of Konstantine and Salina. They met in 1st grade, and parted ways in 8th grade - just another childhood crush. But nearly a decade later, feelings had lingered - and with a little help from Facebook - they were able to parlay that crush into a grownup relationship.

Kssquare4_small The funny and touching love story of Konstantine and Salina. They met in 1st grade, and parted ways in 8th grade - just another childhood crush. But nearly a decade later, feelings had lingered - and with a little help from Facebook - they were able to parlay that crush into a grownup relationship.

Dr. Phil

From starlee kine | 29:11

Produced by Starlee Kine for This American Life, "Dr. Phil" won the Gold Prize at the 2008 Third Coast Audio Festival. The story is about wallowing in sadness and heartbreak, with a fun twist (not the Dr. Phil you're thinking of...).

Playing
Dr. Phil
From
starlee kine

Philcollinslovesongsface_small This is a story I did for This American Life. It just won the Gold Prize at the Third Coast Audio Festival, which was incredibly exciting. The story is about heartbreak and wallowing and sadness and how songs make you stay sad, but in a good way. I hope you like it.

The Love Plan

From Hearing Voices | Part of the The Plan series | 29:04

THE PLAN, exploring found-sound, sound-portraits,
slam poets, sonic samplers, spoken weird, and audio extremists. A Hearing Voices compilation for Valentine's Day.

0602planlove_small The languages of love... PLAYLIST: ARTIST | AUDIO | ALBUM (*=PRX piece) 1. Baz Luhrman | Love Is In The Air | Something for Everyone 2. Indran Amirthanayagam | So Beautiful | The United States Of Poetry 3. Hal Cannon / Taki Telonidis | Finding Love in a Nevada Brothel* | Western Folklife Center 4. Johhny Depp/Neil Young/William Blake | Garden of Love | Dead Man 5. Susan Stone | Ruby* | Time Is Now (compilation) 6. MC Honky | A Good Day To Be You | I Am The Messiah 7. HH Oliver | Hollerin' to See a Girl | Hollerin' 1975 8. Tracie Morris | Observations | Word Up 9. Barrett Golding | Old Together* | Hearing Voices 10. People Like Us | What's Love? | Love Is This

Air copy:
For Valentine's Day, the show explores the languages of love in its many incarnations. We look for love inside a poem and inside a brothel - and we find love amongst the tales of twisted relationships and within the stories of couples growing old together. 

NPR's All Songs Considered: Break-Up Songs

From NPR Music | Part of the All Songs Considered from NPR Music series | 28:59

On this edition of All Songs Considered, you'll hear songs of love and loathing from Shop Assistants, The Ramones, Stars, Split Enz, Flight of the Conchords and Roy Orbison.

Flightoftheconchords_small Each year on All Songs Considered, we celebrate Valentine's Day with a mix of our favorite love songs.  We've done listener picks and lesser-known love songs, and even invited filmmaker John Waters in to spin some of his favorite music for Valentine's Day.  This year, we decided to mix it up and feature breakup songs.  On this edition of All Songs Considered, you'll hear songs of love and loathing from Shop Assistants, The Ramones, Stars, Split Enz, Flight of the Conchords and Roy Orbison.

Available for free to NPR member stations. If you're not an NPR member station, contact programservices@npr.org

What's the Word? Famous Love Letters

From Modern Language Association | 29:10

Frank Shuffelton shares with us the letters of John and Abigail Adams, Dorothy Mermin discusses the correspondence between Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, and Virginie Green explores the letters of the legendary Abelard and Heloise.

Loveletters_small Love letters may strike you as personal, yet some are extremely public. Written over many years, eventually collected and published long after the fact, they show us passion, friendship, humor, respect, loss, and even tragedy. On this program, Frank Shuffelton shares with us the letters of John and Abigail Adams; Dorothy Mermin discusses the correspondence between Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning; and Virginie Green explores the letters of the legendary Abelard and Heloise.

What's the Word? Petrarch and Love Poetry

From Modern Language Association | 29:17

A look at how many contemporary ideas about love come from the love sonnets of fourteenth-century Italian poet Francesco Petrarch.

Petrarch_small Love at first sight, longing for an unrequited love, glorifying the beloved--all these notions, so familiar to us today, are centuries old, as we can see in the poetry of the Italian humanist and scholar Francesco Petrarch. In his fourteenth-century sonnet cycle, composed over many decades, Petrarch glorified a woman named Laura, who never returned his love. In the centuries that followed, his work influenced not only everything from love poetry to greeting cards to popular songs but also the way we think about love. David Wallace talks about Petrarch's sonnets, Dympna Callaghan discusses how Shakespeare changes the Petrarchan sonnet in __Romeo and Juliet__, and Anne Lake Prescott gives us some examples of anti-Petrarchan Renaissance poetry. Fifteen- and thirty-second promos available.

RN Documentary: From Brooklyn to Banja Luka

From Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Part of the RN Documentaries series | 29:31

A personal portrait of an unlikely international romance.

Jonathananddragana_small Jonathan is a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn. He has a typically New York loudness, and he?s flamboyant, musical and pretty good with languages. Dragana is a nice Serbian girl from Bosnia. She is prone to the occasional Slavic melancholy, but is also generally loud, musical, and pretty good with languages. They live in Holland, a small and sober country that, at first glance doesn?t seem suited to either temperament. Their improbable love story in features in From Brooklyn to Banja Luka. The programme won a Prix Europa in 2005 and a Gold Medal at the New York International Radio Festival.

Lesser Known Love Songs

From NPR Music | Part of the All Songs Considered from NPR Music series | 28:59

Host Bob Boilen chats with Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein, All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton and Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson about their favorite songs for love and heartbreak.

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Host Bob Boilen chats with Monitor Mix blogger Carrie Brownstein, All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton and Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson about their favorite songs for love and heartbreak. Hear some of the lesser-known tracks plus a few classic favorites.

Marriage: A History

From Talking History | 29:02

Marriages were not historically founded on love.

Default-piece-image-0 Marriage: A History According to the popular song, ?Love and marriage ? go together like a horse and carriage,? but history tells us otherwise. In this the week of Valentine?s Day we turn our attention to marriage with Linna Place?s guest, Stephanie Coontz, who discusses the history of marriage and its changing role from primarily a social and political necessity to the romantic institution we know today. Stephanie Coontz is author of "Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage." And Michael Farquhar joins us in the eighth of a ten part series of readings adapted from his book, "A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Fakes and Frauds." The program features our regular segments on History in the News, and our recommendation for a Site of the Week.


Segments (9:00-23:59)

Eat Cake

From The Truth | 10:35

Coconut cake and random phone calls -- this is a fictional romantic comedy about being alone on Valentine's Day, and a PRX staff favorite.

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From
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Valentines2_small Elizabeth and Brian are strangers. It's Valentine's Day. They're lonely, as usual. But things will be different this year, when one random call from the phone book and a slice of coconut cake collide. This fictional romantic comedy was originally produced for Weekend America's final broadcast in January 2009.

Original music composed and performed by the producer specifically for this piece.

Jack and Rose

From Emma Miller | 10:37

Sassy and sagacious Gloria, 85, shares stories of being in both a conventional heterosexual marriage and a long-time same-sex relationship.

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Grandma Gloria was married to my Grandpa Jack for more than two decades. She had three kids during that time, including my mom. But after she got divorced, Grandma moved to New York City and spent 23 years living with a woman named Rose — a woman who was, in fact, her gym teacher in high school. This is the story of how Gloria and Rose came to be together, and how this 85-year-old woman has opened herself up to love in many forms.

Josh's Diary, Part 2: First Kiss

From Radio Diaries | Part of the Teenage Diaries series | 18:11

In Josh's second diary, he packs his tape recorder for his first summer away from home. "What I have here is an envelope on which this girl Nicole wrote down instructions on how to kiss. It says: 'pucker lips, slowly open mouth, slowly slide tongue in, repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.' She made that list for me because I made out with her and she said I was doing it wrong. So I guess that's the main thing I learned this summer."

This story is part of the Teenage Diaries series produced by Radio Diaries for NPR.

Td_josh_002_l_small In Josh's second diary, he packs his tape recorder for his first summer away from home. "What I have here is an envelope on which this girl Nicole wrote down instructions on how to kiss. It says: 'pucker lips, slowly open mouth, slowly slide tongue in, repeat steps 1, 2, and 3.' She made that list for me because I made out with her and she said I was doing it wrong. So I guess that's the main thing I learned this summer."

This story is part of the Teenage Diaries series produced by Radio Diaries for NPR. Since 1996, Executive Producer Joe Richman has been giving tape recorders to young people around the country to document their lives. 

Love for Sale

From Michelle Legro | Part of the Storyville series | 09:58

A young woman with a failing ovary searches for sperm among friends.

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Faced with a dud ovary, Abby Rabinowitz had to find some sperm, any sperm, from the male population of greater New York. Rather than go to a sperm bank, she decided it would be better to ask those she loved, and had loved, if they would consider starting an unconventional family. 

All Coming Years of Peaceful Love

From Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Part of the CBC Radio's Outfront series | 13:18

The history of the twentieth century told through a love story, a mandolin, and an 81-year-old husband's guide to good sex.

Prxoutfrontplain_small All Coming Years of Peaceful Love The history of the twentieth century told through a love story, a mandolin, and an 81-year-old husband?s guide to good sex? Like most newlyweds, Miklos Emhecht and Miriam Osfeyer are head-over-heels in love. There is something unusual about their wedding album, though. Micky?s hair is snow white and more than a little thin up front. Deep wrinkles crease the skin around Miriam?s eyes and cheeks. Micky and Miriam have witnessed some of the last century?s darkest times. From that sad past, they are determined to create a new life of peace and love together. Miklos Emhecht and Miriam Osfeyer Producer: Carma Jolly Outfront Opening and Closing Theme available - (see Timing and Cues section for more details) SEE ADDITIONAL LICENSE TERMS

How Jen Met Her Husband

From Matt Miller | 15:56

Jennifer Bosworth had to go crazy in L.A. before she could discover that the man she was looking for was in her home town all along.

Strait_jacket_small As a producer I'm always trying to find a new way of telling a story. The story of How Jen Met Her Husband isn't just a normal telling of boy-meets-girl. 

Jennifer Bosworth told me her story in an hour long recorded interview over Coffee one afternoon.  I turned the recorded interview over to novelist Stephanie Kuehnert (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone) (Ballads Of Suburbia) to rewrite as a narrative short story, and then asked Chicago actress Jennifer Reese Wilson to read Kuehnert's short story version of Jennifer Bosworth's interview.

The piece runs 15:56, but four minutes of the end is a song by Chicago singer/song writer Rebecca Rego, who lent her single "The Best Thing You Ever Gave Me" to the score of the narrative piece.

This story is an interpretation of three different women - the song lending a perfect reflection of the story read by the actress, written by the novelist, and lived by the girl who fell in love after hitting bottom.

Jeremy & Virginia Twice Wed--Not Your Typical Love Story

From Sue Mell | 15:18

A story of practicality vs. romance and the struggle of two fiercely independent people to embrace commitment.

Default-piece-image-2 When Jeremy and Virginia met in Santa Fe they joined their lives together instantaneously but nothing is ever that easy. They got married once in secret so that Jeremy could get his green card and then once again 9 years later in front of all their friends and family. It's a story of practicality versus romance and the struggle of two firecely independent people to embrace commitment. Appropriate for Valentine's Day or the month of June when weddings abound... Broadcast on WYSO, Antioch University Yellow Springs,OH Feb 05.

Civil War Widows

From Radio Diaries | 12:59

Alberta Martin and Daisy Anderson married in their early 20s to husbands who were near 80. They were not alive during the Civil War, but they may be the closest thing we've got.

Daisyanderson_small More than 135 years ago, Union troops clashed with Confederates at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. At that same battlefield in 1997, Daisy Anderson and Alberta Martin first met. They had come to Gettysburg to be honored as the last known living Civil War widows. If the notion of a living Civil War widow seems confusing, we should explain that both women married in their early 20's. Their husbands were near 80. Alberta Martin and Daisy Anderson?of course?were not alive during the Civil War. But for many people they are the closest thing we've got.


Cutaways (5:00-8:59)

The Kindness of Strangers

From Kirsty McQuire | 06:15

Love beyond romance: be kind to strangers, and they won't forget it.

Kindness_4th-sept-2011_small During the leap year of 2012, Bernadette Russell embarked on a mission to complete 366 Days of Kindness. Her efforts were prompted by the riots that spread through her adopted home town of London and across English towns and cities, between 6th and 10th August 2011.

Bernadette has left sweets in phone boxes, books on trains, £5 notes on buses. She has given away balloons, cakes, flowers and lottery tickets, written letters to a soldier returned from Afghanistan and offered her socks to the homeless. She practiced ‘targeted’ rather than ‘random’ acts of kindness but she says she ‘expected nothing in return.’

Bernadette is now turning her 366 philanthropic experiences into a stage play, in collaboration with Jacksons Lane Theatre in London and with support from Birmingham Rep and Forkbeard Fantasy.


Looking for Love

From Angela Regas | 06:50

In August of 2009 I was 29 years old, single, and living in Iowa City. I wasn’t going to be 29 much longer, and I decided I didn’t want to be single much longer, either. So I went looking online, not for love, but something a little more mundane, something between U-Hauls and one night stands. So far I’ve found a Latin lover, a cougar-seeking piece of “hot chocolate,” and a Satanist named Dan. And you know? He just might be the one.

3049713687_a56eec1bb6_small In August of 2009 I was 29 years old, single, and living in Iowa City.  I wasn’t going to be 29 much longer, and I decided I didn’t want to be single much longer, either.  So I went looking online, not for love, but something a little more mundane, something between U-Hauls and one night stands.  So far I’ve found a Latin lover, a cougar-seeking piece of “hot chocolate,” and a Satanist named Dan.  And you know?  He just might be the one.

Love Poems

From NPR | Part of the How To Do Everything series | 08:38

We tell you how to write a love poem.

Playing
Love Poems
From
NPR

Roses_small We tell you how to write a love poem.

Jim and Martha - 56 years and karaoke

From Sara Paul | 06:19

Jim and Martha were married in 1955 - and took up karaoke "a week ago". It might have made their love stronger. Might have. Found sound from their nuptials combine with a little Frank Sinatra.

Default-piece-image-1 Jim and Martha were married in 1955 - and took up karaoke "a week ago". It might have made their love stronger. Might have. Found sound from their nuptials combine with a little Frank Sinatra.

Love Triangle

From Salt Institute for Documentary Studies | 08:07

Real life love is never ordinary. This is a portrait of a couple's journey through a gender transition.

Default-piece-image-1 Sue, Jamie and Jim explore the tumultuous terrain of a relationship faced with unforeseen changes.

Why the Dudes Dig Me

From Live Wire! Radio | 07:54

Personal essay by Courtenay Hameister, host of Live Wire Radio, featuring lots 'o' humiliating moments.

Default-piece-image-1 As host of Live Wire, a radio variety show, I periodically delve into my own personal stash of humiliating moments for the good of the show. This is one such personal essay-esque moment. Thanks for listening. -Courtenay Hameister

Versions of Love

From Salt Institute for Documentary Studies | 06:41

Life is long and love is complicated.

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Real life love stories are complicated.  There are twists and turns and tons of compromise.  When she was young, Anne Skolas thought she knew what love was.  But at 68 years old, she’s seen so many versions of it, she doesn’t think she knows anymore.  With Anne’s story, here’s Sharon Mashihi.

Looking for Love

From Marlo Mack | Part of the How to Be a Girl series | 08:28

A single mom and her young transgender daughter both hit the dating scene, and then compare notes on the rocky road to romance.

Htbag_logo_medium_small A single mom and her young transgender daughter both hit the dating scene, and then compare notes on the rocky road to romance. 


Drop-Ins (2:00-4:59)

Valentine's Day Diary

From Hans Anderson | 03:30

It's another dateless Valentine's Day. I decided to make a diary of it.

Valentine_s_day_diary_small A blow-by-blow of all the events that happened on Valentine's Day. For instance, someone broke into my house and ate an entire bag of candy hearts!

Love the French Way (Series)

Produced by Charles Spira

Brighten gaps in your programming with color and emotion. In each installment of 'Love The French Way' which runs from 4 to 7 minutes, we introduce your audience to a beautiful French Love Ballad which will brighten their day!

Most recent piece in this series:

Love the French Way 17 - Why Are You Looking at the Moon?

From Charles Spira | Part of the Love the French Way series | 05:55

Man_looking_at_moon_small Anouk Aiata's name means "the woman who eats the clouds in the sky"in the Maori language, but she was born, not in New Zealand but in Nogent sur Marne, in the Paris suburbs.  Let's enjoy her song "Why Are You Looking at the Moon?" about a woman  who catches her lover staring at the moon wistfully.  What is troubling him? Will he leave her?

What is your definition of Love?

From Hank Rosenfeld | Part of the Folk Journalism series | 04:00

For Valentine's Day folk journalist Hank Rosenfeld asked 5th graders about love.

Rosenfeld_and_5th_graders_small Folk journalist Hank Rosenfeld asked 5th graders in Los Angeles if they could define "Love." Similar to folks like Martin Buber and William Blake, Hank's kids can take it all the way to Shakespeare and back...

StoryCorps: Philip and Susan McClinton

From StoryCorps | Part of the StoryCorps series | 02:37

A couple talks about the unlikely beginning of their romance and how they saved each other.

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Biologists Susan and Philip McClinton live just outside of Yellowstone National Park in Cody, Wyoming.

They’ve been there for more than a decade, studying snakes, bats and other animals.

But when they met in the fall of 1972, their lives were very different.

Museum of Broken Relationships

From Shannon Service | 04:30

When Paul Simon outlined "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" 35 years ago, it turns out he missed a few. There are well over 400, in fact, as bagged, tagged and now displayed in The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. I traveled to the museum and filed this report.

Thumbnail_for_mbr_small The Museum of Broken Relationships is the creation of a young Croatian couple that broke up. As they began the arduous process of dividing up the relics of their 4-year relationship they hit a stumbling block: What to do with their Little Wind Up Bunny. The bunny had no monetary value, but when Olinka came home late from work, she'd find the bunny marching in circles in the entryway. The bunny had emotional weight. The question of the bunny led to a small local exhibit of breakup items which quickly mushroomed into a four year global tour and over 400 items. All are now carefully displayed in an old Austrian palace in Zagreb.

I traveled to Croatia for the opening of the museum, interviewed the couple that started it and got some reactions from the museum's first patrons. 

Flower Philosopher

From Eleanor Kagan | 02:07

It’s a tradition on Valentine’s Day to give flowers to the person you love, and then they love you more, right? That’s the theory anyway. In this audio postcard from Boston, we tag along with a flower delivery man who just isn’t sold.

Manyroses_240_small That’s the theory anyway. In this audio postcard from Boston, we tag along with a flower delivery man who just isn’t sold.

This piece originally aired as part of NPR's Intern Edition in Spring 2009.

Hard Boiled Eggs

From The Heart | Part of the Tender Moments series | 04:30

A story of an unlikely pair brought together by gender and technology.

Audio_smut_square_logo_600x600-white_on_grey_small Beta is intersex. Which means she doesn't fit squarely into either gender, in a biological sense. Most intersex babies are assigned a gender at birth and undergo surgery. She didn't find out until her 20s, which caused great confusion for her growing up. Cary's story is almost exactly the same---born intersex, assigned a gender that didn't really fit, found out much later in life. Cary and Beta were living 1000 miles apart when they met on Second Life. After a life time of being a very different type of different, they each found someone with whom they could truly relate.

While Audio Smut's "Tender Moments" are in full compliance with FCC regulations, they do openly engage with the topic of sexuality and gender.

First Kiss

From Sandra Sleight-Brennan | 04:50

This evergreen feature brings a smile to everyone's face. Do you remember your first kiss?

Red_lips_small Perfect for Valentine's Day. This evergreen feature brings a smile to everyone's face. Do you remember your first kiss? These interviewees did. Producer Sandra Sleight-Brennan interviewed a handful of people aged 15 to 65 about this very formative memory. The music of Jonathan Edwards  creates a perfect backdrop.

First Love

From Dmae Lo Roberts | 03:41

A vox collage with men and women of various ages talking about their first love.

Love_small I first did this vox collage in 1986 and it aired at the end of All Things Considered. It's very romantic, sweet and funny and set to "I Only Have Eyes For You..." (the old 50's version) Appropriate for Valentine's Day.

Lost Boyfriend (A Postcard from Mexico)

From Jay Allison | Part of the Stories From Carmen series | 03:31

Carmen Delzell tells about how her boyfriend left her Saltillo, the town where she's living in Mexico. She looks for him, but can't find him, even with magic spells. His guitar music threads through her reverie. This piece was produced in 1999, but it's evergreen.

Phpthumb_generated_thumbnailjpg_small Carmen Delzell tells about how her boyfriend left her Saltillo, the town where she's living in Mexico. She looks for him, but can't find him, even with magic spells. His guitar music threads through her reverie. This piece was produced in 1999, but it's evergreen.

Young Love

From WHJE | 03:17

Kids explain how they feel about love.

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From the beginning of our life to the end of it, love is always surrounding us. Whether we’re the one loving or being loved, it’s a feeling that’s difficult to describe. I wanted to get a better understanding of what love is not from the dictionary, but from children. In this piece, kids, between the ages of 5 and 7, explain how they feel about love. They describe what it means to them, the best and worst things about it, and how people express their love for one another. Listen to hear how something that seems so complex be explained in the simplest of words.

This I Believe - Eve Ensler

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 04:01

The Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler believes naming things can break taboos and shatter silences.

Tiblogobluesmallrgb_small HOST INTRO: Eve Ensler is a writer and activist living in New York. Her play ?The Vagina Monologues? has been translated into 35 languages and performed more than 2,000 times in 2004 alone. It is not surprising when a writer believes in the power of words, but for Eve Ensler, the belief is rather specific, and her experience has supported her conviction. Here is Eve Ensler with her essay for This I Believe. ESSAY TEXT: I believe in the power and mystery of naming things. Language has the capacity to transform our cells, rearrange our learned patterns of behavior and redirect our thinking. I believe in naming what's right in front of us because that is often what is most invisible. Think about the word vagina. I believe that by saying it 128 times each show, night after night, naming my shame, exorcising my secrets, revealing my longing, was how I came back, into my self, into my body. By saying it often enough and loud enough in places where it was not supposed to be said, the saying of it became both political and mystical and gave birth to a worldwide movement to end violence against women. The public utterance of a banished word, which represented a buried, neglected, dishonored part of the body was a door opening, an energy exploding, a story unraveling. When I was finally able as an adult to sit with my mother and name the specific sexual and physical violence my father had perpetrated on me as a child, it was an impossible moment. It was the naming, the saying of what had actually happened in her presence that lifted my 20-year depression. By remaining silent, I had muted my experience, denied it, pushed it down. This had flattened my entire life. I believe it was this moment of naming that allowed both my mother and I to eventually face our deepest demons and deceptions and become free. I think of women naming the atrocities committed against them by the Taliban in Afghanistan, or women telling of the systematic rapes during the Bosnian war, or just recently in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami, women lining up in refugee camps to name their nightmares and losses and needs. I have traveled through this world and listened as woman after woman tells of being date raped, or acid burned, genitally mutilated, beaten by her boyfriend or molested by her stepfather. Of course the stories are incredibly painful. But I believe as each woman tells her story for the first time, she breaks the silence, and by doing so breaks her isolation, begins to melt her shame and guilt, making her experience real, lifting her pain. I believe one person's declaration sparks another and then another. Helen Caldicott naming the consequences of an escalating nuclear arms race, gave rise to an anti-nuclear movement. The brave soldier who came forward and named the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, was responsible for a sweeping investigation. Naming things, breaking through taboos and denial is the most dangerous, terrifying and crucial work. This has to happen in spite of political climates or coercions, in spite of careers being won or lost, in spite of the fear of being criticized, outcast or disliked. I believe freedom begins with naming things. Humanity is preserved by it.

Best Couple

From Radio Rookies | 04:48

When seniors at a small public high school in the Bronx cast their votes for "Best Couple" they chose a pair they admire but who definitely defy the stereotype of best couple.

Playing
Best Couple
From
Radio Rookies

Vikkydeoine_prom09_small When seniors at a small public high school in the Bronx cast their votes for "Best Couple" they chose a pair they admire but who definitely defy the stereotype of best couple.

Old Together

From Hearing Voices | Part of the Wandering Jew stories series | 02:37

Three couples discuss love, life, and growing old together.

Bgold2gether_small Three couples discuss love, life, and growing old together. Original music by Kels Koch. (Show made as a Valentine's present for my wife.)

Portion Of The Break-Up Project

From Megan Hall | 02:46

A portion of a live mix of Providence break-up stories.

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On February 14th, Valentine's Day, the Stairwell Gallery hosted the premiere of the audio documentary "The Breakup Project: Tales of Woe, Wonder, and Other Psycho Pop." The project began over a winter dinner when producers and friends Megan Hall and Sue Ellen Kroll commiserated about their own recent breakups- laughing about the difficulty of navigating social circles and small town rumor mills. The joke grew into a full hour-long audio presentation featuring the break up stories of over 20 Providence residents and live music mixing by Tom Van Buskirk.

The Valentine 1955

From Susan Barrett Price | Part of the Youth Epiphanies series | 02:20

Society's problem with race relations is played out between 2 little girls on Valentines Day, 1955.

Valentinegirlhead150sq_small 1955 saw the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and the beginning of school desegregation. They were unsafe and worrisome times, especially in big cities like St. Louis, where white neighborhoods experienced an influx of poor rural black folks. I went to a parochial school that welcomed African-American children, but my white parents were not so enlightened. This short-short story recounts a single moment in time. Valentine's Day, 1955. My mother had given me valentines only for the white children in my class and, at the age of seven, I faced the terrible dilemma of?what to do when a girl with a brown face reached out to get a card from me. Obey my mother or be kind to another child? In movies and books, children are often portrayed as wiser than adults. But in real life children are little mirrors of their parents, who in turn are often only playing out the larger issues of their society. It was a cruel moment. This production (narration + royalty-free music) was designed as a conversation starter for discussions about ethnic diversity and race relations. A video version with simple animations was screened at the 2003 United Nations Association Film Festival.


Interstitials (Under 2:00)

First Love and 27 Other Firsts

From Whitney Jones | 01:30

This is the story of the producer's first love and the many other firsts that came along with it, heartbreak and all.

2011__2700_-_version_4_small This is the story of my first love and the many other firsts that came along with it.