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Stories you won't hear anywhere else! THE LIFE RATTLE PROGRAM BRINGS YOU
Radio program Update #77 May 16, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No.1256, we present an incredible story by new Life Rattle writer Bailey Green. With sharp and exact writing that delivers an excruciating emotional impact, Bailey Green brings us an extremely unsettling account of Rida, a young woman born in Afghanistan in 1990, and the trials her family faced, first at the hands of the Taliban and then, after they fled Afghanistan, the people of Turkey. Worst of all, were the trials Rida faced within her own family.
Radio program Update #76 May 9, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No.1255, we acknowledge this weekends celebration of Mothers with two classic stories of mothers lost, written by Victoria Martinez and Laurie Kallis. Rather than creating a “Happy Mother’s Day” program, tonight’s stories focus on the yearning to hold onto the woman who brought us into this world, or to find them and make a connection. They speak of our undeniable need to have our mother’s love and comfort bestowed upon us.
Radio program Update #75 may 2, 2013 It’s been about 2 years now since Life Rattle started podcasting. Our listeners are enjoying the use of this platform to access stories they want to hear, anywhere and any time they want to listen in. So we thought, why not make the whole Life Rattle library of classics available to our community? We will be programming a “Classic” show on the first Thursday of every month till we get the job done. And, with more than 25 years of stories in the can, we may be at this for a very, very long time. Enjoy! On Life Rattle Program No.1254, we present two classics from Life Rattle writer Mike Faye. The first of a series of sharply observed, vividly detailed and beautifully paced stories about a university student looking for summer employment and getting another sort of education outside the class room.
Radio program Update #74 April 25, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No.1253, we present three more stories from new Life Rattle writer Grace Jooyun Lee. With candid writing and a frank and authentic voice, Grace Jooyun Lee takes us to three different countries: in the United States we go on a road trip with her family and precocious younger brother, in Canada we accompany her on a foray into the East Hastings neighbourhood of Vancouver with her church group, in Korea we are with her on a plane, on her way to a birthday celebration, when she receives a devastating text message from her father.
Radio program Update #73 April 18, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No.1252, we present three stories from new Life Rattle writer Grace Jooyun Lee. Grace Jooyun Lee’s writing is guileless and candid, her voice frank and authentic. She is unafraid to show herself, laying bare the innocent, sometimes mischievous, and often funny, thoughts and emotions of a little girl’s world. Tonight’s three stories reflect the culture of Grace’s home country of Korea.
Radio program Update #72 April 11, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No.1251, we present two stories from new Life Rattle writer Niall Carson. In beautifully crafted settings, Niall Carson delivers character studies that offer unexpected insights. When a father and son travel to Ireland to attend a family wedding, old family skeletons and long standing tension haunt the occasion, and an incredible landscape, haunting in itself, takes on even greater force when juxtaposed with the characters of the story.
Radio program Update #71 March 25, 2013 On Life Rattle Program No. 1248, 1249 and 1250, we present a showcase of classics written and read by Virginia Ashberry. Virginia Ashberry's stories show a shrewd observation of human behaviour and a fine balance of toughness and tenderness. Her writing, sharp-edged, honest and believable, doesn’t pull any punches.
Radio program Update #70 March 14, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1247 features new writer Nikita Pchelin. Nikita Pchelin’s writing has a strong analytical sensibility. With a critical eye that misses no detail and sharp, precise language, he evaluates the world around him.
Radio program Update #69 March 7, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1246 features new writer Kiranjyot Chattha. While Kiranjyot Chattha's fresh voice stays true to her narrator’s youthfulness, she manages to present a candid self-awareness that is not always flattering. This honesty and her keen observations give each story a convincing sharpness that rings absolutely true.
Radio program Update #68 February 21, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1244 and Program No. 1245 features the writing of new writer Raj Asimi. In his writing, especially his stories written from a child’s viewpoint, Raj Asimi delivers exceptionally telling details and then grants the reader space to come to our own understanding of the situation. He trusts us to listen sharply, and to utilize the building blocks he offers to create the full picture..
Radio program Update #67 February 7, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1242 and Program No. 1243 features the writing of Sami Karaman. Sami is a very, very funny writer. His humour is subtle, rather observational and often situational—almost Seinfeldesque—seemingly about nothing but really about everything, including issues of identity and a young man’s place in the world as he sets out for adulthood.
Radio program Update #66 January 28, 2013 Last week, on Life Rattle Program No. 1240 and next week on Program No. 1241 we are having a Vaia Barkas travel-story fest—road trips for those of us unable to take a midwinter vacation. There are no “big events” in Barkas’ narratives, but she manages to make "not much happening" rivetting and entertaining as she captures the open-ended feeling of travelling, Vaia Barkas style. Her wealth of sensual detail places the listener close to the landscape and lets us watch the scene for ourselves. The characters she encounters on her travels are so sharply drawn and their dialogue so natural that you can almost feel them breathe.
Radio program Update #65 January 10, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1238 and next week on Program No. 1239 we feature five stories from new Life Rattle writer Andrew Ihamaki. Andrew Ihamaki’s storytelling is subtle. His observations are quiet and almost understated, setting such a reposed mood you can almost hear a pin drop. In his descriptions, he truly shows and rarely tells. Indeed, what he leaves unspoken is often more powerful than what is said.
Radio program Update #64 January 3, 2013 Life Rattle Program No. 1237 features a new excerpt from The Taste of Water: A Novel, written by Franky Dias. You will meet Grace De Souza, who has learned that her husband, Joachim, has died in a car accident. Slipping between delirium and lucidity, Grace examines her life, questioning the purpose of leading a good life—and even God.
Radio program Update #63 December 20, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1235 features two new stories from Diane Donaghy, who was a sensation at this year's Totally Unknown Writer’s Festival with her hit story “Ron and Helen.” Donaghy’s latest entries take us back again to the hedonistic 70’s and 80’s here in Toronto. This was a time when we all thought nothing could happen to us that couldn’t be cured with penicillin. It was a time of cultural and sexual revolution that Donaghy captures perfectly with an unapologetic style. I remember those times, and Donaghy has nailed it. Listen in for a very different Christmas experience.
Radio program Update #62 December 6, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1233 features a new story by Life Rattle writer Mark Bialy, and a Life Rattle classic by David Penhale. Both stories are thick with tension. Both are from the viewpoint of a young person who feels the strain between their parents and a grandparent. With reasons left unsaid, we, the listeners, are left in the same position as the narrators who squirm uncomfortably, unsure of why or how things went awry.
Radio program Update #61 November 22, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1231 features an incredible story from new Life Rattle writer Franky Dias's upcoming book The Taste of Water: A Novel. "A Spectral Sword Fight, the Alvares Spinsters, Dukor Dorju and Silent Salvador" like the book itself, weaves Mangalorean history, folklore, humour and irreverence into a magical tale.
Radio program Update #60 November 15, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1230 features a stunning new story from Life Rattle writer Donna Kakonge's upcoming book How to Talk to Crazy People: Vignettes of Sixteen Breakdowns. A collection that imparts a haunting comprehension of what it means to live with bipolar disorder as we watch a vulnerable young woman struggle in a desperate fight for equilibrium.
Radio program Update #58 & 59 November 1 & 8, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1228 and Life Rattle Program No. 1229 features new stories from Life Rattle writer Shane Driver, that delve into the profoundly complex tangle of love and loss within a family. Driver’s heart-rending honesty and his willingness to show each character’s, and by extension our own, deepest conflicts and vulnerabilities, makes each word ring true.
Radio program Update #57 October 25, 2012 Life Rattle Program No. 1227 features a classic by Laurie Kallis and a sneak peak at the work of new Life Rattle writer, Shane Driver. These stories lay bare the gut wrenching pain of divorce, the raw emotions experienced by every family member. No one escapes. With a reserved approach, both writers capture low-key details that build to a climax. You know where things are going, and you don’t really want to hear how things end, but step by step you’re caught up in the events.
Radio program Update #56 October 14, 2012 We are introducing a new writer and a new program time this week. First the writer: Zeenat Mohamed will be reading two new stories. One is about cute little kiddies getting thrown in the deep end...literally. If this doesn’t get you in the mood for the Halloween Season, you’re just not trying. A dead guy……doesn’t get any better than that eh? And for the program time change: We are changing our show time to Thursday evenings. That way you will have new stories to enjoy over the weekend! So, tune into the Life Rattle Radio podcast this Thursday Evening, and every Thursday after.
Radio program Update #55 September 29, 2012 This Sunday and Next, September 30 and October 7, we present stories from new Life Rattle writer Michelle Kathryn Duklas. Michelle’s collection of stories depicts three generations of a family coping with the failing health of their grandfather (Dziadek in Polish). With a wonderful juxtaposition of youth and old age, humour and sadness, and some ironic twists, these stories are both very touching and frighteningly relevant to all families.
Radio program Update #54 September 14, 2012 This Sunday and Next, September 16 and 23, we present stories from new Life Rattle writer Michael Dzingala. These sharply-written stories seem simple enough. But within their everydayness—making a personal shield in grade six, heading to a friend’s house to play the latest video game, a trip to a river for a swim, helping an older woman who has taken her husband to the hospital for a test—Dzingala skilfully notes details and observations of people and landscapes that reveal a lot more is going on than may first appear.
Radio program Update #53 August 31, 2012 This Sunday and Next, September 2 and 7, we present stories from new Life Rattle writer Shaan Gupta. Through his stories, full of humour and heart—from a child focused on his lack of Pokemon cards to an electronics store clerk robbed by a quick, do-rag wearing customer to a perceptive university student interviewing a ground-breaking scientist and getting the scoop on his new Aston Martin—Gupta shows us the life of a suburban boy maturing into a young man.
Radio program Update #52 August 24, 2012 This Sunday, Aug 26, we present two stories, a new story from Life Rattle writer Emily Smith and a Life Rattle classic from Elizabeth Clark. Both “The Fight” and “The Day Dad Died” reveal life in a family out of control—a situation far too common and one usually kept secret, hidden behind a curtain of shame and fear. With courageous, brutally honest prose, Emily Smith and Elizabeth Clark take us behind that curtain.
Radio program Update #51 August 2, 2012 This Sunday and next, Aug 5 and 12, we have a very special pair of programs featuring Life Rattle writer Diane Donaghy Life Rattle first featured Diane (then Diane Tiley) on the fifth Life Rattle show in December of 1988. That was more than 1,200 programs ago! This Sunday, August 5, we will feature Diane’s three stories from the formative days of Life Rattle, along with the original introduction by the late Arnie Achtman, who with Guy Allen founded Life Rattle.
Radio program Update #50 July 20, 2012 This Sunday and next, July 22 and 29, we feature a collection of stories by new Life Rattle writer Leah Jones In her collection, “Small Town Girl vs. The Real World,” Jones delivers a compelling series of stories that convincingly portray the coming of age of a young woman who moves from rural Ontario to attend university in the city. A series of firsts—first bus trip, first pub night, first house party, first car accident, first traffic jam and, almost, a first tattoo—these stories capture the trepidation and frustration of that crazy life transition.
Radio program Update #49 July 6, 2012 This Sunday and next, July 8 and 15, we feature seven new stories by Evangeline Torres Sled Just a little girl when she immigrated to Canada from the Philippines with her family, Sled’s stories span from her toddler to her teenage years, from prosperity to growing up poor in Toronto, and focus on her loving but complicated relationship with her father that sharpens in a poignant way when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sled is unafraid to show herself warts and all and her stories are by turn funny, sad, courageous, heartbreaking, moving, inspiring and, especially, honest.
Radio program Update #48 June 28, 2012 Specially for Pride Day, this Sunday, July 1st, we feature a new story by Nicola Holmes We’re talking PRIDE! here people…
Radio program Update #47 June 22, 2012 With crystalline prose, Rana Darwish brings us three tales of the new technology, the timeless search for love (with a twist) and the chaotic schedule that propel the life of a young woman as she makes the transition from student to flight attendant. This Sunday, June 24, 2012.
Radio program Update #46 June 16, 2012 This week, June 17th, we continue the tale of a Moscow family, newly settled in Canada, as we present three more new stories from Anna Konareva, recent recipient of the Mississauga Art Council's 2012 Marty Award for Emerging Literary Artist. With a hats off to Father’s Day, the final story, “Konarev,” centres on a long-distance phonecall between a daughter and her father. The bittersweet conversation, full of frustration and pain and love, reveals more of the true nature of father-child relationships than all the Hallmark cards on the drugstore racks.
Radio program Update #45 June 8, 2012 This Sunday and next, June 10th and 17th, you are in for a literary treat as Life Rattle brings you six stories from the recent recipient of the Mississauga Art Council's 2012 Marty Emerging Literary Arts Award. Anna Konareva This week, June 10, in the first three stories Konareva gives us glimpses of a family celebration in Moscow on New Year's Eve 1999, rural Russian holidays with Babyshka, and the shock of being uprooted from familiar culture, landscape and family and moved to Mississauga suburbia, all through the candid observations of a child.
Radio program Update #44 MaY 26, 2012 This Sunday, May 20th, we bring you two more new stories by Sonia Dhaliwal This Sunday's stories masquerade as tales of defeat and fear, but are actually stories of strength, persistence and hope. Dhaliwal delivers this complexity of emotion with vignettes that are clear, insightful and visually astute.
Radio program Update #43 MaY 18, 2012 This Sunday, May 20th, we bring you three new stories by Sonia Dhaliwal Sonia Dhaliwal's stories speak of refreshing unabashed youthful choices. Her accomplished delivery and brutal self-honesty will make these tales resonate for any of us who will admit to having been young themselves.
Radio program Update #42 MaY 4, 2012 This Sunday and next we will bring you five stories from new writer Sara Middleton Sara Middleton writes like an old soul for such a young writer. Her stories, quiet and spare, allow the reader to draw their own conclusions. This Sunday, May 6, we feature three stories. “Piss, Red, and Kayla” tells of a little girl, humiliated over wetting the bed and then manipulated by a schoolmate who blackmails her. “Luke” and “Greensides Farm” follow a relationship from the sunset glow of a romantic canoe trip, to loneliness and almost unbearable ennui. Next Sunday’s program, features two stories: “The Lucky Dice,” a tale of two tangled relationships set amidst the characters who frequent a neighbourhood bar, and “Eva Wilkens,” a powerful, moving account of a young German girl whose family opposes Hitler’s reign in Gross-Jestin, Germany, a small town that becomes a frontline between the Russians and the Germans in the final showdown of the Second World War.
Radio program Update #41 March 23, 2012 This Sunday and next we will bring you three new stories from Rocco Racco This Sunday you will hear the first two stories. “Alone” takes us on a solitary, but sensual romp through romantic Rome. “Study Time” is a classic tale of procrastination…on steroids. Then next Sunday in “Reciting The Times Table” we follow two young boys through a day of high competition as they each seek to prove their worthiness for the same pretty girl. The boys duel it out with math skills, skipping stones, stacking rocks and even urine becomes a tool in their drive for supremacy. Listen in to see who wins.
Radio program Update #40 March 23, 2012 This Sunday you will hear two new stories from Monique Nadeau Massabki and one from a past airing that we were determined to make available on podcast. Massabki’s style is to tell us one simple story with amazing insight, timing and clarity. I am always astounded how, with just a few visual details, Massabki has me sitting right there in the room with her characters. Tonight you will sit beside a grieving husband who can laugh at himself, an elderly woman who cheats at cards and a relationship that ends with a twist.
Radio program Update #39 december 30, 2011 This Sunday, we ring in the new year with a new story by Life Rattle writer Donna Kakonge Kakonge writes masterful prose. This week’s featured story, “Three Quarters,” is no exception. From the narrator’s struggle to place the haunting eyes of the woman who sits across from her on the bus, to the startling recollection of a childhood trauma, you will be spellbound. .
Radio program Update #38 december 12, 2011 This Sunday, we are giving you the best gift we could think of.... Janine Burigana's "Jesus Christ Kids It's Christmas" Almost 2 hours of rollicking, suburban family holiday fun. And, so that you can make this event a centrepiece of your celebrations, we will post this podcast on Saturday December 24th at noon. This is the funniest, droll, disgusting and heart warming story we’ve ever inflicted on our listening public. For more than 15 years, J. C. K. I’s Christmas, has been the most requested Life Rattle offering. Forget Dylan Thomas, play this one for the kiddies.
Radio program Update #37 december 16, 2011 This Sunday, Life Rattle presents two new stories by new Life Rattle writers Fong Hsiung The previous three podcasts Life Rattle has posted have brought you the whole Life Rattle library of Kwai Yun Li’s recordings, drawn from the stories you will find in her recently published collection titled The Palm Leaf Fan. Kwai introduced us to the intricate structure of the minority Hakka community in Kolkata India where she grew up. The background for her early life is this small community perched at the edge of rival national politics. This Sunday we are introducing two new authors from this very same heritage. Fong Hsiung with her story “Alfie”, takes us to Tangra, where Hakka operate many tanneries. Hsiung paints a metaphor for the striving of the whole community by focussing on one young man’s determination to overcome personal adversity. Tin Ling Chung transports us to Canada where a young woman comes to truly recognize all the sacrifices of her mother’s life in Kolkata, which have made her own life so rich with the comforts and love that “Three Brush Stokes” communicates.
Radio program Update #36 november 17, 2011 This Sunday, Life Rattle presents two new stories by Life Rattle writer Hina Najam Hina Najam writes convincingly in the voice of a child who quietly observes the world around her. This Sunday you will hear that voice in two distinct stories - both set in Karachi, Pakistan: one of a little girl who doesn’t realize, until she is in front of her classmates at school, that her beloved grandfather has passed away and she will never see him again; and one of a girl who witnesses the lives of two Sautans, the wives of one man whose joblessness and gambling obliges the women to works as maids in the narrator’s household.
Radio program Update #35 november 11, 2011 This Sunday, Life Rattle presents a new podcast with stories by Vic Gaysheyongai and Donna Kakonge “Buckeroo Bez and the Escape from the City of Lost Cause” and “Superwomon” share more than a reference to the fantastic; they also share hopeful determination. Both writers’ masterful use of subtle detail creates a dull, uncertain “here and nows” full of quiet desperation. In these bleak settings, we meet central characters who display incredible optimism and humour, and a degree of naive innocence, in their quest for a brighter future, with love and security and an ideal home.
Radio program Update #34 October 14, 2011 This Sunday, Laurie Kallis will introduce two widely divergent stories by new Life Rattle writer Donna Kakonge. “Church Sunday” has us tag along with a young girl who learns of charity, compassion and spirit when she escorts her Granny, who is visiting Toronto from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, up Davenport Avenue to a Baptist church where a one-legged woman stands outside the door and the preacher leads a raucous service where more Black people than the girl has ever seen in one place shimmy and shake in the pews. “Elephant Woman,” swirls us up in the dizzying obsession of a university student who, despite her dislike of the colour, cramps her stomach inflating green balloons, cuts her fingers stuffing invitations into green envelopes, blisters her feet hunting for the right shade of green cushions for her bed and runs up her VISA bill on a green bra and panties in a determined effort to win a gold nineteenth birthday prize—Alistar Abego—her current man of choice.
Radio program Update #33 sEPTEMBER 30, 2011 This Sunday night we are extremely proud to introduce a new writer: Kirsti Heitz. Heitz brings us a starkly emotional and honest account of the loss of a loved pet. A theme many of you will relate to. Heitz writes in an emotionally bare and honest style that lets us taste the tears and feel her mad distress.
Radio program Update #32 August 20, 2011 This Sunday night a bevy of Life Rattle Producers, led by Guy Allen will be proud as piss to strut our stuff for the last time on CKLN! We plan to go out with a bang…Good memories and Great Stories, by and about Life Rattle co-founder Arnie Achtman, all framed by a whole bunch of cuss words. The CRTC may have taken us off the air, but they can’t take the air out of our tires. Life Rattle will keep on trucking with stories from the pavement, stories that you love to hear because they are real. Life Rattle will continue to post regular shows on our own web-site at liferattle.ca till we find a new station to host the best story show in Canada. So, tune in to CKLN for the last time this Sunday night for a damn good time!
Radio program Update #31 july 2, 2011 This Sunday, July 3rd, on our CKLN Live Internet Stream, we will be airing two stories in celebration of Pride Weekend in Toronto. Norm Reynolds starts us off with a Life Rattle favourite "My Father's Birthday," a story of a son's coming out to his Father. Then, we bring you a story from new Life Rattle writer Mary Dytyniak. "My First Kiss," an excerpt from her novel, Guys Just Don't Kiss Like That, captures Dytyniak’s first lesbian romance, experienced while studying abroad in Siena, Italy in the summer of 2009. After the festivities of the weekend calm, come listen to Life Rattle's Pride Weekend offerings this Sunday evening. You won't be disappointed.
Radio program Update #30 May 27, 2011 This Sunday, May 29th, on our CKLN Live Internet Stream, we will be airing the last two stories in our Mini-Festival of Family Stories. Erika Bailey starts us off with a stroll past memories of family moments, personal regrets and acceptance, all framed by a frozen pond. Bailey’s use of the metaphoric sensory stimulation of winter will make you want to cuddle under that lap blanket you haven’t put away yet. Then you should grab an ice tea, throw that blanket on the floor, sit on it, and take in the deluge of family Jessica Outram is about to unleash with her story “Family Picnic Magic”. You’ll get a kick out of seeing all of your own family characters reflected in the Outram clan, as well as a cameo visit from Father Guido Sarducci.
Radio program Update #29 May 20, 2011 This Sunday, May 22, tune into CKLN Live Internet Stream, to hear the beginning of a mini-festival of family stories. Erika Bailey will will entertain us with a trip to Grandma’s house, where the kiddies are scullery maids, and I doubt anyone ever, even once, called the matriarch Granny. The story ends with wine glasses topped up and a pseudo-stink… (You’ll have to tune in to get that joke). Erika’s second story is a tipsy love letter to her father. An early Life Rattle Father’s Day salute.
Radio program Update #28 May 13, 2011 This Sunday, May 15, on the CKLN Live Internet Stream, Life Rattle host Rahul Sethi will feature three stories by Life Rattle Writer:
Mary Bronze writes stories with honesty. Through "The Bad Word," "A House and a Home," and "Sober," Mary sits us down, hands us a cup of coffee, and tells us about her life. Nothing is hidden in Mary's writing. She shows us her life through words written in HD. She tells us about her first cuss as a child in "The Bad Word." In "A House and a Home," Mary introduces us to a close frience, and her family. And in "Sober," Mary tells us about a relationship she is afraid is no longer organic, having become reliant on chemicals to feel connected.
Radio program Update #27 May 1, 2011 This Sunday and next, May 1 & 7, on the CKLN Live Internet Stream, Life Rattle host Guy Allen will feature new stories by Life Rattle Writer:
A writer who works between the lines, you will find Verbruggen's meaning among the beautiful pattern of details that she presents. These stories are part of the “Andrew Stories” series. When asked to describe them, Verbruggen replied: “I suppose the stories are steps in my post-divorce dating dance. Clumsy. Ill-timed. Sweet.”
Radio program Update #25 & 26 April 15, 2011 This Sunday and next, April 17 and 24 Yanique Bird will introduce new Life Rattle writer:
In his three featured stories, Racco deftly tells of a young teenage
Radio program Update #24 April 9, 2011 This Sunday, April 10, Nadeem Basaria really will introduce writer:
With two new stories from Bare Elements: A Collective Approach to Narrative Nonfiction, a recent Life Rattle Collection. With heart-rending honesty, tenderness and respect, Rachel James delves into the complexities of caregiving and the need for care. In “Diamond Heights,” Rachel pauses for a moment and reflects on her own life as her 101-year-old grandmother, coping with the limitations— both physical and mental—of her age, profoundly articulates her frustration; and again in her second piece, “The First Stop,” as she interviews Samantha, a twenty-year-old woman living in a homeless shelter. Samantha earns our admiration as shares her experiences and offers advice for other young women who face the same situation.
Radio program Update #23 April 2, 2011 This Sunday, April 3rd, host Nadeem Basara will present 3 new stories by: Yanique Bird Petura Burrows Sheila Stewart Writing through the eyes of a child: Deceptively simple. Extraordinarily difficult to accomplish convincingly.
Radio program Update #22 March 25, 2011 Hello Life Rattlers: Christine Zobniw You know, we women do like to talk about men…and Christine is no exception. She’s going to tell us about Slim, then Mark (not their real names…and who would name their kid Slim anyway? But I digress…). Tune in to hear what Christine knows about the homeless man on the corner (Slim), then even more about a gorgeous hunky guy with a shady past (Mark), who can grin and blush while drinking tea.
Radio program Update #21 March 12, 2011 Hi Life Rattle Friends, Robert Bickford and Norm Reynolds First, Robert Bickford’s sharp and spot on observations of a mother exchanging needles at an AIDS Resource Network office with her young daughter and Barbie in tow, a foodcourt conversation with Jian-Li, an engineering professor in Beijing who now works as a lunchroom and educational assistant in Canada, and the nervous tension when wedding day preparations go slightly awry will enthrall you. Bickford’s characters vibrate with life and intelligence and laugh out loud dialogue. Then, Norm Reynolds will make you laugh and then make you cry as he wraps you in the fold of his family, in their love and their pain as Dad learns of his son’s sexual orientation. Check the Life Rattle Radio 2011 page for schedule details.
Radio program Update #20 March 5, 2011 Dear Life Rattle Listeners, Mervi Maarit Salo Maarit Salo’s writing will take you to Sápmi (Lapland), the traditional lands of the Sámi people, stretching across arctic and sub-arctic Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. From these narratives—a nod to indigenous storytelling as a way to teach younger generations—emerges an alternative history to that found in books. If the Saami are mentioned in books at all that is...
Radio program Update #19 February 13, 2011 Hello Life Rattle Friends: Tonight, are happy to continue on the air on CKLN 88.1 FM—as we have for the past 23 years—thanks to The Supreme Court of Canada who granted a stay of the CRTC decision to revoke CKLN’s broadcasting licence. This is especially good news for those of us who appreciate fine writing, because tonight Guy Allen will be playing the first of a series of stories by new writer: Penny Verbruggen In tonight’s stories, Penny brings us to the painful world of childhood torments, a questionable high school teacher and a shopkeeper who tries to exploit a young journalist. You are in for a treat. Tonight at 9, tune in to CKLN 88.1 FM. And, Life Rattle has introduced something new — podcasts in the Radio section of the Life Rattle website. You will find recently broadcast radio programs online, and tonight, you will be able to listen to the first of three special podcasts in recognition of Black History Month. Tonight’s podcast showcases six Life Rattle classics by Selina Africaine and Kitty Molefe.
Radio program Update #18 February 5, 2011 Dear Life Rattle Listeners: Tomorrow we have a very special show for you! To mark Black History Month, Life Rattle co-founder Guy Allen will showcase two new stories, one new writer, and an interview with Kathy Grant, founder of The Legacy Voices Project, a national, not-for-profit organization formed to document, digitize and publish the stories and memories of Canadians and Canadian immigrants. In “Going Home,” new Life Rattle writer, Penny Verbruggen, writes of an ESL Teacher and a student who carries emotional and physical scars from his past in Rwanda. In “Martin Luther King Day,” Kathy Grant takes us aboard TTC Bus #32, on Martin Luther King Day. To keep the bus enroute to Eglinton Station, Grant urges an angry driver, and angry passengers, to show some love— in honour of King’s legacy. Stories you won’t hear anywhere else. On Life Rattle Radio Radio program Update #17 January 30, 2011 Our apology to all those who tuned in last week to hear Rachel James’ new stories. Technical difficulties at the radio station resulted in Nadeem playing an “emergency backup” program. The good point being that we had the chance to hear Denny Hunte’s class “Going to the Airport.”
Radio program Update #16 January 22, 2011 Happy New Year Life Rattlers:
With two new stories, the first of many you will hear in the next few months from Bare Elements: A Collective Approach to Narrative Nonfiction, a recent Life Rattle Collection. With heart-rending honesty, tenderness and respect, Rachel James delves into the complexities of caregiving and the need for care. In “Diamond Heights,” Rachel pauses for a moment and reflects on her own life as her 101-year-old grandmother, coping with the limitations— both physical and mental—of her age, profoundly articulates her frustration; and again in her second piece, “The First Stop,” as she interviews Samantha, a twenty-year-old woman living in a homeless shelter. Samantha earns our admiration as shares her experiences and offers advice for other young women who face the same situation. So tune in this Sunday, to hear stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
CKLN FundFest Update: To date, The Life Rattle Radio Program has raised $748 ! Thank you Life Rattle supporters....
Special Radio Update #15 november 13, 2010 Hi Life Rattlers:
We’re not asking you to help us…………..We’re BEGGING !!
Pledge what you can. Anything from five dollars to five thousand will be gratefully accepted. We’re not fussy. The fact that you take the time to call in and make any size pledge is an indication that you’re out there, appreciating what we do to bring you damn good stories you won’t hear anywhere else. THANK YOU
Radio Program Update #14 november 13, 2010 Hi Life Rattlers: Tomorrow night you will hear a very different story by McKenna, one about the death of a good friend. Usually, such events are described as sad, tragic, and painful. To my ear, McKenna brings us those emotions, but also a large measure of hope, dignity and love. That counts for a lot. Please listen in tomorrow night; it will be an important end to your week.
Radio Program Update #13 november 5, 2010 Hi Life Rattle Friends: Phillip Parsons will take you along with him on an anxiety ride that will leave you with a metallic taste in the back of your mouth. And Just when you think it is safe to relax back into your Sunday-night-sofa routine, Maureen McKenna will show you how, when the going gets tough, the tough get PINK. Listen in for your own personal preview of this year's Totally Unknown Writers Festival.
Radio Program Update #12 October 29, 2010 Hello There Life Rattlers: With Andrea Perera you will meet one gorgeous, tiny, perfect princess, then off on a trip to Egypt with a bevy of Sri Lankan "Aunties" and lots of baggage from home. (I meant to be cryptic there). And: Gary Markle will recall how, at a very tender age, he learned to dive in with both feet (I did it again). Tune in and find out what I'm being so coy about. You will laugh, maybe cry, and definitely hold your nose.
Radio Program Update #11 October 23, 2010 Hello Life Rattlers: Fareshta Wardak Fareshta Wardak and her family, fleeing war and the Taliban, left their home country of Afghanistan to move to London, Ontario, in 2005. Her stories tell of the challenges of adapting to a new country and offer glimpses of Afghani culture. We tag along with Wardak and Baba (her father) to a group job interview with a company that manufactures cutlery and food service equipment. While they wait, Baba whispers to her, “I think I deserve the job because I am an Afghan man and a Muslim and people will trust me in their houses when I tell them I sell knives.” We cringe behind the living room curtain and witness the heartbreak as she tells Baba that she and her sister intend to move out of the family home to attend university out of town. And finally, we fly to Vancouver, sing and dance, listen to the jingle of a daira—an Afghani frame drum—catch a few chocolates tossed from a be-ribboned basket and celebrate the arranged engagement of her brother, Afghani style. Join us Sunday night.
Radio program update #10 September 30, 2010 Hello Life Rattlers: We’ve got a brand new writer to introduce this Sunday: Kathy Grant You are about to be treated to a full half hour of Ms. Grant's reminiscences that take us from a painfully competitive 4th birthday party, to a deadly competitive corporate challenge. Kathy Grant says she's new to the writing craft, but you could fool me. Her stories carry me right into then noisy, cake smeared birthday scene, then onto a frenzied push for posthumous profits. I'm being cryptic here, but just remember...Greed Will Make You Grow and Prosper! Tune in if you know what's good for you.
Radio program update #9 September 2, 2010 Hello Life Rattlers: We’ve got another new writer to introduce this week: Jenny (Qin Chun) Zhou Jenny Zhou is working on her first novel, a series of stories that are a composite of women’s experiences she witnessed while growing up in post liberation Shanghai. The story you will hear this week is an excerpt from that novel. It shows us how a dramatic political revolution in China did little to bring any real change for woman. Kind of a “same thing…only different” scenario. So ladies, loosen your bra….and men…..I guess the equivalent is, you can undo the top button of your pants, relax and listen to a tale of suffering, determination, hope, and just a little bit of love.
Radio program update #8 august 12, 2010 Hi Life Rattlers: We’re pleased to present a new writer this week: Tamara Chandon Tamara has recorded a slew of stories based on summer work experience at a veterinary hospital. Her “Freezer Cats” series begins this week, and will entertain you with the sights, sounds and, yup…the smells of a tough job that somebody has to do.
Radio program update #7 June 27, 2010 Tonight's show has been pre-empted to allow for coverage of the G-20. Alternative media will be on the air during our usual time slot with news from this side of the big shiny fence. See you next week with Life Rattle Episode #1107.
Radio program update #6 June 19, 2010 Hi Life Rattle Sons and Daughters: Tomorrow night I will air two stories with a “Fathers Day” theme. We will hear: “Father” by Sarah Ward And “Taste of Banana” by Marie Hoy These stories take us along as two different daughters describe an opportunity they’ve had, to get to know the models of masculinity they call dad. After you listen to the stories, I’d like you to get out some note paper and jot down a quick letter to your dad. Whether he is alive or dead, missing, or you never met….just write the note. Send it off in the mail if you can, but if you can not…then keep it in a drawer and read it once a year at about this time.
Radio program update #5 mAy 16, 2010 Tonight, Nadeem Basaria will air the last two stories in Hien The Chu’s Vietnamese Refugee series. The first story, “The Secret of Boat 52 – 110 Mindanao,” is perhaps the most dramatic and frightening in the entire Life Rattle library. You will be exposed to the worst of human evil, in a calm, reasoned, observational style. Chu does not seek to impose anger, disgust, sympathy, or any other personal assessment of a very bad man. He simply tells the story, and in doing so, we glean all we need to make our own judgement. This is what makes horror useful. We personalize the experience in our own way, then go forward to more fully appreciate all the beauty that surrounds us. This is what Life Rattle is all about.
Radio program update #4 mAy 6, 2010 Hello Life Rattle MOMS and Friends: This Sunday we will celebrate Mother’s Day with the resurrection of a couple of stories by Ruth Schweitzer. These two stories last aired in 1996! We’ve been trying to lift some of these gems from the past, to make sure they survive into the digital age. Ruth Schweitzer brings us a young daughter’s view of her mothers tragic past, difficult present and uncertain future, while she, a young adolescent tries to fit into what she considers the normal life of the Queen and Spadina community of the mid 1960’s. If you are old enough to remember the Victory Burlesque, you will especially enjoy closing your eyes to remember “The Bright Lights of Spadina”, Schweitzer’s first story. Sit Mom down in her favourite chair with a wee glass of sweet sherry, rub her feet and tune in to: LIFE RATTLE RADIO ON CKLN 88.1 f.m. SUNDAY NIGHTS 9:00 to 9:30
Radio program update #3 April 21, 2010 Life Rattle Radio will showcase another new writer this Sunday, April 25th. Erika Bailey will take us on an exquisitely paced, intimate and eloquent journey through a marriage. The narrative drops by the lives of “Yan” and “Ree”, for a quick visit every now and then, exposing a snapshot of brilliantly sparse, but evocative prose….all we need to know as we peek through the curtains of their lives. So brew up a cuppa, sit still and listen in this Sunday night.
Radio Program Update #2 April 7, 2010 We will be airing a brand new writer on next week's show #1097.
Radio Program Update #1 March 27, 2010 Hello Life Rattle Friends: This Sunday, I will play a couple of stories originally aired in 1995. They are by Hien Chu. These stories are about the writer’s experiences after the end of the Vietnam War. They will take us with him to jail, then out to sea, and eventually into a refugee camp. This is riveting stuff and well worth putting up with a bit of fuzz on the recording. You will be hearing Arnie Achtman reading Hien Chu’s stories. It has been five years now since we lost Arnie. I think it is wonderful that he lives on through Life Rattle. I will send out similar e-mails to announce each new writer before we air their stories. Tune in, and let your friends know about the best bed-time stories in town. |
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