Hearing Voices - Radio Stories / Health

Grandmother: A Story of Aging, Decline and Love 8:16 Jake Warga

The producer chronicles the life and decline of his paternal grandmother. As she grew older, she mistook him for his father, who had already died. Warga tells the story of how and when she started to forget things as she entered her 90s. [transcript]

Broadcast: Oct 6 2005 on NPR All Things Considered Subjects: Senior, Family, Health

The Music of Life 4:50 Ben Adair

Nanoscientist Andrew Pelling and media artist Anne Niemetz came together to create music from cellular sounds. Dark Side of the Cell is a concert that includes the unadulterated tones of healthy cells, the static-like noise of human cancer cells and almost meditative sounds of yeast cells recovering from given birth. Produced for KPCC- Southern California Public Radio series Pacific Drift.

Broadcast: May 28 2005 on APM Weekend AmericaSeries: Pacific Drift Subjects: Health, Science, Technology, Acoustic

Portrait of a Plague 59:00 Radio Diaries, Sandra Rattley, Sound Portraits & [Hearing Voices]

A (((Hearing Voices))) World AIDS Day special. Hosted by Joe Richman, of Radio Diaries, featuring: "Just Another Day At the Biggest Hospital In the World" by Joe Richman & Sue Johnson- Sister Agnes Ramashiga makes her rounds at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto; 2000 patients check in daily, half are HIV positive. "Memory Box Project" by Sandra Rattley- Africa Learning Channel AIDS workers in Africa share what's kept inside "memory books" and "memory boxes," keepsakes that help children orphaned by the AIDS virus to remember their parents. "A Positive Life- Tanya" by Stephen Smith & Stephanie Curtis of American RadioWorks- HIV-Positive teenagers document their lies with tape-recorder. "Counting" by Lisa Buscani- The poet's mom has some direct advice. "And Trouble Came: An African AIDS Diary" by Laura Kaminsky- A compositon for viola, cello, piano, and for a narrator, reciting poems, biblical verse, and stories of Tamakloe, a warrior, tailor, and AIDS victim. "Lazarus" by Krandall Kraus- AIDS, for most people, once meant death, Now improved treatments keep HIIV-positive people alive for decides; so what’s that like, being brought back from the dead? "Letters to Butchie" by Dave Isay of Sound Portraits- a dying mother’s letters to a son she'll never see. More audio, info and links...

Broadcast: Dec 1 2004 on HV SpecialSeries: Hearing Voices- Specials Subjects: Health, Specials, International

Detail of painting Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Lazarus/ Living with AIDS 2:56 Krandall Kraus

AIDS, for most people, once meant death. Now improved treatments keep HIV-positive people alive for decades. So what’s that like, being brought back from the dead; as when Jesus revived his dead friend Lazarus. An audio essay from the author of It’s Never About What It’s About; What We Learned About Living While Waiting to Die. [transcript]

Broadcast: Nov 27 2004 on APM Weekend America Subjects: Health, Commentary

Disney Death 5:54 Jake Warga

Did Walt Disney have an obsession with death? The demise of Disney characters, from Bambi’s mom to Old Yeller, provides many children their first glimpse of violent death.

Broadcast: Nov 20 2004 on PRI/WNYC Studio 360 Subjects: Historical, Health, Entertainment, Children

Breast Cancer Monologs 8:20 Dmae Roberts

(8:20) Three women, a Chicana, African American and Romanian immigrant, describe their different approaches to surviving breast cancer. Produced as part of the Breast Cancer Project, with Miae Kim, Anca Micheti, and music by Maria Esteves, as part of the Breast Cancer Project; a collaboration with Stories1st.org. [transcript]

Broadcast: Oct 19 2004 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: Women, Health

Blind Dog 4:34 Scott Carrier

Fritz the dog loves to play Frisbee. He still catches it most of the time, though not as much as he used to… before he went blind. Somehow the sightless German Shepherd manages to hear and catch the flying disk mid-air. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jun 17 2004 on NPR Day to Day Subjects: Health, Sports

Ayahuasca Tourism 17:00 John Rieger

Imagine a cross between electro-convulsive therapy and being kidnapped by a catholic religious cult and indoctrinated with prayer under the influence of powerful hallucinogens and Marlboro smoke on the edge of the Peruvian Amazon jungle. [transcript]

Broadcast: Feb 13 2004 on PRI/MPR Savvy Traveler Subjects: Travel, Health, International, Native

My Guitar is Better than Prozac 1:50 Viki Merrick

Maynard Silva, a sign painter and blues musician, finds that the therapeutic value of playing guitar beats any drug. [transcript]

Broadcast: Jan 26 2004 on NPR Day to DaySeries: WCAI/WNAN Sonic IDs Subjects: Music, Health

Living Without 7:01 Sarah Vowell

The producer ponders the alienation and embarrassments caused by her wheat-allergies. She reveals her until now secret obsession with a magazine devoted to helping people with food allergies, a cheerful journalism of deprivation with such helpful articles as "When the Holidays Make You Sick."

Broadcast: Jan 9 2004 on PRI/WBEZ This American Life Subjects: Health, Food