Memoria

Between two worlds Podcast flash story by Lucia Benavides

The story is about the struggles of identity many migrants face; and the regret of having left home. It took place during a visit to my home country of Argentina. I had been living in the U.S. for 17 years at that point - after moving at the age of 9 - and had largely accepted my life in the U.S. by then. But it was during my uncle's wedding, watching family members dance around me and seeing them so grown and happy and different from when I had left, that I wondered: What would it have been like if I had stayed? I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had been robbed of something; of a life. I wasn't meant to live my life in the U.S., I was meant to live my life in Argentina. But, in the end, that's not the way things panned out.

Lucía Benavides is a writer and journalist currently based in Barcelona, Spain. Originally from Argentina, her interests revolve mostly around women’s issues and identity. Before Spain, she worked as a reporter/ producer at the NPR station in Austin, Texas. She’s been published on NPR, The Atlantic and LA Review of books, among others.

"What It's Like To Hear Paul McCartney In Liverpool," NPR
"In Search of the Naples — and Women — of Ferrante’s Novels," LA Review of Books
"Living With Gabriel García Márquez’s Ghost," LitHub

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

Between two worlds was written and read by Lucia Benavides. The story was sound edited by Natalie Vella.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About You Podcast flash story by Jennifer Crane

This piece relates to a dream I had shortly before the unexpected passing of my husband at our property. I ask myself every day what I could have done to prevent an outcome that devastated our young family forever. 'If only' is hard to live with and writing the words doesn't answer the questions but expresses the pain.

 

Jennifer Crane holds a Master of Letters, lives in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and has been published in a number of formats and genre, She has a love of horses, a passion for the well-being benefits of writing and volunteers to facilitate the craft of writing workshops for veterans.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written, produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

About You was written and read by Jennifer Crane.  The story was sound edited by Natalie Vella.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Silent Sisters Podcast flash story by Jay Alter

I wanted to explore a moment in my life that fills me with regret to this day. It was life-changing, not only for myself but for my entire family.

I'm just sharing my story.

 

About the author

Jay Elle Alter is an Australian based creative studying Journalism at Charles Sturt University. Living in Armidale in the New England Region of New South Wales with her husband, cats and german shepherd Vader, she has a passion for the creative industries, making her a long-time writer, artist and crafter. With no published works to date, Jay Elle is an up and comer to watch out for!

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written, produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

Silent Sisters was written and read by Jay Alter.  The story was sound edited by Natalie Vella.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Who in the kitchen of my childhood Podcast flash story by Marina Byrne

I come from a family of 8 kids. We had very little money and I always had the sense that I needed to walk on eggshells to avoid triggering simmering tensions. With so many kids to feed, the kitchen in my childhood house was always in use and was the backdrop to a lot of conflict.

Winner of the 2018 QWC Flash Fiction prize, I have been writing for many years. I write and edit blogs, books and articles for businesses and other people through my business (Marina Catherine Editing Services), but love to work on my own creative writing projects when time permits.

Her website.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

Dr Who in the kitchen of my childhood was written and read by Marina Byrne.  The story was sound edited by Jen Farrow

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The rollerskaters Podcast flash story by Suzanne Hermanoczki

The Roller-skaters is a short memoir piece about roller skating. My best friend’s dad used to take a whole bunch of us kids either to the rink or the drive-in. The rink was one of those 80’s Terminator and Stranger Things all-ages kids’ with big hair hang out kinda place; with video games, a DJ and a disco ball – and skating.

 

Suzanne Hermanoczki is a writer and teacher of creative writing. Her writing has been published in local and international publications including the Australian Multilingual Writing Project, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, TEXT and Verge Anthology. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Melbourne, where she currently works.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

The Rollerskaters was written and read by Suzanne Hermanoczki.  The story was sound edited by Natalie Vella.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An L-shaped room Podcast flash story by Maria Griffin

This is about processing a profound life transition. I was a chronic insomniac and operated on about 3-4 hours of sleep for the first 9 months of my daughter's life. I had very low coping resources and found the first year of being a mother very hard. Recently, I recalled these half-awake hallucinations experienced while breastfeeding her in the night. 

Maria's work appears/is forthcoming in Southerly, Not Very Quiet, Right Now, L’Ephemere Review, Talking Writing, StylusLit. In 2018 she participated in Writing In The Expanded Field, ACCA Melbourne. Her work was a runner up in the Grace Marion Wilson Emerging Writers competition in 2020.

 

 

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella

An L-shaped room was written and read by Maria Griffin.  The story was sound edited by Natalie Vella.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So now I’m lying in bed and listening to the rain.
The sky is grey and heavy, the rain is heavy and wet.
Fat drops fall to the concrete like drip drip drip.
I could be anywhere in the world but I’m not.
I’m in Budapest and the city is crying big fat tears.
The Danube is flowing and filling, the Danube is threatening to flood.
I’m safe in my bed and I’m sad it my apartment and I don’t know why.

   

This piece was written while I was working as a tour guide in Europe and essentially questioning what the hell I was doing there. The piece moves back and forth between Budapest and Melbourne and is about missed opportunities and missing home.

Patrick's first word was ‘No’ and he's spent the majority of his life attempting to remedy that attitude. When he's not writing he's walking, be it across countries, through mountains or to his local pub, taking curious baby steps to wherever it is he's going. You can keep up with him – he's really very slow – at www.patboxall.com

Pat is also the winner of 2020 Stuart Hadow short story competition.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie Vella.

I carried him was written and read by Pat Boxall.  The story was sound edited by Jen Farrow.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The joint was artfully constructed with three Tally Hos; a sort of stoner oragami. I sparked it behind Grandpa’s old shearing shed and it smouldered in the stifling Christmas Eve sun. Inhaling deeply, I felt my eyes droop and my brain numb.

   

As a teenager on Christmas Eve, I escape the watchful eyes of my relatives for a moment of solitude. However, when a fire breaks out, the family must come together in a collective effort to save the farm.

Nick Orchard is a Melbourne-based writer, social worker and former professional rapper. Nick has previously published on The Dad Website, and is currently writing a novel exploring themes of homelessness, community and overcoming trauma.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie V.

I carried him was written and read by Nick Orchard.  The story was sound edited by Jen Farrow.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was in labour - 20 weeks too early. The doctor was hopeful that they could slow the contractions and delay labour as my membranes had not yet ruptured. He did an ultrasound, sending images of our baby boy onto the small monitor. The baby was okay but if he was born they wouldn’t be able to do anything to save him – viability was still three weeks away.

   

What happens when a baby is stillborn? It isn't something that is often discussed and we are rarely prepared for it.

In April 1999, my second son Brendan was stillborn at 20 weeks, his birth was traumatic as were the years following with grief and loss.

Megan Warren is an aspiring writer living in Esperance WA. She has a Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) and has facilitated writing and creativity workshops. Megan writes on the topics of pregnancy loss, stillbirth and grief.

Writing My Way through Grief in Surviving My First Year of Child Loss: Personal Stories from Grieving Parents, Nathalie Himmelrich, Ed. 2017.

 

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie V.

I carried him was written and read by Megan Warren.  The story was sound edited by Jen Farrow.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Chinese herbalist is coming down off E

She drinks diuretic tea on weekdays / on Sundays takes MD

She talks the walk / connect the dots / as she aligns my chi

Dysfunctional / functional / holistic / ballistic

This lifestyle’s feeling so sadistic

   

In my quest for health, I became sicker and sicker. I followed the advice of people in the fitness and wellness industries and ended up with chronic hives. My poem is a rant against the world that's more interested in creating a "picture of health" than anything real.

Jenny Hedley's writing appears in SCUM, Gone Lawn, Travel Play Live magazine and Vanishing Act. She studies creative writing at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Acknowledgements:

Memoria was written,  produced, edited and presented by Natalie V.

I can see through your Lululemons was written and read by Jennifer Hedly.  The story was sound edited by Jen Farrow.

Music in this episode was by Blue Dot Sessions,   Sage the Hunter, When in the West and The Envelope.

Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.