The Heart is an audio art project and podcast about intimacy and humanity.
FICTION There’s the family you grew up with: your mom, your dad, your siblings. And then, there’s the family you carry around in your head for the rest of your life. This show is about that second family, the one that lives within you. From Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia, Sharon Mashihi brings you Appearances, a one woman audio show that straddles the line between fiction and truth. Appearances brings to life an Iranian American family and community through the real and fantastical mental mac ...
In Toronto’s downtown eastside, Moss Park’s encampment is home to a lot of people with deep ties to the neighbourhood. The site of the city’s first overdose prevention facility—a hard-won resource that started in an unsanctioned trailer—Moss Park’s residents are used to claiming space and fighting for what they need. Relationships are important in …
This story by Mitra Kaboli tells of a little bit of love found in an unlikely place: a natural disaster. As we cozy down and prepare to say goodbye to 2020, The Heart is here to wish you all some pandemic love for 2021.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
From audio artist James T Green ft. C’ne Rohlsen. “With this piece, I was trying to get down to the bottom of why I felt anxious in a world where it felt like I was losing control, either literally or conceptually.” Featuring music from James’ new album Molten <3. Donate to the Heart here.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
start searching for transformative pleasure. In conversations with trans viewers and makers of porn, Mara investigates porn as a healing portal for trans people seeking embodiment. This episode was written, sound designed & produced by Mara Lazer, edited by Nicole Kelly & Phoebe Unter and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. Part 2 of e4e, a mini mini series w…
Ari's fumbles with homemade dildos as a teen dyke riot grrrl leave a lasting impression that doesn’t evolve until years later, with an experience of embodied sex she’s never forgotten. This episode was written, sound designed & produced by Ari(el) Mejia, edited by Nicole Kelly & Phoebe Unter and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. Part 1 of e4e, a mini mini s…
Tarot cards, The Musician vs The Scientist and a crossroads at 39. Alone: A Love Story is an award-winning memoir podcast by Michelle Parise. Listen to the whole series, from CBC Radio. This episode was produced by Michelle Parise and Veronica Simmonds. One is a mini series about the lessons inside loneliness. This episode was hosted by Kaitlin Pre…
The finale.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
This is the episode where Melanie has to tell her mother. She is terrified.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
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One: do travel romances ever really work out?
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In the years after coming out, Vinh-Paul Ha searches for good sex, real love, and an elusive feeling of belonging as a queer Asian man on a series of solo travels. This episode was produced by Nicole Kelly and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. One is a mini series about the lessons inside loneliness. Vinh-Paul Ha is a death doula, writer, artist, tarot read…
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Episode 07: AKA Episode 6 1/2 [Indecisive Artist]
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It worked. Now Melanie has a secret. Only one person knows it. That one person... is Sharon Mashihi.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
Melanie begins the process of acquiring sperm and getting pregnant.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
While Melanie is preparing physically and spiritually to get pregnant, she receives news that yet again makes her spiral into uncertainty.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
Melanie asks: Is it still worth trying to make it work with men?By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
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One: sometimes it's lonelier in relationships
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Kamala wants to fill the empty spaces of her loneliness. This episode was written by Kamala Puligandla, produced by Phoebe Unter, edited by Nicole Kelly and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. Kamala is the Editor-In-Chief at Autostraddle.com and her first novel, Zigzags, is coming out on October 19th, 2020. Order her book here. Part 1 of One, a mini series a…
This episode belongs to Vida, Melanie’s mom. We twist and turn through the caverns of her past and present to understand what it feels like, as Vida puts it, "to live with your heart outside your body."By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
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Episode 02: A Person Who Has Never Even Been Married Fantasizes Incessantly About Divorce
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Melanie is at her brother’s wedding and feeling out of place. She is unsure about long term relationships, so she takes us inside the intimate details of her parents’ marriage to find out why.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Sharon Mashihi
Melanie, her family (the voices in her head), and her ill-fated lover discuss potentially having a baby, and her first pregnancy 9 years ago. Appearances is an audio mindtrip by Sharon Mashihi and Mermaid Palace. Subscribe to the series where you listen to podcasts, or on MermaidPalace.org/Appearances.…
In this episode, we meet Melanie, her family—who appear as voices in her head—and her ill-fated lover as they discuss potentially having a baby, and her first pregnancy 9 years ago. [This episode contains scenes that deal with difficult topics, including abortion, and may be distressing for some listeners.]…
Part A of the prologue is a note from Sharon about why this podcast is labeled "fiction". Part B is a history of the town of Great Neck, as told by Faribah, the neighbor across the street. As Faribah always likes to say, "In this neighborhood, the windows are very important. What can you see when you look out of them, and what can everybody else se…
Welcome to… Appearances, an audio mind trip into the fantasies and nightmares of Melanie Barzadeh and her quest for family connection, love and inner strength. It’s a new series written and directed by Sharon Mashihi. In this episode, host Kaitlin Prest talks to Sharon about how Appearances evolved from her 2017 audio documentary, Man Choubam (I Am…
An audio mindtrip about an Iranian American woman, the family she carries around in her head, and the family that she wants to have.By Sharon Mashihi
An episode from Spark, a show about daring attempts to create masterpieces and the mysterious process of transforming trauma into art. Chiquita Paschal returns to the beginning — and end — of her dream to become an artist to find out why the spark of inspiration isn’t always enough... and how the added pressures of having marginalized identities ca…
At an erotic play party called Neon Touch, two friends — Meesh & Mercury — feel sparks. This episode was produced by Nicole Kelly and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. Neon Touch is hosted by Meghan Gordon & Angela Penaredondo, who go by the names Meesh & Mercury when they play. Meghan is an artist and gallery director. Angela is a writer and educator.…
A trailer for our Fall season. Beginning August 12 and airing every other Wednesday for the rest of the year. Featuring the work of Sharon Mashihi, Kamala Puligandla, Vinh-Paul Ha, Ari Mejia and Mara Lazer. Produced by Nicole Kelly & Phoebe Unter, and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
When I have sex, I think of radio... Part 3 of a 3-part summer series. ⚠️ You won’t find these sweaty Audio Smut stories anywhere else on the internet or airwaves ⚠️ Part one was written & produced by Meg Frances in 2012 and aired at drive time on Montreal’s CKUT 90.3 FM. Part two was produced by Kaitlin Prest, Mitra Kaboli, Jen Ng, and Ray Dooley …
Gina Gold goes west in search of fame, freedom, and her first good lay. Part 2 of a 3-part summer series. This episode was produced by Ana Adlerstein in 2015, edited by Kaitlin Prest, and hosted by Phoebe Unter and Nicole Kelly. For more on Gina Gold and what she’s up to now, go to theheartradio.org.…
What would you sound like if no one ever told you that’s all a woman could be? Part 1 of a 3-part summer series. “The reallotment of material resources is going to be the only thing that will save us.” - Yocheved Zenaida Cohen Listen to Fuck U Pay Us and pay them! Support Yocheved Zenaida Cohen Produced & hosted by Nicole Kelly and Phoebe Unter.…
Phoebe has an idea of a white race traitor: someone who makes personal sacrifices for the betterment of humanity. Someone whose actions halt the patterns of white supremacy. She goes looking for one and meets Stephanie Hofeller. Part 4 of a 4 part series. Produced by Phoebe Unter, edited by Sharon Mashihi and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.…
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Race Traitor: what makes a mom a white mom?
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All parents shape our identities. Phoebe’s affluent white parents made a particular set of choices to raise her in an all-white neighborhood with a sordid history. Phoebe investigates what she inherited as a result. Part 3 of a 4 part series. Produced by Phoebe Unter, edited by Sharon Mashihi and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.…
In a community with a strict “no new white friends” policy, Phoebe asks: how does my being white affect our relationship? Part 2 of a 4 part series. Produced by Phoebe Unter, edited by Sharon Mashihi and hosted by Kaitlin Prest. Featuring Nicole Kelly & Kamala Puligandla.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
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Race Traitor: who taught you to be white?
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Phoebe is surprised to learn that even she, an angry Jewish dyke, still participates in upholding white supremacy culture. Part 1 of a 4 part series. Produced by Phoebe Unter, edited by Sharon Mashihi and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
So what’s the point of a crush? This episode was produced by Nicole Kelly, with anise cinquepalmi. anise is a poet teaching in Los Angeles. Find her writing workshop info on Instagram by following @bashfulhole.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
What can a body do? This episode was produced by Mara Lazer & hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
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Divesting From People Pleasing: Affirmation
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In the final episode of the Divesting From People Pleasing season, NK talks with her friends & Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis about some of the things that surround her personal narrative. This episode was produced by Nicole Kelly & hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
Meet Goldie. The cycle begins, in episode 1 of Asking For It, a new fictional series from Mermaid Palace.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
When trauma is held in the individual and collective body, shame, grief, and rage are passed down for generations. Part 3 of a 3 part series. Divesting From People Pleasing is a mini series produced by Nicole Kelly, edited by Chiquita Paschal, and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
The body has information. Part 2 of a 3 part series. Divesting From People Pleasing is a mini series produced by Nicole Kelly, edited by Chiquita Paschal, and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
As NK gets older, she gets smaller, she gets more and more quiet. But the self loathing voice in her head just gets louder. Part 1 of a 3 part series. Divesting From People Pleasing is a mini series produced by Nicole Kelly, edited by Chiquita Paschal, and hosted by Kaitlin Prest.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
How NK & Phoebe fell in art love.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
After a long break, The Heart is starting up again. Since we left, the world has changed. And we’ve changed too. At the core of the new Heart are artists Nicole Kelly and Phoebe Unter. Phoebe and NK started making a podcast called bitchface in 2016. They make transformative media that sets out to change how people see the world and themselves. Stor…
Named after the very bedroom within which many of the episodes of The Heart were made. In this ep you heard the singing of Sharon Mashihi and phone answering of Mooj Zadie. The manifesto writing of Nicole Kelly and Phoebe Unter, the mic meandering of Dylan Gauche, the phone answering of Mooj Zadie, the song of Drew Denny and Christina Gaillard and …
Our friends Cristal Duhaime and Mira Burt-Wintonick launched Season 3 of their amazing show LOVE ME. The story we are featuring from them is about a man who learned all about love while imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. Website: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/loveme/\ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbcpodcasts/\ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBCPodcasts/…
It’s here. Finally. All 6 episodes of The Shadows, presented by Kaitlin Prest and CBC Podcasts. Subscribe to The Shadows. Follow on Insta / Twitter at @theshadowscbc. You can find our FB group here.By Mermaid Palace, Radiotopia & Kaitlin Prest
~* Things are happening. *~ The Shadows, presented by Kaitlin Prest and CBC Podcasts, launches in late September. Here’s a sneak peek. Subscribe to The Shadows –> here.By Kaitlin Prest & Radiotopia
Kaitlin has a dream, and The Heart says goodbye (for now). Listen on headphones. Produced by Kaitlin Prest with help from Phoebe Wang. Thank you to all of the listeners who sent us your voices so KP could meet you on the moon. In this episode, you also heard the voices of Mitra Kaboli, Phoebe Wang, Jen Ng, Sharon Mashihi, Samara Breger, Meg Bell, J…
In 2018, The Heart will be taking a break. ~* The Secret Link *~By Kaitlin Prest & Radiotopia
Sharon is a weirdo and refuses to conform to cultural standards. Her mom does not approve. They confront their longstanding differences on a Persian self-help cruise.By Kaitlin Prest & Radiotopia
Growing up, Phoebe was a Jesus kid. In college, after Tinder-swiping her way to gayness, she comes out to Christians and hopes that they’ll accept her. In this episode, Phoebe goes on a mission to find out how people with fundamentally different beliefs, can be friends.By Kaitlin Prest & Radiotopia
There is a way that these narratives are supposed to go. But life isn’t simple and linear, it’s messy and loud, and everything keeps coming back again and again and again. This piece by Dylan Gauche won the Best Student award at the 2017 Hearsay International Audio Festival. [Trigger Warning]By Kaitlin Prest & Radiotopia
Being a queer or trans person of color is hard anywhere, but can feel especially isolating if you’re living in Seattle, WA. A heavily fractured city that is undergoing massive gentrification. Darqness, an electronic music collective, is working to dismantle that and bring QTPOC together. Producer Ellie Lightfoot, a Seattle native, spent the last ye…