Back in the Booth
When I first moved back to L.A. in 1995, I reunited with a friend from college at a mutual friend’s going away party. (side note: I ended up introducing the reunited friend to her husband, and the going away friend ended up coming back) I’d just moved back to LA myself from San Francisco that evening, and went directly to the party, tired and grumpy, with yet another friend.
I perked up as soon as I saw the reunited friend (we’ll call her Michelle). Michelle had worked at our college radio station and had made a great career for herself in LA in public radio. We sat by the pool table and I vividly remember telling her how much I loved the medium of radio and that one day I hoped to work in children’s radio. At the time, I was writing short stories and transitioning into writing for television. I don’t even know why this “children’s radio” idea came out of my mouth. But I guess deep down I did.
It was a circuitous route, through tween tv, adult novels, teaching writing to college students, to book festival participants, to eventually finding myself in children’s radio – er – children’s PODCASTING. It’s got a new, funky name, but at the end of the day it’s essentially children’s radio.
After creating Becoming Mother Nature I became hooked, and last week I was back in the studio with another project. For now, I’ll call it a kid’s political comedy. A childhood family friend has become my producing partner and we’ve got a cast of stellar voice-actors bringing the scripts to life. Oy it’s hard work, all of it, but it is so rewarding realizing a goal I’d set so long ago.
