This is a really lovely piece. I welled up with tears as I listened early this morning; it brought back for me my own father's illness and passing. Dmae's memorial to her mother mixes nice writing, a soft delivery and recordings of phone messages to take us very quickly into a time of sorrow and heartache for a family. Yet the recordings of Dmae's mother's phone messages made me laugh. She had a cute way of speaking.
The piece ends with some healing words of wisdom, solace for the pain life brings all of us. This is good story-telling, personal and universal, an invitation to come in and then a light turned on in the darkness.
[redacted]
Posted on January 18, 2005 at 07:38 AM
| Permalink
This piece had me engaged right from the beginning until the last kick "end of message." Dmae's relationship to her mother is easy to connect with. The piece is particularly poignant as an audio piece since its focus on memorializing the mother is through her voice. Dmae's voice is also powerfully engaging.
Like the very best radio, this piece is both funny and sad. It also manages to be both matter-of fact, and tender…. and so intimate, it’s painful. The writing is just great, too, and Dmae’s reading is shockingly sweet yet also nuanced. At something like five minutes it has more to say about life, death and family than most feature length films. It’s a throat punch to the heart, guaranteed to leave you choked up. Dmae’s mother is everybody’s mother.
Since I joined AIR Media within the last year, I've seen the emails and heard about the reputation of Dmae Roberts. As I get a little deeper into what one might call the PRX community, I saw this piece and decided to listen.
Two things stood out immediately. The first was Dmae's voice. Unaffected and clear, I found it very easy to listen to and authentic. The second was the overall production. The writing was concise and the way the degenerating voice of her mother told the story through voice mail messages was extremely effective. Dmae has achieved a level of mastery that we may be in danger of losing given the state of commercial radio and the tendency of NPR to emulate it.
It must have been hard to create this piece, but it is one I will not forget soon. I hope I can create something as moving when my Mother dies. Dmae's reputation is well-deserved.
This is a very good commentary perfect for Mother's Day. The phone messages help tell a moving story about a mother's life and her death and they give the piece another audio dimension. How did we communicate with our mothers before answering machines by the way?
The actual time is under 5:00; there's a long music tail.
Dmae Roberts shares the last few years of her mother's life in a story that is sweet and touching without being the slightest bit sappy or overly-sentimental. There are touches of humor, a slow and steady dramatic tension that seems just right, and an intriguing ending. Dmae's tone and style are so natural your listeners will forget that they're listening to the radio. Mother's Day is an obvious tie-in, but anyone who ever had a mother would appreciate the story at any time.
Comments for Memorial
Produced by Dmae Lo Roberts
Other pieces by Dmae Lo Roberts
Rating Summary
8 comments
Charles McGuigan
Posted on April 25, 2013 at 08:58 AM | Permalink
Bringing grief to life.
This is an exquisite piece. No holds barred, exquisitely narrated, timed out perfectly. As beautiful a memorial as anyone could have. Thank you.
D. Cameron Lawrence
Posted on March 30, 2005 at 01:32 AM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
This is a really lovely piece. I welled up with tears as I listened early this morning; it brought back for me my own father's illness and passing. Dmae's memorial to her mother mixes nice writing, a soft delivery and recordings of phone messages to take us very quickly into a time of sorrow and heartache for a family. Yet the recordings of Dmae's mother's phone messages made me laugh. She had a cute way of speaking.
The piece ends with some healing words of wisdom, solace for the pain life brings all of us. This is good story-telling, personal and universal, an invitation to come in and then a light turned on in the darkness.
[redacted]
Posted on January 18, 2005 at 07:38 AM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
This piece had me engaged right from the beginning until the last kick "end of message." Dmae's relationship to her mother is easy to connect with. The piece is particularly poignant as an audio piece since its focus on memorializing the mother is through her voice. Dmae's voice is also powerfully engaging.
Jonathan Goldstein
Posted on July 01, 2004 at 09:33 PM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
Like the very best radio, this piece is both funny and sad. It also manages to be both matter-of fact, and tender…. and so intimate, it’s painful. The writing is just great, too, and Dmae’s reading is shockingly sweet yet also nuanced. At something like five minutes it has more to say about life, death and family than most feature length films. It’s a throat punch to the heart, guaranteed to leave you choked up. Dmae’s mother is everybody’s mother.
Paul Nelson
Posted on June 02, 2004 at 04:40 PM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
Since I joined AIR Media within the last year, I've seen the emails and heard about the reputation of Dmae Roberts. As I get a little deeper into what one might call the PRX community, I saw this piece and decided to listen.
Two things stood out immediately. The first was Dmae's voice. Unaffected and clear, I found it very easy to listen to and authentic. The second was the overall production. The writing was concise and the way the degenerating voice of her mother told the story through voice mail messages was extremely effective. Dmae has achieved a level of mastery that we may be in danger of losing given the state of commercial radio and the tendency of NPR to emulate it.
It must have been hard to create this piece, but it is one I will not forget soon. I hope I can create something as moving when my Mother dies. Dmae's reputation is well-deserved.
Sue Mell
Posted on May 08, 2004 at 11:03 PM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
Lovely and touching--a delicate journey through the process of coping with loss.
Mary McGrath
Posted on May 05, 2004 at 11:15 AM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
This is a very good commentary perfect for Mother's Day. The phone messages help tell a moving story about a mother's life and her death and they give the piece another audio dimension. How did we communicate with our mothers before answering machines by the way?
The actual time is under 5:00; there's a long music tail.
Phil Easley
Posted on May 04, 2004 at 04:58 PM | Permalink
Review of Memorial
Dmae Roberts shares the last few years of her mother's life in a story that is sweet and touching without being the slightest bit sappy or overly-sentimental. There are touches of humor, a slow and steady dramatic tension that seems just right, and an intriguing ending. Dmae's tone and style are so natural your listeners will forget that they're listening to the radio. Mother's Day is an obvious tie-in, but anyone who ever had a mother would appreciate the story at any time.