Friday, March 14, 2008

Charlie on NPR

Just a quick demi-post to let you know that one of my commentaries aired on National Public Radio last night. It was a surprise to me--a quick substitution for something that fell through in last night's All Things Considered program. Titled, "A Delightful, Awful Marriage to a Pet Parrot," you can listen to it by clicking here.

As of 9 AM Friday, the piece has climbed to #7 on NPR's Most E-mailed Stories list, which means it'll make it to NPR's weekly podcast, and get heard by all the folks who are too busy to sit around the radio in the afternoon. If you'd care to email it to a friend (you can do that with a click on its NPR page), maybe it'll climb higher! All cause for celebration around the house. I hand-fed Charlie a big warm wad of mashed baked sweet potato and gave him some extra hugs and kisses this morning for sticking with me.
Though I've been braced for hatemail from parrot fanciers, so far there's been none. I got an interesting email from a woman who rescues cockatoos, thanking me for telling it like it is where living with parrots is concerned. "If you keep even one person from going out and buying a parrot, you deserve a medal," she wrote. She directed me to a site warning people against buying cockatoos. Though cockatoos are special head cases in captivity, much of what appears on this site applies to other large parrots and macaws. It's well-written and honest. I wish I'd been able to visit this site in 1986... Check it out.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Turn on Your Radio

This just in: I've been told that one of my commentaries will air this afternoon (Wednesday, August 22) on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. It will air in the first half of the second hour of the show. Here in the Eastern time zone, that would have it airing between 5 and 5:30 p.m., since our show starts at 4 p.m. It should air right after a story about a survey of married couples.

The piece is about some of the things that happen (and don't) when you've been married for a long time.

It's been a bit of a dry spell; I haven't been on the air since May, when I admitted to doing dastardly things to house sparrows. There wasn't a Zick embargo that I know of; I was just traveling too darn much to write or record anything. This is a piece that NPR's been holding for a couple of years, and my genius editor remembered it and found that it fit right in with a story that came up. Hope you can tune in and hear it! If you miss it, listen here after 7 p.m. today.

In another bit of shameless self-promotion, I've received word today that Letters from Eden is one of five finalists for a Great Lakes Book Award. Didn't win it, but it's a finalist. Not going to argue with that. Life is good.

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