Shedding tears is a universal human experience, but why and how do we cry?

American poet Heather Christle has lost a dear friend to suicide and must now reckon with her own depression. In this personal, lyrical book she faces her grief by researching the act of crying.

In her Ohio home, Heather assembles a “crybrary” in which she investigates the science and art of tears - from their chemical composition to their depiction in literature. She even mines the Internet for folklore and remedies.

Moving deftly between poetry and prose, she lays bare her own experience. She recalls crying in a car after being dumped, lying in tears on the bathroom floor after an argument with her husband, and her mother’s tears as she revisits traumatic family history.

The Crying Book is an honest, thought-provoking and surprising reflection on life, loss and mental illness.

In this first episode, Heather follows her preoccupation with tears back to its origins.

Abridged by Joanne Rowntree
Produced by Miranda Hinkley
Assistant Producer Alexandra Quinn
Read by Alexandra Metaxa, featuring Paterson Joseph, Alibe Parsons and Oliver Soden.
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Show less