The Crying Book

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The Crying Book, by Heather Christle: Episode 4

Episode 1

Episode 4

The Crying Book, by Heather Christle

BBC Radio 4 - The Crying Book, by Heather Christle, Episode 4

Poet Heather Christle meditates on how and why we cry.

Investigating how and why we cry, poet Heather Christle explores the relationship between a depressed 19th century author and her physician.

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 fourth episode, Heather explores the relationship between 19th century feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who suffered from depression, and her physician Silas Weir Mitchell.

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

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Book of the Week. American poet Heather Christle draws on scientific research, as well as her own experience, to investigate how and why we cry.

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The Crying Book, by Heather Christle

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