life rattle show no. 1248

Presented on THURSDAY, march 21, 2013

Hosted by laurie kallis

featuring

"Heat"
and
"Chicken Killer"

by Virginia Ashberry

tonight's Show

Tonight, on Life Rattle Number 1248, we begin a showcase of Life Rattle Classics, the writing of Virginia Ashberry.

Virginia Ashberry was born in Toronto in 1952, the youngest of three children. She left home at seventeen, married on her nineteenth birthday and had three children. She left her husband, took the kids when they were eight, six and three years old and went to live in Peterborough on mothers’ allowance. There, Ashberry put herself through university.

In 1985, Ashberry sold everything she had and drove the three kids across Canada to Victoria, B.C. She returned six weeks later to face the issues she realized she had run away from. “Things were difficult until I was forty,” Ashberry says, “but now they’re better.”

This year, Virginia Ashberry moved to Hamilton, Ontario. Early every morning, she commutes to Toronto, where she has worked in social services since 1991.

Watch for a collection of stories by Ashberry to be published later this year.

Virginia Ashberry’s voice will sound familiar to Life Rattle listeners. Ashberry’s loyalty, determination and energy kept Life Rattle on the air when she took over the helm of Life Rattle Radio after co-founder Arnie Achtman died in 2005. In this showcase you will have the pleasure of listening to her stories.

Arnie Achtman said Ashberry “writes in direct, accessible language. Her stories show a shrewd observation of human behaviour and a fine balance of toughness and tenderness.”

Ashberry’s writing doesn’t pull any punches. Her observations, even in these first two stories written from the viewpoint of a child, are sharp-edged. Ashberry’s writing always stands out as honest and believable.

Tonight’s first story, "Heat," is a haunting, extremely unsettling reminder that childhood is a dangerous place to be.

"Chicken Killer," our second story tonight is a timeless piece about the family dog, fruit trees in the backyard, and old-fashioned neighbourly spitefulness.

Please note: tonight’s stories contain intense and disturbing subject matter. Parental discretion is strongly advised.