My Mother Made Me from Radiotopia Presents
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment and PRX
4.8 • 11.2K Ratings
🗓️ 28 July 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Isabell is Jason’s mother. She raised him to be ambitious and selfless, which means she’s also raised him to be… overwhelmed. With life. But not to worry, Jason’s mom also knows exactly what to say to pull him out of a rut, which she does every Sunday, when Jason rolls up to her house for their weekly visit.
Thank you Jason, Isabell, and our Radiotopia Presents fam for sharing this story with the Snap!
This is Episode 1, “I Can Do Anything,” from, My Mother Made Me, a four-part series from Radiotopia Presents where writer Jason Reynolds and his mother, Isabell, explore their shared history, how she raised him, and what they’re teaching each other. It’s a love letter to their connection, an homage to parent-child friendship, and a testament to how growth can be perpetual, despite age or circumstance. Across four episodes, Jason and Isabell go deep – into birth, death and spirituality… but they also keep it light: pushing a cart through Costco, birthday lunches, and hitting the casino together. That’s just how they do.
My Mother Made Me is written and narrated by Jason Reynolds with his mother, Isabell Reynolds. The series is produced by Mark Pagán and edited by Julie Shapiro, with production support from Yooree Losordo. Julie Shapiro and Audrey Mardavich are Executive Producers for Radiotopia Presents. Special thanks to Levar Burton. Cover art by Jason Griffin. Theme song by Christian Reynolds. Mixing, sound design and additional original music is by Ian Coss. This episode was recorded at Snap Power Station, WAMU.
Radiotopia Presents debuts limited-run, artist-owned series, from new and original voices. Learn more and access transcripts at radiotopiapresents.fm and discover more shows from across the Radiotopia network at radiotopia.fm.
Snap Spotlight - Season 13 - Episode 35
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Snap Judgment Studios |
| 0:15.0 | My mother was 24 years old when she had me. |
| 0:19.8 | Her first born child, which while not at all strange, it seems to me now, impossible |
| 0:26.8 | young. |
| 0:27.8 | Most of my own time when I was 24, I squandered in random bars and random cities, |
| 0:33.8 | instead. |
| 0:34.8 | She told me that she prayed for a baby boy, and then she was given one. |
| 0:42.7 | She fed me, birthed me, bathed me, kissed me, sang me, read to me, and all the beautiful |
| 0:47.1 | things that mothers do before I burdened. |
| 0:52.3 | Before this wall of misunderstanding and bewildering that poisons our relationship had |
| 0:56.7 | even taken room. |
| 0:59.2 | Because I was first, for one full year, I did not have to share her. |
| 1:05.9 | I passed in her full and undivided attention. |
| 1:10.2 | Her eyes were the first thing I saw in the morning, and the last thing I stared into, |
| 1:15.2 | before she bundled me into a blanket at night. |
| 1:19.4 | I was not an exceptional child. |
| 1:22.8 | My first words did not erupt early. My first steps occurred far outside the statistical |
| 1:29.0 | average. |
| 1:30.0 | A birthmark, staying the side of my face, there was even talk from outside our house that |
| 1:36.2 | maybe I wasn't quite right. |
| 1:40.5 | But she treated me as if I were the special gift from God she thought I was. |
| 1:51.2 | No young herself so beautiful as if nothing in all the world could possibly be more important |
... |
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