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Description
FICTION
There’s the family you grew up with: your mom, your dad, your siblings. And then, there’s the family you carry around in your head for the rest of your life. This show is about that second family, the one that lives within.
From Mermaid Palace, Sharon Mashihi brings you Appearances, a one woman audio show that straddles the line between fiction and truth. Appearances brings to life an Iranian American family and community through the real and fantastical mental machinations of Melanie Barzadeh. Melanie is in her mid 30’s and desires nothing more than to become a mother. The difficulty of finding the right partner seems to be directly connected to the struggles witnessed in her home throughout her entire childhood. As Sharon Mashihi voice-acts all the characters in one family, the depth of the love, pain, and struggle is felt with honesty and humour at every turn.
There’s the family you grew up with: your mom, your dad, your siblings. And then, there’s the family you carry around in your head for the rest of your life. This show is about that second family, the one that lives within.
From Mermaid Palace, Sharon Mashihi brings you Appearances, a one woman audio show that straddles the line between fiction and truth. Appearances brings to life an Iranian American family and community through the real and fantastical mental machinations of Melanie Barzadeh. Melanie is in her mid 30’s and desires nothing more than to become a mother. The difficulty of finding the right partner seems to be directly connected to the struggles witnessed in her home throughout her entire childhood. As Sharon Mashihi voice-acts all the characters in one family, the depth of the love, pain, and struggle is felt with honesty and humour at every turn.
11 Episodes
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1An audio mindtrip about an Iranian American woman, the family she carries around in her head, and the family that she wants to have.
Part A of the prologue is a note from Sharon about why this podcast is labeled "fiction". Part B is a history of the town of Great Neck, as told by Faribah, the neighbor across the street. As Faribah always likes to say, "In this neighborhood, the windows are very important. What can you see when you look out of them, and what can everybody else see when they look in?"
In this episode, we meet Melanie, her family—who appear as voices in her head—and her ill-fated lover as they discuss potentially having a baby, and her first pregnancy 9 years ago.
[This episode contains scenes that deal with difficult topics, including abortion, and may be distressing for some listeners.]
Melanie is at her brother’s wedding and feeling out of place. She is unsure about long term relationships, so she takes us inside the intimate details of her parents’ marriage to find out why.
This episode belongs to Vida, Melanie’s mom. We twist and turn through the caverns of her past and present to understand what it feels like, as Vida puts it, "to live with your heart outside your body."
Melanie asks: Is it still worth trying to make it work with men?
While Melanie is preparing physically and spiritually to get pregnant, she receives news that yet again makes her spiral into uncertainty.
Melanie begins the process of acquiring sperm and getting pregnant.
It worked. Now Melanie has a secret. Only one person knows it. That one person... is Sharon Mashihi.
This is the episode where Melanie has to tell her mother. She is terrified.
The finale.
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Each episode I think to myself this is it! This show can not be more complicated but then Sharon comes into the show talks to the audience! Honestly I felt like it kinda can be my own story even though I'm not pregnant(that might be because of me being a man!) but I can relate to this show like it happened to me!
So I've listened to the previous episodes and I was blown away already At the very moment I thought this show cannot be more creative, Melanie's middle finger saluted me and here we go! For the sake of nothing, I admit that i created my own versions of Fariba my entire life so right now im not sure weather feel less weirdo or as much as I felt already
I mean Sharon truly is incredible!
So I have listened to your episode on the "heart" show and I fucking loved it. I wanted to sleep and before that start reading a new book but found myself subscribed to the 'appearance 'and listening to this episode. I just can't put my phone away and start with my book or sleeping. You are so creative and such an amazing storyteller.
If it was not for the “Truth” podcast I couldnt find this.
Thanks to the Truth podcast I found your podcast. Nice start
LOL 😂😂😂 great podcast!
Cried my ass off. Beautiful story, so honest and real.
I really the pod! The back and forth comments with the author and main character is pretty cringey though.
I just couldn't make myself listen to it till the end. That's too raw and honest. It really feels like looking at a piece of rotten flesh. All this screaming while recreating the labor is terrifying. Weren't you supposed to use TW? It's cool that you keep exploring the field of "audio crafting" but at some point it turned awkward.
god damn it! I wanted it to be happily ever after with andrew.