Feb 14
“The Heart” from Mermaid Palace, CBC Podcasts, and Radiotopia from PRX Present “Sisters,” A New Five-Part Podcast Series
The deeply personal and candid series from Kaitlin Prest and Natalie Prest excavates the archive of a sister relationship from birth to middle age while delving into the complexity of siblinghood, mental health, and family history
Audio arts company Mermaid Palace, CBC Podcasts, and Radiotopia from PRX today launched “Sisters,” a new five-part narrative nonfiction podcast series from the Peabody Award-nominated and Prix Italia-winning podcast “The Heart.”
“The Heart: Sisters” is available via “The Heart” podcast feed. The first episode of the series is available today and new episodes will be released weekly on Tuesdays through March 14, available free to listeners on-demand across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pocket Casts, and Overcast.
For more than a decade, “The Heart” has created richly-woven narratives exploring love, power, and unspoken truths. Now, show creator Kaitlin Prest teams up with Natalie Prest to bring audiences a gripping, sound-rich, and personal exploration of the greatest love story of all: the one we’re born into. Featuring archival audio that spans an entire lifetime and a gripping, dreamlike narrative style, “Sisters” follows the journey of an older and younger sister from birth to middle age, from sibling rivals to best friends. In the height of their golden age they decide to risk it all. They decide to work together, and their relationship gets put to the test in ways neither of them could have anticipated.
The first episode shares a classic story of older younger siblings: competing for attention, petty jealousies, and family fights. Future episodes will traverse through Katilin and Natalie’s 20s and 30s, living separate lives but returning to one another when they can. Then, when Kaitlin and Natalie decide to tell the story of their connection through art, Kaitlin becomes Natalie’s boss, not just an older sister. During this period, Kaitlin is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and the sisters navigate important questions of how to have a healthy relationship while they face re-emerging patterns learned in childhood, Kaitlin’s mental health, and the project of making this audio series. Can they live in harmony as adults?
“My mission as a writer and audio maker has been to create stories about love that tell the truth. This might be the most honest series I’ve ever put out into the world: the love affair that has been my relationship with my sister,” said Kaitlin Prest. “Natalie and I sifted through recordings that span across 30 years, and we worked together to tell a story about sisterhood that felt true to both of us. It involved a lot of arguments, tears, and revelations. It involved a lot of play, laughter and adventures. This series brings you inside of all of those moments, and paints a picture of what loving someone for your entire life feels like.”
“My sister and I have been making this series together in lockdown since 2020. We’re so excited to invite listeners of ‘The Heart’ into the world of this new series which tells the story of our journey together from childhood to now,” said Natalie Prest. “We’re excited to tell a love story about two sisters and hope this opens conversations around mental health and all the ways that true love can be a challenge. Our deepest hope is that it will resonate with people whether they have siblings of their own or friendships that hold the same intense closeness felt in this series. We can’t wait to finally release this audio artwork and hear from all the listeners.”
“The Heart: Sisters” is directed, co-written, and sound designed by Kaitlin Prest and co-written by associate producer Natalie Prest, with original music performed by Natalie. The production team also includes editor Deborah Shorindé, research producer Allie Pinel, editorial support from Jennifer Custard Jarocz, Aliya Pabani, Mitchell Akiyama, Meagan Castle, Fabiola Carletti, and Harry Knazan, and design by Jen Ng.
Cited by “Vulture” and “New York Magazine” as an anticipated release, “Sisters” was also recently cited as an upcoming series “we can’t stop thinking about” by “Lifehacker.”
Listen now. Additional series from “The Heart” are forthcoming in 2023.
About Mermaid Palace
Mermaid Palace is an audio arts company founded by Kaitlin Prest. It is dedicated to innovating and questioning the craft of narrative audio.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Radiotopia from PRX
Created in 2014, Radiotopia from PRX is the first network of its kind. As a network of independent podcasts, Radiotopia empowers audio creators with the artistic freedom to thrive on their own terms and to bring audiences inspired, high-quality, and well-crafted soundscapes. Programming from across Radiotopia has received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the Tribeca Festival, and the Pulitzer Prizes. Radiotopia has also been named one of the most innovative companies in media by “Fast Company” and was named network of the year in the inaugural “Adweek” Podcast of The Year Awards.
Immerse yourself in stories and conversations of all kinds — intellectual and emotional, real and imagined, entertaining and thought-provoking. Be part of a community that values bold authenticity and boundless creativity. Discover award-winning audio with vision at Radiotopia.fm.
