On Silence: A story told one letter at a time
On Silence is a literary podcast and research project made in collaboration with students from the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. We come together in a writer’s room dynamic to write a story one letter at a time. Contributors Dorsa Daneshvar Khoshkar Vandani Burcu Güney Yılmaz Shivang Ambardar Martyn Rosser Ellie Wilson Beth Parker Abbie Laycock Tori Wood Jo Major Project Leads/Producers Sherezade García Rangel Amy Lilwall
Episodes

Friday Jun 14, 2024
Letter Nine: Shivang Ambardar
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast. Our ninth letter, read by MA Creative Writing graduate Shivang Ambardar, returns to Matthew as he answers Tina's letter seeking help for girlfriend. Lucia's fascination with her family history and secrets are beginning to concern Tina. Twin brother Matthew seeks in this letter a way to connect to his sister.
Credits (Freesound): 02102 Slovakian Folk Band by Robinhood76, sfx_amb_forest_spring_afternoon-01.wav by bajko, Field recording in central London – binaural by arnaub, Walking on stony beach.wav by BonnyOrbit, Piccadilly_Circus_Ambience.WAV by habbis92, EustonStation_ST.wav by habbis9, Waves on the Lake by theshaggyfreak, baby_boy_toddler_kid_smile_smiling_joy_fun_happy_kids_infant.wav by ondondvo, Big Issue.wav by deleted_user_1116756, St. Francis Cathedral bells by ondrosik, Fujara by Ondrosik.
These are all available on Freesound under the Licenses: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0, Creative Commons 3.0, Creative Commons 0, Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.

Friday Jun 28, 2024
Letter Ten: Tori Wood
Friday Jun 28, 2024
Friday Jun 28, 2024
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast. Listener discretion is advised as our tenth letter contains themes of suicide. Read by MA Creative Writing graduate Tori Wood, this letter explores the blurring of superstition and reality inside a woman's mind.
Credits (Freesound): 02102 Slovakian Folk Band by Robinhood76, Estrange Music by Boodabomb, Breathing – Slow, Distraught, Tired by TomchikRec, Cigüeñas blancas: White Storks by aldeainvisible, Rowing2 by Juskiddink, St Francis Cathedral Bells by Ondrosik, Fujara by Ondrosik.

Friday Jul 12, 2024
Letter Eleven: Jo Major
Friday Jul 12, 2024
Friday Jul 12, 2024
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast. Our eleventh letter, written and read by MA Creative Writing graduate Jo Major, we hear from Agata on an important and desperate plea to sister Kaja, asking for her to return home. Will Kaja do as Agata requests? Will the sisters, after all these years, manage to communicate?
Credits (Freesound): 02102 Slovakian Folk Band by Robinhood76, sigh.mp3 by mariiao2, hang up.wav by THE_bizniss, Vintage Telephone Hanging Up by crz1990, Cigüeñas Blancas by aldeainvisible, Hang up Hang down phone.wav by davidferoli, Walking on stony beach.wav by BonnyOrbit, Waves on the Lake by theshaggyfreak, St. Francis Cathedral bells by ondrosik, Wind chimes 1 by giddster, Fujara by Ondrosik, Crux Fidelis Inter Omnes by Cistercians from Vyšší Brod Monastery.
These are all available on Freesound and Wiki Commons under the Licenses: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0, Creative Commons 3.0, Creative Commons 0, Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.

Friday Jul 26, 2024
Letter Twelve: Martyn Rosser
Friday Jul 26, 2024
Friday Jul 26, 2024
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast. For our twelfth letter, we welcome back MA Creative Writing graduate, Martyn Rosser. In this letter, Kaja mourns the loss of her daughter and implores the recipient to return with her to her homeland.
Credits (Freesound): 02102 Slovakian Folk Band by Robinhood76, 2020-06 Děti na hřišti by Marek 222, Estrange Music by Boodabomb, WomanCrying by Freya Maluk, Blackbird Crystal Palace by PeteWyer2, London Street Sound by Richwise, Fujara by Ondrosik.

Monday Aug 12, 2024
Letter Thirteen: Beth Parker
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast. Our thirteenth letter, written and read by MA Creative Writing graduate Beth Parker, we hear from Matúš Hudák, Kaja and Agata's father, on the story of their mother, the mysteries of her background, and their lives together. Will we learn more about Kaja's and Agata's mother? What was their family life like? What is hidden in the apple cellar?
Credits (Freesound): 02102 Slovakian Folk Band by Robinhood76, Cigüeñas Blancas by aldeainvisible, Girl, female, laughing, giggling.wav by SpliceSound, Laugh Man_1 20 years old.wav by Adrian_GenialSound, young girls giggling and laughing.wav by tuhinpaul, Laugh Man_2 20 years old.wav by Adrian_GenialSound,byssanlull.wav by drotzruhn, Waves on the Lake by theshaggyfreak, Fujara by Ondrosik, birds by ondrosik.
These are all available on Freesound and Wiki Commons under the Licenses: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0, Creative Commons 3.0, Creative Commons 0, Attribution NonCommercial 4.0.

On Silence Podcast
Eleven writers, four months, one podcast – the brief was simple. Our aim was to recreate the dynamics of a writer’s room to produce an original literary podcast series. During the second half of 2023, we engaged in regular meetings with our groups of writers who worked in collaboration to produce thirteen episodes. We chose to write On Silence in the epistolary form – a series of letters – in order to explore hidden conversations between family members, friends, strangers and confidants. Our writers were presented with the first letter, then instructed to continue the story. Each writer wrote, edited end recorded up to two letters; each contribution was rigorously reviewed by the other members of the team to create, what we hope to be, a cohesive, well-crafted narrative. The process – like the story – led us to surprising discoveries. Whether the experiment worked or not is up to you to decide…
Contributors
Dorsa Daneshvar Khoshkar Vandani, Burcu Güney Yılmaz, Shivang Ambardar, Martyn Rosser, Ellie Wilson, Beth Parker, Abbie Laycock, Tori Wood and Jo Major.
Project Leads/Producers
Sherezade García Rangel and Amy Lilwall.