About I Wish

I Wish Letter: Click on the image above to see Sam's invitation and suggestions for collecting wishes.

Last June I made a deal with myself - to stop talking about my interest in audio pieces and to start making them. "I Wish" is my first audio piece.

"I Wish" is part audio, part mail art. It was inspired by a call for a mail art show a friend of mine put together, the theme of which was "Wishing Machine."

My idea was to collaborate with people - through the mail - by asking them to record responses to the question, "What do you wish for?" I started by making five pieces of mail art, each of which included a mini disc, an invitation to collect wishes and a small card with prompts on it. I sent "I Wish" packets out to five people - who I knew to varying degrees - across the country.

Three out of the five people sent their mini discs back to me filled with the wishes they had gathered. I used their wishes, along with those I had collected, to create "I Wish" - an audio collage of aspirations and longings.

Thank you Lori, for putting together the mail art show that provided the seed and the inspiration for this piece. Thanks to Sarah Cross, Dharma Dailey and Cat Puente (of Radio Rookies in New York City) for their willingness to collect wishes. I admire Sarah's ability to get those she interviewed to share their most intimate wishes; Dharma's ability to inspire and allow stream of consciousness; and Cat's adept interviewing skills. Cat's bits are the anchors to the piece in the beginning, middle and end. I am equally grateful to all those in San Diego, Washington D.C., New York, and Providence who were brave enough to share their wishes and I appreciate their willingness to deposit their wishes into this wishing machine. Thanks Box for listening in all sorts of ways. And finally, thanks Mom, John and Dad for all your support.

The music. Ah, the music. I used three different pieces of music to accompany the wishes. The first piece, "Deep Purple," is from an obscure album called "Travelin Light - Cookin' with Frank and Sam." It's an album of tuba and guitar duets. Who would have known? I like the mood it sets. The second piece, called "A Wish," is by Nubian artist Hamza El Din. The song is his wish for the return of his childhood village which was submerged - for political reasons - under water. The last piece of music is the great Aretha Franklin singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." This recording is from her "First 12 Sides" album. She was barely eighteen years old when she recorded it. "Someday I'll wish upon a star, and I'll wake up where the clouds are far behind me." Mmm mmm mmmm.

Tech Info

I don't know that I have much insight to share in the production and technology department. My mini disc recorder - a Sharp MT877 - was given to me as a birthday gift. Thank you, Jamie. And thank you for all the research you did on which MD recorder to buy. It's great! My microphone is a Shure SM58. I bought it because I was told it was reliable, that it had great sound and was indestructible. Check, check and check! As far as software goes, I use Audacity. It does the job and best of all, it's free!

Samantha Broun

About Samantha Broun

Samantha Broun has worked with youth for over 15 years. She currently has the honor of working with 230 alumni of the Met Center - an innovative, public high school in Providence, Rhode Island. This fall she will be taking a leave of absence from her job to learn how to make radio documentaries at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.

You can reach Sam at sbroun@metcenter.org.

Related Links

Salt Institute for Documentary Studies:
www.salt.edu