The Family Tree

Later this year I will be launching a Getting Better Acquainted mini series titled ‘Down to a Sunless Sea: Memories of my Dad’ about the my relationship with my dad, my dad's life story and his descent into dementia.The show will be be mixing clips from over 15 hours of interviews that I've done with my dad over the last 10 years with narrations based on these medium pieces: https://medium.com/@goosefat101 Additionally to the main thread of the show I've received The Pulse Award from the Wellcome Trust and British Podcast Awards to make some episodes that look at the science behind the issues covered which include dementia, heart conditions, mental health and euthanasia. https://fund.britishpodcastawards.com/news/50k-awarded-to-uk-podcasters/ As part of the requirements for this funding I'd really appreciate it if people who have listened to Getting Better Acquainted at some point since it launched in 2011 could fill in this survey: http://podcastviews.com It shouldn't take too long to fill in and you can select an option to be entered into a draw to get a pair of tickets to this year's awards ceremony.

This Christmas special functions as an epilogue, a coda, an outro and a final thought, for The Family Tree. Dave spends Christmas with Philip Beech and the Sullivans, and Jen reads a special Christmas story written by Mia. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron

In the final episode of the show, Dave and his brother go to visit their dad to say hello, and also to say goodbye: endings are more complex than a simple full stop. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron

In the last Cutting of Season 3, Dave reflects on accountability and forgiveness, and considers the best ways to end things by asking some big questions. We hear from past guests, new guests and listeners to the show, who talk about how they approach these issues. We also hear from Dave's partner, Jen, about how she has experienced the making of The Family Tree, and are introduced to a song written for the end of show by Martin Zaltz Austwick. The Family Tree’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts. This episode forms a kind of trilogy with these two previous Cuttings: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/cutting-6-the-big-questions/ http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/the-family-tree-season-2-cuttings-5-saying-goodbye/ Find our Guests! Martin Zaltz Austwick: Pale Bird, Song by Song Alex Iantaffi: Gender Stories Podcast Tanaka Mhishi: Tanaka’s work around sexual violence, The Consent Collective Oliver Thorn: Philosophy Tube Dr. Alice Tarbuck Dr Cathy Elliott Kevin Allison: RISK! Jenny Adamthwaite Dr Robert Poole Dr. Alexander Cummins Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad  

Dave talks to Mark about his role in the trauma his family has experienced, and reflects on the importance of accountability and justice. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron

Family is about more than blood. Dave continues rounding up the end of Season 3 by catching up with the extended family. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron

As Season 3 starts to come to a close, Dave catches up with the Sullivan family to find out how they’re all doing and what the future holds for them. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron

In the fifth Cutting of Season 3, Dave considers different elements of identity. He talks to Scout Pup about furries and puppies, and speaks to Alex Iantaffi about genograms, intergenerational trauma and mind plasticity. The episode features more clips from the Meg-John and Justin podcast, which consider hierarchies of love and relationships. CONTENT NOTE: trauma, holocaust, genocide and intimate partner violence. The Family Tree’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts. Find our Guests! Alex Iantaffi: http://www.alexiantaffi.com/ Gender Stories Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gender-stories/id1353717550 Meg-John and Justin (podcast, book, zines): https://megjohnandjustin.com/ Meg-John Barker (writing, zines):  https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/ Justin Hancock’s sex and relationship education for young people: Bish https://www.bishuk.com https://bishtraining.com/ Life Isn’t Binary by Meg-John Barker and Alex Iantaffi:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Isnt-Binary-Beyond-Between/dp/1785924796  

With no need to hide anymore and a firm plan for her future, Violita is finally ready to tell Dave exactly what happened when she became a liminal person. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Sam is back from Australia, and eager to update listeners on their new life. They introduce their friend, Tee, and Dave witnesses a new kind of liminal lifestyle. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Dave catches up with Ben and Kora, who discuss how things are working out for them in their new life as Ben, Kora, Nathan and jaguar. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

In the fourth Cutting of Season 3, Dave considers different forms of and approaches to therapy; talks to poet, playwright and performer, Tanaka Mhishi about consent, masculinity and recovering from trauma; and plays some clips from the Meg-John and Justin podcast, which consider social and personal scripts, staying with our feelings, and power. CONTENT NOTE: rape, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, mental health issues, racism, violence, trauma The Family Tree’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts. Find our Guests! Tanaka Mhishi: https://tanakamhishi.co.uk/ Tanaka’s work around sexual violence: https://www.angles.org.uk/profiles/tanaka-mhishi/ The Consent Collective: https://www.consentcollective.com/ Meg-John and Justin (podcast, book, zines): https://megjohnandjustin.com/ Meg-John Barker (writing, zines):  https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/ Justin Hancock’s sex and relationship education for young people: Bish https://www.bishuk.com https://bishtraining.com/ Tanaka’s episode of Getting Better Acquainted: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-347-tanaka-mhishi

Dear Listeners, The conversation I’m sharing with you today is the first conversation I recorded with Melanie after her escapades with Ellie. I don’t mind telling you that I found the whole experience extremely distressing, and it was important to me that I communicated this to her. I was a little more confrontational than I generally like to be, but I think Melanie and I both feel that our friendship has benefitted from frank and open discussion. Please don’t judge her too harshly. We are all navigating this situation the best we can, and while, in many ways Melanie and I are something more than human, we are also only human. Best wishes, Phillip -------------------------------------- The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Dear Listeners, Mark was a very dear friend of mine a long time ago, and his friendship with the tree is also rooted deep in my consciousness. I do find it very difficult to reconcile this with my feelings about his actions, particularly now I have come to get to know Melanie better. In the conversation I’m sharing with you today, I had the opportunity to talk to him about his decision to change into her, and about his feelings about having multiple conciousnesses within him. I found the conversation quite difficult at times, but ultimately, I think it was valuable, and I hope you will find it of use if you too are struggling with a changeling experience. Best wishes, Phillip -------------------------------------- The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patr

After Jane’s conversation with Mark, the recorder is left on, and accidentally captures Nathan meeting his father for the first time since his return. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Mark visits Jane, who finally gets to confront him about the effect his decision has had on their family. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

After meeting Ellie, Melanie is open to the idea of allowing Mark to the surface. Along with Ben, Kora, Melissa and Shajahan, she and Dave return to Goldsmith’s to attempt to bring Mark back. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

In the third Cutting of Season 3, Dave talks to Philosophy Tube’s Oliver Thorn, witchcraft scholar Dr. Alice Tarbuck, and historian Dr Robert Poole about the history, philosophy and ideology of persecution. Dave also considers how the legacy of Lancaster Castle, his own family tree, and an excellent twitter thread by Dr Clare Askew fit within idea that ‘we are the heirs of the witch hunters.’ This episode follows on from the last Cutting, which looked at Magic –  http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/the-family-tree-season-3-cuttings-2-magic/ – and is a companion piece to this Cuttings episode from Season 2: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/the-family-tree-season-2-cuttings-2-systems-and-structures/ Zoe Prosser, who gives a reading in this episode, was a guest in this Cuttings episode from Season 1: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/cuttings/cutting-5-fantasies-and-conspiracies/ The Family Tree’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts. Find our Guests! Oliver Thorn: Twitter - @OllyThorn, @Philosophy Tube  Philosophy Tube - https://www.youtube.com/user/thephilosophytube The video featured in this episode is Witchcraft, Gender & Marxism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmk47kh7fiE Dr. Alice Tarbuck - https://alicetarbuck.net/ https://twitter.com/atarbuck Dr Clare Askew: https://twitter.com/OneNightStanzas The twitter thread featured in the episode is this one: https://twitter.com/onenightstanzas/status/1049601689089728512 Dr Robert Poole: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/staff_profiles/dr_robert_poole.php The book focused on in this episode is The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomas-Wonderful-Discovery-Witches-Lancaster/dp/1874181780

Dear Listeners, I hardly know how to present this episode to you. I thought about telling you all about it, but I think you may find some value in experiencing the surprise the way that Melanie and I did in this conversation. I would like to reassure you all, though, that I am very much alive and well, so please don’t be concerned about anything like that. Goodness me, what a strange world we find ourselves in. Best wishes, Phillip -------------------------------------- The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

In the second part of a very personal part of the story for Dave, he visits his dad for the first time since he began his changing journey. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.