For 28 days after her husband’s death, poet Molly Peacock woke up and cried. It was, in her words, a “full moon cycle" of tears.

Then, on the 29th day, the tears subsided. The feelings that followed surprised her, they were of a wider spectrum than she expected — she likened it to a “widow’s crayon box”.

In the documentary What Can a Widow Be?, Molly takes us with her on her journey as a widow. She discovered the cliché of the widow — the perpetual mourner — does not tell the full story. Being a widow, she discovered, is full of emotions she never saw coming, from hysterical yelling to moments of joy sitting in bed alone in the morning.

As she grieved, she also wrote a collection of poems called, The Widow’s Crayon Box that she read excerpts from in the documentary.

Produced by Alisa Siegel and edited by Liz Hoath / originally aired on The Current.

The Widow’s Crayon Box by Molly Peacock. Copyright (c) 2024 by Molly Peacock. With permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

This week on Storylines, the voices of Canadian World War One soldiers, sharing their stories of the front lines. You’ll hear these veterans talk about poison gas attacks, shellfire, the mud, the air war, and even the food.

The stories come from interviews with World War One veterans done for the CBC program Flanders Fields which first aired on November 11, 1964.

Also, a story from Montreal about a century-old Catholic church that faced a dilemma over what to do with its bells.

After the bell tower was damaged, the church faced the prospect of losing bells that had rung out for generations during worship services, weddings, and funerals. Instead, the choir director at Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus found a way to preserve them, ensuring they will continue to resonate with the congregation and community for years to come.

Produced and reported by Simon Nakonechny and originally aired on The Sunday Magazine.

Hear the Soldiers of WW1 Speak was produced by Craig Desson

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit

In 2013, American psychologist James Hardt made a promise to Indigenous kids in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He said his brainwave training would transform their lives by increasing IQ, curing mental health issues and potentially giving them superpowers like levitation.

Perhaps the most surprising thing — he convinced the Prince Albert School Board and the research ethics board at the University of Regina — to approve this proposal, allowing him to experiment on these children.

On this week’s Storylines, investigative journalist Geoff Leo uncovers the disturbing details of what went on during this brainwave training that targeted vulnerable children.

Reported by Geoff Leo and produced by Joan Webber & originally aired on The Current in June 2024.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit