stories crossing the border

Of all the various forms of accolade my mother's written work has received since she died and I was put in the position of fielding copyright correspondence, none has been quite so satisfying as the requests that seem to emanate from what feels like "out of left field."

Today, for example, there was an email from Czech Radio Prague seeking to jump through the copyright hoops that would allow a reading (on Czech radio???!!!) of "Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman."

I’m writing to you on behalf of the Czech Radio Prague which would love to broadcast a radio reading of Mr. Death and the Redhead Woman [sic] by Helen Eustis. Would you please advise who holds the copyright, whom to negotiate the terms with?

How far and wide a good story can travel. The fact that the story came from my mother is not so much the point. The point is, she loved and sacrificed for stories and the result was, among other things, Czech Radio Prague. There appear, as well, to be readings on the Internet.

Nothing beats a good story.

You go girl!