Once upon a time a beautiful young woman from Iowa worked at a radio station in Indiana. She was very depressed (but we won't dwell on that). Then one magical day she interviewed a handsome children's author who then lived in the Hudson River Valley with his lovely wife, Jill, lovely dogs Jaques, Maxine, and Lulu, a lovely horse, and some lovely cats. It was a very good day. The interview was a very good one and the beautiful young woman and the handsome author had a lovely time talking. The very next day the beautiful young woman went back to being depressed. But she is not the kind of girl who stays depressed very long, so she took action and moved back to the enchanted land of Iowa.

The young woman went to work at a radio station in Iowa and decided that she would interview the handsome author again. Again the interview was good and they got along swimmingly. At the end of the interview the handsome author told the beautiful young woman that if she ever wanted to work with him on a project she should get in touch with him.

Two months passed.

The young woman had a brilliant idea. She sent the handsome author an email. The handsome author called her and Chinwag Theater was born.

Sadly, the beautiful young woman had to move on to other great projects, which left Chinwag Theater without a home and a co-host. But all was not lost. The handsome children's author got in touch with a dignified gentleman who agreed to take over the (verbal) role of the beautiful young woman. He also arranged for the show to find a new home in Boston, Massachusetts, where Chinwag Theater would continue to grow and prosper.

That is, until April 2002, when Chinwag Theater was cancelled by WBUR. There are no immediate plans to revive the show, but the future remains wide open, especially to those who have money and a plan.

Editor's note: In the ancient dialect spoken in both Indiana and Iowa, 'handsome,' means 'fat,' and vice-versa. This meaning has become corrupted in a shallow and cynical modern age.