The Buzz
ON THE BAY
In Partnership with The Public’s Radio • ThePublicsRadio.org
Letters from Home Remembering the year in notes from a 100-year-old Rhode Islander by Antonia Ayres-Brown For the last year, I’ve received an email nearly every month from Sidney Tynan. They arrive by email, usually without a subject line. Just an attached note with a careful record of what’s blooming, what’s wilting, and what animals have been passing through the 100-year-old Rhode Islander’s backyard. Tynan was born in Massachusetts in 1921, and she has lived in Little Compton since the 1970s. She’s a writer, former educator and bookstore owner, and avid gardener. We first met around the 2020 election, when I tracked down several of the state’s oldest registered voters for a radio project. A couple months after that story aired, in January of 2021, I received my first letter from her. For decades, Tynan has penned these open letters from her Rhode Island home,
For more than 20 years, Tynan has been writing letters from her backyard, which are typically republished by The Sakonnet Times.
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The Bay • February 2022
observing local wildlife and the evolving seasons. The notes are often republished by The Sakonnet Times, a weekly newspaper covering Tiverton and Little Compton. Her writing shows how tender everyday moments, as well as an attention to the living things around us, can help us make sense of our lives. Over the past year, especially during times of isolation and uncertainty, I’ve personally found much comfort in reading these letters. Tynan has watched many seasons change in her lifetime, and she still greets each new month with curiosity, attentiveness, and affection. As we said our farewells to 2021, Tynan agreed to share some excerpts from the past year. To hear an audio recording of Tynan reading her letters, visit ThePublicsRadio.org/Newport.
Tynan spends much time watching the animals that crowd around her birdfeeder, and she recently published a children’s book aimed at teaching young kids about local varieties of birds.
Photos by Antonia Ayres-Brown
