October 31, 2004 (#12)
Originally broadcast August 1, 2004

Tracking
Jaimita Haskell – Radio Rookie
Marianne McCune – Producer, WNYC Radio Rookies
Czerina Patel - Producer, WNYC Radio Rookies

As a sophomore, Jaimita Haskell was given the chance to take advanced classes at her high school, an experience she found stimulating and rewarding. But then she was dropped back into mainstream courses because of circumstances beyond her control. So Haskell challenged her school's educational tracking system, an action that inspired others to follow her lead. (WNYC’ Radio Rookies)

Interview with Jaimita Haskell

Gwen Macsai talks with Jaimita Haskell about what she's been up to since graduating from high school and how her life has changed since she began working in radio.

Hard-Hearted Hannah
Joni Murphy – Independent Producer

Growing up, Hannah Hose was the star of her family—literally. As “frontman” in the family band, she toured Maine performing campy folk acts with her parents. But by the tender age of 13, Hannah was already burnt out on the celebrity life. (Salt Institute for Documentary Studies)

Dreaming in Farsi
Shirley Jahad- Chicago Public Radio

Shirley Jahad's family was prevented from visiting its native Iran for over 40 years by forces of revolution, war, and repression. So when it finally made the journey, Shirley couldn't help but bring along her tape recorder. (Chicago Public Radio’s Chicago Matters: Inside Housing, 2002)

Featured Music:

Emperor Penguin, Shatter the Illusion of Integrity, Yeah (Southern Records)

October 24, 2004 (#10)
Originally broadcast July 18, 2004

Ice Music
Gregory Whitehead - Performance Artist, Playwright, and Independent Producer

What if sounds could be frozen into ice cubes then released upon their melting? Everyday moments and actions might become rich musical performances...
(NPR's All Things Considered, 1999)


Hana's Suitcase
Karen Levine - Producer, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Children's Holocaust Education Center in Tokyo acquired a suitcase in 2001 that had belonged to a girl named Hana Brady. The Center learned that Hana was born in Czechoslovakia in 1931 and died at Auschwitz at age 13, but knew nothing else about her. The Center's director began a search to find out more and ended up in Toronto, where Hana's brother lives. (CBC’s Sunday Edition on Radio One, 2001)

Interview with Karen Levine

Gwen Macsai talks with Karen Levine about producing “Hana's Suitcase” and how the piece has become an educational tool for schoolchildren all over the world.

Basement Bhangra
Jocelyn Gonzales - Producer, WNYC Radio

In her New York City basement, DJ Rekha holds monthly parties celebrating Bhangra, the traditional folk music of northern India. For Rekha and her fellow partygoers, the music is as much about building a community as it is about having a party. (PRI's Studio 360 from WNYC)

Stampede
Chantal Dumas – Sound Artist

In 1999, Chantal Dumas drove across Canada in a van with recording equipment and a sleeping bag. Her mission? To document her trip through sound. Here she takes us on a sound-rich journey around a Manitoba county fair horse track. This piece is part of a larger work entitled Little Man in the Ear. (Deep Wireless, 2004)

Featured Music:

Fourtet, Rounds (Domino Recording Co.)

October 10, 2004 (#9)
Originally broadcast July 11, 2004

Another Lousy Day
Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister - Co-producers, Long Haul Productions

A few years ago writer David Kodeski found two diaries from the early 1960s in the back of a dusty Chicago thrift store. The author, a single, working woman living on the city's south side, wrote meticulously about her everyday life. She documented how she flirted with her coworkers, fought with her dad, and searched for happiness while worrying about everything from her weight to her hairdo. Kodeski set out to find the woman, meeting her friends and neighbors, solving mysteries, and reflecting on her life along the way. (Chicago Public Radio, 2003)

Big in Japan
Robin Hilton- Independent Producer

Every year thousands of Americans pack their bags and move to Japan, hoping to make it big by teaching English. Desperate to learn English, Japanese schools, businesses, and government agencies offer small fortunes to just about anyone who can help teach the language. While some who answer the call are well-educated and have the best intentions, others are drawn to Japan by the low qualifications and high pay. Regardless of what motivates them, they all leave Japan with unique and often surreal stories of their experiences there. Robin Hilton was no exception. (Soundprint)

Featured Music:

Claudine Coule, “My Darling” (Found Magazine)
Mice Parade, Obrigado Saudade (Bubblecore)