Journalism
In my journalism work, I try to help people make sense of a complex world. I'm a writer and anchor of NPR's world newscasts. I collaborate with editors, producers and reporters to determine the top stories of the day. My big challenges include writing clearly about these stories, providing adequate context in a brief time period, and delivering the newscasts in a manner that's at once thoughtful, lively and accessible. Part of my job is to stay informed on a broad range of stories and issues. My responsibilities also include asking questions, and being skeptical where situations demand it. I'm well aware of the historical rarity of the freedom of expression that U.S. citizens accept as a right. I regard it as a privilege and honor to serve millions of NPR listeners and online visitors. When anchoring a newscast or reporting a story, I speak to one person. If you're listening when I'm on the air, you are that person.
Here's my NPR bio:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100309
Outside of hourly newscasts, I report and produce in-depth stories for NPR, often on the arts. And I occasionally write for other outlets. Here's a selection of my work:
Remembering Ray Alden
Here's a profile and remembrance of Ray Alden, a remarkable polymath, musician and music collector. It appeared in The Old Time Herald magazine.
http://www.oldtimeherald.org/archive/back_issues/volume-12/12-2/alden.html
Remembering Mike Seeger
In August of 2009, I reported on the death -- and life -- of musician Mike Seeger, who was also a colleague and personal friend.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111690155
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111693752
New CD celebrates masters of old time autoharp
In 2006 I produced a story about Mike Seeger's collecting of autoharp music in the South in the late 1950s and early 1960s. An LP made from the recordings has been reissued as a CD on Smithsonian Folkways.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6493338
Ralph Epperson and WPAQ: southern radio pioneer
Ralph Epperson, the founder and owner of the iconic mountain music radio station WPAQ, was my first radio employer outside of college radio. I owe many of my beliefs about the role of radio in communities to my experiences at WPAQ, and to Ralph's example. When Ralph died in 2006, NPR asked me to produce this remembrance:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5444800
Historic Recordings tell Clawhammer Banjo story
In 2006 I decided to seek out Charles Faurot, whose field recordings from the 1960s made up the classic County Records clawhammer banjo LPs, which have been re-released as CDs. Here's the story that aired on NPR's All Things Considered:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5293105
Picturing the Banjo
A 2006 exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC focused on the imagery of a central player in America's deeply conflicted racial history: the banjo. NPR's Debbie Eliott and I toured the exhibit and discussed the art, the instrument, the social forces and the history.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5223333
Remembering Ralph Blizard
In 2004, I spoke with NPR's Noah Adams about the life of the great Tennessee fiddler Ralph Blizard, who had died not long before.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4225339
Honky Tonks, Hymns & the Blues
This eleven-part series ran on NPR's Morning Edition in 2003. Listen to the episodes and delve into the information on the Web page.
John Hartford: the life of an eclectic singer, songwriter, and banjoist
John Hartford, the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his song Gentle On My Mind, died in 2001. I reported on his life and achievements. Listen here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1124001
Eudora Welty, southern writer: a life
Writer and photographer Eudora Welty, one of the great southern storytellers of her time, passed away on July 23, 2001. Here's the obituary I produced:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1126321
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
In 2000, NPR produced a series on the top 100 musical compositions of the 20th century. I was the reporter for the stories on Bill Monroe's Blue Moon of Kentucky and Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Listen here:
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/list100.html