This is an essay about the resurgence of uranium mining in San Miguel county of Colorado by the Cotter Corporation. It is well written, but would probably stand up better as a print piece, rather than radio. The delivery and phrasing is a bit troublesome, as is the technical quality and very low sound level. The content is well thought out as an essay, but it is a bit jarring to switch from third person to first person in the last sentence, with an "I believe..." statement.

This piece consists mostly of narration by the producer. For me, the piece drags quite a bit. I think it’s too long, and it lost me when an entire three minute recording of a folk song was played in the middle of the piece.. The production is amateurish, with microphone noise present, and the sound of a tape machine being turned on and off. While the material is engaging, the piece needs some serious editing.

This is a superbly produced feature about the history of the legendary African-American train engineer John Luther Jones, also known as Casey Jones. It is a delightful mélange of historic recordings, interviews, music, sound effects and narration that is beautifully mixed. This piece documents the spectacular train accident in which Casey’s passenger train collides with a freight train, and the resultant legend that was created and preserved in song. The old recordings are cleaned up beautifully, and the mix is as good as it gets. The feature will resonate with train buffs, history aficionados and lovers of folk music, as well as anyone who enjoys an excellent example of radio at its finest.

A tightly produced and enjoyable story about the effect that a balloon hat maker has on people of a variety of cultures. Well told and engaging, the piece talks about how balloons have an amazing ability to connect with people in ways that cross cultural barriers. Through interviews with a variety of people on the street, we find how much fun the art of making balloon hats is, and how much the balloon maker wants to pass along this knowledge to others. It’s a very imaginative and whimsical piece, and would fit in well with a magazine format.

This piece is quite sensual with a first person narrative that is enjoyable to listen to. The pictures that Jenny paints are imaginative and engaging, as she tells the story of her thought process and decisions about having a baby. The pace is relaxed and comfortable, but it doesn’t drag. The style is very much like that of Ira Glass and “This American Life”, with good use of music and introspective story telling. The story is so good that it needed little editing, and was moved along nicely by the producer. The end of the story takes an interesting twist of self-discovery. More than just a piece about a woman’s biological clock, this narrative is an essay of self-exploration as it relates to a woman’s decision to have a child. I listened to the piece several times and liked it more each time, although the ending isn’t quite as strong as the rest of the work because it lost a bit of focus for me. Production values are high, and the overall quality of the piece is excellent.