This is the story of an unlikely friend who once asked for an unusual favor. Later she moved away and we fell out of touch. This is her story, and my quest to reconnect.

This was my updated and belated entry into KCRW's radio race. The theme was "won't you be my neighbor."

Won't you be my-- wait, what?!

If your post-covid hobby is extroversion, you've had to do a ton of introductions. Have you noticed anything unusual about them? In this piece I explore the repercussions from a BBQ where someone finally asked the question we've all been wondering.

Credits: 

This piece was reported and produced by Lusen Mendel. 

Special thanks to Dr. Lal Zimman, Keri F., Jean-François, Louisa, True, Chana Wilson and Eric Jansen.

Theme music by Austin Archer.

Why do we say he/him/his instead of just he?

30 second soundscaped story from an interview with Derek

30 second story about improv

Short vérité edit from a 20 min interview with Derek.

Full interview transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fPSZvcxTgzjxDj8fN64qERThXJEjBqq4/view?usp=drive_link

Derek on belonging (vérité)

A small curiosity turns into a big theory.

Thank you to Nancy Botkin for sharing her theory and research with me, including these historic photographs:

1948 Panhandle Aerial 
https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp31.1948.113.jpg

1969 Panhandle Aerial
https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp31.1969.133.jpg

Cars in the Panhandle
https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp70.1208.jpg
https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp26.2015.jpg
https://opensfhistory.org/Display/wnp28.3501.jpg
https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp15.559.jpg

https://opensfhistory.org/moreNeighborhoodPhotos.php?n=Panhandle

Music credits:

"English Country Garden" by Aaron Kenny

"The Easy Winners" by E's Jammy Jams

"Members Only" by TrackTribe

"King Porter Stomp" by Joel Cummins

"Potato Deal" by Craig MacArthur

"Rolling Heads" by Unicorn Heads

This used to be a road! The SF Panhandle and the Summer of Love

I wrote this script for Katrina Schwartz (KQED Bay Curious) based on a 15 minute interview that she’d done with Stephanie Scott. 

After I received the raw tape, I visited the shop to meet Steph and take photos _of the photos_ of people Katrina and Steph had talked about, as well as photos I found interesting. 

Then I wrote the script, and recorded and edited a full audio draft with myself doing Katrina’s voice over and the host’s lede and outro in order to give an idea of voicing and length.

You can find my script and photos, as well as the raw interview mp3 and transcript, in this Google folder: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1_kz2yPLftKV8tKHsyerehWMw5R55qujO

Who's Fishing in San Francisco? (KQED Bay Curious sample)

Aural album I made from my field recordings at SoundScene 2024 at the Hirshhorn.

Outside, in a concrete enclosed plaza, a band performs "Talk"

Inside a small auditorium, a sparse forest of pipes dot a stage. The pipes breathe sounds as visitors reach out with their hands to close the distance.

In a large circular hallway, visitors sit quietly, wearing headbands that turn their collective heart rates and brainwaves into music.

Around the curve, someone plays with a microphone in the middle of a ring of speakers.

Back in the auditorium, a solo violinist performs her own compositions with herself using loop pedals.

Outside in the plaza, the positive feedback of a bell rings out.

--
https://www.soundscene.org/artworks
-Clear Channel performance by Awad Bilal, Don Godwin, Mary Jane Regalado
-Heike Kaltenbrunner's close|  distant https://kaltenbrunner.klingt.org/close_distant
-Jason Snell's Pulses https://www.primary-assembly.com/
-David Greenfieldboyce's What Goes Around, Comes Around
-Luminous Being performance by Audrey Wright, Geoff Robertson https://audreywrightviolin.com/luminousbeing
-radiance & resonance performance by Claire Alrich, Andrew Toy

SoundScene 2024 Aural Album

New York Philharmonic violinist performance and interview at SoundScene 2024

Audrey Wright on composing

I reported this story for KQED's The California Report Magazine radio show. Audio and digital piece publish here: https://www.kqed.org/news/12001437/meet-the-pesky-but-lovable-bishop-pine-native-to-the-northern-california-coast

Positive reframing with a pesky but lovable pine tree

I produced this story for KQED's The California Report Magazine radio show

Why do we say he/him/his instead of just he?

Lusen / they

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