Festivals of Light/Families of Dysfunction

This hour long program contains a collection of stories, audio pieces, and songs. Many of the pieces are quite good, but as a whole, they diminish each other--too many sound the same, are produced in similar styles, and spend too much time with a small number of voices. These pieces would be much more useful for stations if offered individually, rather than as a complete package.

The technical and production quality of these programs is impressive. The first story, "Streets Beneath My Feet," includes some impressive record ambience of anti-war demonstrations. However, many of the pieces are augmented include sound effects and recreated sound, which lessens the piece's authenticity.

On several of the early stories, the writing is impressive. The producer writes for the ear and frames scenes within her stories in a way that lends well to listening. Several of the later stories, especially "Thanksgiving 2001," are a bit more leaden—sounding more like literary work or poetry read on the radio and thus, hard to follow.

Universally, these pieces tell interesting stories, but lack accompanying theme or contextual elements. While the producers describe autobiographical events, there is precious little reflection or understanding. The pieces tell stories, but don't share with the listener why he or she should care. This makes the stories feel somewhat incomplete; the issues and action they describe seem unresolved. That is why it may be best to separate these pieces out and offer them individually. On their own, the burden of offering a complete narrative and contextual structure is lifted. If well matched with other pieces, they can become vignettes or examples of the larger programs central theme.