Selected Work

Observing Ramadan Can Be a Challenge in the Heat

Around the world, Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan by praying, performing acts of charity, and especially by fasting between dawn and sundown. But observing Ramadan can be a challenge in the summer, especially in hot climates, because fasting applies to beverages (including water) as well as food. (Reporter for Here and Now)

American Portrait

PBS’ American Portrait is a collection of stories contributed by people all over the country — a portrait of what it really means to be American today. This is one of the five stories I produced for the project. Here, Eddie Chavez Calderon talks about how both Judaism and his DACA status shape his American identity and beliefs about social justice. (Producer for PBS)

Ode to Ladino

Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, was once the mother tongue of Sephardic Jews in Turkey and other Jewish communities that thrived around the Mediterranean. Now, there are only about 100,000 Ladino speakers scattered throughout the world. But Karen Sarhon is on a mission to keep Ladino, and the culture surrounding it, alive. (Editor/producer for Can We Talk?)

Calexico: Tiny Desert Concert

Calexico is one of the most notable bands to come from Arizona. For many, its music — which is sometimes called “desert noir” — is synonymous with the Southwest. It blends styles like Americana and folk with cumbia and mariachi, making it a reflection of the cultural milieu of the borderlands. KJZZ spoke with frontman Joey Burns about the politics of the Southwest, how the desert landscape shapes Calexico's sound, and storytelling through music. (Producer for KJZZ)

The Night Shift in Sin City

Nydia Sanchez runs one of Las Vegas' only overnight, 24-hour child care centers, serving 108 kids. Many of her clients are single moms who work in casinos, and as waitresses, nurses, and dancers. We visit to find out how Nydia keeps her business affordable and serves a group of moms that many bosses, and politicians, and other daycare owners just don’t think about. (Reporter/producer for The Double Shift)

Tent City Diary

Maricopa County’s Tent City in Phoenix was one of the Southwest’s most notorious jails. So what was it really like? I gave an audio recorder to one woman who served a sentence there for a DUI, on work release. She recorded entries as she was on her way in and out of jail. This five-part series is her story. (Producer for KJZZ)

This Artist Sees Sound -- And He Wants You to See It Too

For many of us, listening to music is a visceral experience. We don’t just hear it — we feel it too. But for some people with a condition called synesthesia, music isn’t just heard or felt...it's actually seen. Reyes Padilla is an artist based in New Mexico who has synesthesia, and has created an installation based on what he sees when he hears jazz music. (Reporter/producer for KJZZ)

Hiking the Grand Canyon for the First Time

Each year more than 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon, but only about 1 percent of them make it to the Colorado River at the bottom. An even smaller percentage of those visitors are Arizonans. I've lived in Arizona almost my whole life and never thought it was possible to hike it myself. (Reporter/producer for KJZZ)

Bikini Kill Rises Again, No Less Relevant

Bikini Kill helped define a movement that grew up as an offshoot of punk in the early 1990s, when many women felt marginalized by society, and in some cases, even by the punk-rock community. Frontwoman Kathleen Hanna and her bandmates have now founded their own label, Bikini Kill Records, to reissue their discography. (Reporter for NPR)

During the Monsoon, A Time for Birth, Renewal

For a series exploring personal relationships to the monsoon, I explain why for me, the monsoon means change. (Writer/producer for KJZZ)

Video: Watch Bombino Perform Desert Rock from the Sahara

Bombino is one of the most famous and virtuosic guitarists from the Sahara Desert. And for a long time, simply playing music, regardless of the subject matter of his songs, was an act of political defiance. (Writer/producer for Phoenix New Times)