After a particularly colorful Thanksgiving feast, or was it a a drunken night at the bar (?), Independent Producer Amanda Thieroff and her friend Sean Berman challenged each other to embark on the ROYGBIV diet. This diet isn't about losing weight or being nutritious - it's about spending a week eating only one color of food per day, according to th…

Stacy Bond's youngest sister died in a nighttime car accident while driving from Mozambique to South Africa. Robbers took her shoes, but left her purse. A year after her death, Stacy met her mother and other sister in New York to attend a seance conducted by Medium George Anderson.

(Produced by Laura Herberg) Director's Choice! won Director's Choice in , our first-ever audio competition. Laura's story is about her friend Rachel Parsons, an aspiring actress who landed the lead role in a low-budget, independent film. The only drawback was that it required a sex scene in which she would have to be topless, something she wasn't s…

Producer Sara Curtis brings us the story of Benuel Esch - an amish man from Lancaster, PA who has lost his family, his home, and his mind. Benuel started questioning his lifestyle 20 years ago. Now he's returned to Amish living with a new community in Unity, Maine. There, Benuel is trying to make sense of where he's been and where he's going.…

The winner of Big Shed's first ever Audio Verite +1 Competition is David Weinberg. The piece is called One for the Commandant, a short story set in downtown Seattle, featuring Edgar, Catfish and Hans, who David hung out with on his breaks from a restaurant job. David recorded the goings on one evening and crafted this story, which is apparently mad…

Producer Kelley Libby produced a radio story about 13 year-old farmer Colby Perron while at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. This is not that story. But if you listen to Colby's story, you will hear a very short scene in which a calf is born. Kelley spent all day, waiting on a cold concrete floor in a barn in Topsham, Maine, just to get …

Producer Tom Niemisto weaves between an interview with tall-ship captain Samantha Heyman and an astronomer/poet around a bonfire under a broad star-filled sky. The stars are governed by a perfect order and yet, they create a chaos of mystery. We link astronomy to creation myths in constellations. We search for deeper meaning the night sky or, with …

Signs like "Take it Down A Notch," "My Political Views Cannot Be Summed Up On A Pithy Sign," and, of course, "God Hates Figs." Sam Greenspan, Big Shed's Correspondent in Washington, DC, attended The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and files this report.

"The Soundscapes of Faith" is an award-winning series of audio postcards produced by Laura Kwerel for the program Interfaith Voices. Each of the short pieces explores world religions through sound. They’re based on the idea that every faith tradition has a unique sonic signature. The series distills something essential about faith, something that c…

Ghana sounds like everything you might imagine, and some things you never could.Producer Julie Shapiro recorded these sounds during a trip to Ghana in January, 2008. Julie was one of the very first producers featured on the Big Shed podcast back in 2005, and if you were lucky enough to listen to her piece "The Only Reason You and I Are Here," then …

This story was originally produced as two separate pieces for the podcast, Natural Maryland, at WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore. Part 1 was entitled "The Journalist and the Deer Hunter" and part 2, "Deer 0012." Producer Louisa Jonas was psyched to merge the two into one piece for this Big Shed podcast. She says, "You could say part 1 was a failure and pa…

Howdy friendly listener! You can sit back and relax with our next piece from sound artist Erik DeLuca. He describes "In" as an underwater sound composition that collaborates with different ecosystems in and off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Southern Florida.

In the Big Shed, we always say that audio is the most visual medium. And we've even offered some stinky audio before. Thanks to the crafty work of producer Anna Hamilton, prepare for your first aural gag reflex. Anna is a proud graduate of the Salt Institute in Maine, and brings us this audio adventure from her time there. Competitive eating is on …

We're thrilled to bring you this story from producer Peter Solomon. It's a gem. We fell for this piece the first time we heard it. The rebel yell. What did it sound like – that battle cry that terrorized union troops and rallied Confederates to battle? Historians have clues from letters and diaries but still have never agreed. Producer Peter Solomo…

Lillie is a young student who spends time in the community of Westhaven, a mostly African-American, low-income housing development in Charlottesville, VA. Lillie is incredibly assertive. She talked her way into a youth radio program where she was at least three or four years younger than the the other students. The youth program was run by our frie…

We are so pleased to bring you the second installment in Shortwaveology, a series from producer David Goren. It's as beautiful as the we were able to share with you. Shortwaveology is an occasional rumination on the crackly sonics, history and cultural influence of shortwave radio. Thanks to former Radio Canada International program host Ian McFarl…

A year ago, Jesse Straight started a small farm in the urban center of Charlottesville, VA. The farm was a one year experiment and in the course of that year, he found himself talking to people in his neighborhood who he hadn't known before. The farm became a way of getting to know his neighbors, and he started collecting the stories of the people …

Don't tell, but we decided to sneak a podcast out of the jar where Jesse Dukes has been keeping us neatly tucked away. Thanks to some help from a veteran Big Shed producer, Emma Rayes, we're secretly bringing you our first PoopCast ... straight from the big poop shed. Emma brought us this documentary journey from lovely Rio de Janeiro. While workin…

(Produced by Rachel Quimby) Nobody really knows why Rockland, Maine has a rather large population of Jews--legend says a ship was turned aside at Ellis Island and sent up the coast to the picturesque and sleepy coastal town. In any case, Adas Yoshuron Synagogue is an old building with many generations of Amita Jarmon discusses what it's like to be …

(Produced by ) In the 1980's, was a nerdy, Jewish kid--crazy about Richard Wagner--who naively showed up at a meeting of the Wagner Appreciation Society in Southern California. He found himself in the midst of some very scary Wagner enthusiasts, and had to cast about for a way to make his escape. Amy O'Leary talked to Danny while she was producing …

(Produced by ) Last summer, Philadelphia rock band tried their hands at musical theater. Producing a musical might be the last thing you'd expect from these early twentysomethings who hail from the DIY punk rock universe. Nevertheless, they felt that the the fullest expression of their album "Ribbons of War" could only be a musical play, complete w…

(Produced by ) Come along for a ride on the rails with this audio postcard from the New Hope Valley Railway. This postcard is a companion piece to Tim Telkamp's photo-essay â4â 8 1/2" â A year in the life of the New Hope Valley Railway, 2003-2006.â Timâs audio and tell the story of a tourist railroad in Bonsal, NC. The project follows the volunteer…

(Produced by ) We'll it's time for our annual pilgrimage to chi-town to the beloved . So we thought it would be appropriate to bring you a little taste of last year's conference, courtesy of Nick and Adrianne at . This interview took place in the bathroom during the PRX dance party. It contains physical violence, broken hearts, video games and Greg…

(Produced by ) We've got a big new idea at Big Shed ... returning series!!! In the coming year, we're going to offer a few returning series from amazing and innovative audio producers, and proud doesn't quite capture how we feel about bringing you David Goren's . We're sure you'll love his first installment. Shortwaveology is a periodic rumination …

(Produced by ) David Traver, Alaska's reigning Mr. Fur Face, is the president of the Southcentral Alaska Beard & Mustache Club, and his belly-length whiskers won him a first-place prize at the 2003 World Beard & Mustache Championships. This fall, he's competing in the 2007 World Championships in England, after which he'll retire -- shaving his awar…

(Produced by ) We're back! And this week, we're listening to three short pieces from Ghana--"Storytime," "Sweeping with Simone" and "Daniel in the Market"--sent to us by our friend and Producer Amara Hark-Weber. Amara recorded these while working as a in Ghana. We looking forward to hearing more tape from Amara before she returns to the States. Thi…

(Produced by ) Like a traveling medicine man peddling a homeopathic remedy for the mass media slogans of the day, the Mantra Trailer focuses attention on the personal and spiritual mantras people live by, one voice at a time. Jen speaks with artist about the podcast she's created to kick-start this project. FYI - Sherri just returned from , the old…

(Produced by ) Drive west from Portland, Maine on US 302 and youâll pass a giant mechanical television repairman on the left. The repairman was built by Al Hawkes years ago to promote his television store. Al sold TVs for years, but his real love was always country and bluegrass music. Heâs been a performing musician, record producer, pirate radio …

(Produced by ) Looking to get more experience with the dead and ghosts, producer Katie Mingle spent some time in a "pauper's graveyard". She narrates her experiences there. She tell what she finds, and more importantly, doesn't find, in one of the only "below ground" cemeteries in New Orleans, LA. A special thanks to Katie for her (link for MySpace…

(Produced by ) Meet Ruana, the world's cutest 6-year-old Portugese teacher. This languange lesson comes to us from our friend and Producer Emma Raynes. Emma recently ran off to Brazil, where she's working as a , a very cool program housed at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Check out to read about her encounters with language, rivers, ritua…

(Produced by ... aka Stray Dog Recording Company) A tragic turn of events at the worldâs smallest circus. Les Petits Tristes is an excerpt from , Tiny Tales of Woe, a collection of audio shorts. Notes: Words by Jill Summers, music by David Whitcomb. Engineered by David Whitcomb at Stray Dog Recording Co. in Chicago. Also, do yourself a favor and ch…

(Produced by + ) Merry Christmas from Big Shed!! Producer John Biewen () dropped by with some great recordings of bedtime with his kids. Thanks for sharing it, John. We wish we were eight, again. This is a real treat, and for once we're seasonally timely! We hope you enjoy it. In addition to all of his own documentary work, John also directs the au…

(Produced by ) (Photo: ) Happy Thanksgiving at Big Shed!! This holiday we're thankful for everyone who's been so supportive of Big Shed. We're feeling the love. Thanks so much for listening and for sharing your amazing work. Woohoo!!!!! (much luv, jen and shea) But instead of Turkey, we're offering you a big serving of pigeons. WTF?! That's right p…

(Produced by ) Here's the next episode in our series live from the , where we're bringing you a little good, clean audio fun with Zak Rosen. We rarely have a chance to talk in person with our producers before the show ... so sometimes we get a little carried away. Fortunately, Zak was up for the excursion. Once you get past the tomfoolery (did I ju…

(Photo by of ... thanks for being a shutterbug) (Produced by ) Last week, Jennifer and I joined 350-ish other audiophiles in Chicago (well, Evanston, IL) for the sixth annual . The conference alone was so inspiring that we're both back home with a wonderful mix of enthusiasm and exhaustion. This year was extra special for us because Big Shed kicked…

(Produced by ) A few weeks ago, Shea was visiting beautiful SUNY Potsdam in upstate NY to make a presentation about audio documentaries to students at the school, an audio pep rally recruiting students for a cool project he's working on with prof. audrey sprenger (you'll hear more about that in the coming months ... enjoying the mystery?). David So…

(Produced by ) About this week's piece, Layne says: "this piece is made entirely of samples from a winter camping trip in Feb.06 to in New Hampshire, plus guitar recorded the next day in the inter-zone b/w woods and all the rest. It was debuted at the and appears on my recent cd 'the lost spaces ... reconstructed' on the dc-based . textual accompan…

(Produced by ) "There's nothing I can say to you that will prepare you for this." - Matt Largey Thanks to Matt and TK for dropping by the Big Shed. Hope the stars at night are big and bright down there. Personal Note: This is also a belated birthday shout out to Shea's father, Ben Shackelford (who's with a youger, clean-cut Shea). Shea questions wh…

(Produced by ) Get your dancin' shoes on. This piece from Minnesota producer Dave Engen is a treat for your audio feet. We first met Dave a year ago at a summer audio institute. He returned to Duke again this summer to produce this fine piece. Weâre proud to run it. A little bit of trivia, Dave was partners with Big Shed alum at their first audio i…

(Produced by Nic Beery) L o o k d e e p l y I n t o o u r e a r s . . . (it's okay, we used q-tips)Oddly, this turned out to be a nice follow-up to our last podcast, "Hello." Nic sent us this eerie "found sound" that came with a 1970's Revox reel to reel recorder that his neighbor was throwing away after a yard sale back in 2002. Unfortunately, he …

(Produced by Jennifer Deer) We're taking our own medicine this week, and damn it tastes good. For your listening pleasure, Jen re-cut this piece, which she originally produced a few years ago. "Hello" is a fun excursion into the in-between space of a phone conversation. enjoy!

(Produced by Jennifer Deer) You've waited for it, and here it is ... another Budget Buddies!!! Don't worry, we didn't sort out all of our financial or personal issues since the last episode. This week, Shea questions Jen's medical practices. Jen question's Shea's sanitation. And change, change, change ... change of fools--what the hell is that nois…

(Produced by and ) Can a cup of tea a day keep the doctor away? North Carolina native Annie Melvin continues the tradition of keeping her medicine chest in the garden. Kavanah Ramsier and Nikki Brown produced this piece as part of the Summer 2006 Audio Institute at the Center for Documentary Studies in Durham, North Carolina. Another shameless plug…

(Produced by ) When a severe thunderstorm chases two independent filmmakers off of a North Carolina beach, the director decides to interview the cinematographer while waiting out the storm. Beginning with a simple question - ÃïïWhatÃïïs the most amazing thing youÃïïve ever experienced?Ãïï - Elephantoms takes the listener on a true wildlife adventur…

(Producer Laura Kwerel) Less a band than an experiment in sound, The Books, create an emotional collage of music, found sound, and documentary. Much of their work is stitched together from recordings that seem strangely familiar--old television shows, home movies, outdoor sounds-- making their songs feel like a nostalgic trip through our own memori…

(Producer: Jennifer Deer) That's right, it's round four of Big Shed's financial soap opera. In this exciting edition, Shea gets a bait and switch on his capers and pasta, and Jenn adds a new line item in her budget ... "crazy people." Happy Tax Day!!!! Note: Perhaps you think you've discovered the source of our financial struggles--an inability to …

(Produced by Amara Hark-Weber) Playing for X is the story about an unexpected birthday gift from an old friend. It tells how the friendship has changed over time, and why this specific gift is important. We heard this piece at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies tenth annual Documentary Happening. Hopefully, we'll feature a few more pieces from…

(Producers: Jennifer Deer + Shea Shackelford) Here's round two in our personal documentary soap opera. What bills to pay ... what foods to eat (or not eat) when shopping on a budget ... and other important questions facing two freelancers hoping to de-emphasize the "free" part of that title. As before, we suggest that you listen to this one while y…

(Producers: Vige Millington + Andrew Starner) One afternoon, we talked about Skyâs experiences growing up as a child in Istanbul, Turkey, a landscape that exists now only in his memories. This is one of the stories he told us, and the song he sings (with a translation) is his sonâs current favorite. Sky and his wife run The Wellness Cafà on Pennsyl…

(Producer: Jennifer Deer) Here's a new idea in our efforts to keep you knee deep in fresh content ... and echoing Jen's closing words in this piece, for god's sake please send us more material or we'll run more than these. I'm kidding. This is a fun new idea from Jen to bring you some of our personal budgeting hysteria. This was not staged. How sca…