Chris Rowland was always told that if he worked hard, stayed clear of trouble and chose his friends wisely, success would be his. Despite a difficult family life, Chris stuck with school and graduated from East Carolina University in the top fifteen percent of his class. But now, six years later, he's barely getting by, and has practically given up on his search for a good job. How can someone who has seemingly done everything find himself still mired in the sort the financial hardships usually associated with lack of education and poor life choices? Meet Chris Rowland, a modern face of poverty. This piece originally aired on April 21, 2005 on WUNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. listen...

People collect things. It's one of our little idiosyncracies. We like stuff. Some more than others. Whether it's antique paperweights or little bits of rope, the drive to own pieces of the past is part of our make up. In this piece I set out to find out just what it is that inspires the pack rat mentality in some of North Carolina's treasure hunters. This piece was originally aired on a program called The State of Things at WUNC Radio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. May 2004. It has since been licensed multiple times from the Public Radio Exchange. listen...