Jason Hess

Graduate Fellow -Web Services
  • Paul Arzt

Former Graduate Fellow Jason Hess was an MFA student in creative nonfiction writing at UNCW. Jason is originally from Scappoose, Oregon. He holds a BA in Spanish and English from the University of Idaho. His studies and wanderlust have brought him to live in Costa Rica, Idaho, Spain, and now North Carolina.   

Ways to Connect

Soup to Nuts Live! Photo and Video Recap: Jim Nelson

By • Jun 20, 2014
Linsey McGrath

Singer-wongwriter Jim Nelson played an engaging set of original tunes for the Soup To Nuts Live Audience on May 22nd in the MC Erny Gallery at WHQR. Jim and his trio captivated the audience with an entertaining hour of music! We're pleased to share this video and photo recap of the show. Stay tuned for an air date for the entire performance, and watch our YouTube channel for another video of Jim and his trio!

Tune in to 91.3 FM!
Soup to Nuts Live with Jim Nelson:
July 11-12, Friday and Saturday 9PM

Is Your Morning Edition Sounding Fuzzy? You May be Hearing 'Ducting.'

By • Jun 19, 2014
Stock

We have been getting quite a few comments from listeners concerning signal issues during recent broadcasts of Morning Edition. What listeners are hearing is the natural phenomenon of "tropospheric ducting." While tropospheric propagation can do some really cool stuff to radio signals (like bounce them from very, very far away), it mostly just mixes distant signals broadcasting at the same frequency. That's no fun and can result in lot of static or just bad noise. 

Midday Interview: Author Kevin Maurer on "Hunting Che"

By • May 9, 2014
Staff

I had the opportunity to interview author Kevin Maurer about his book Hunting Che. Maurer spoke about his writing process, his intentions for the book, and the challenges of research. Maurer will be in the MC Erny Gallery at WHQR on Monday, May 12th for a Prologue discussion with Ben Steelman of Star News. Learn more about Maurer and his work on his author website.

If you enjoyed this interview, check out the links below for previous author interviews.

Midday Interview: Judge Stuart Namm (Ret.) On His Memoir

By • Apr 23, 2014
Staff

Guest interviewer Jason Hess spoke with Judge Stuart Namm (Ret.) about his memoir A Whistleblower's Lament: The Perverted Pursuit of Justice in the State of New York. Namm spoke about his experience as a judge in Suffolk County, New York and the tribulations he encountered in his attempts to expose and reform certain aspects of the justice system during his 16 years as a judge. 

Prologue Recap: "This Dark Road to Mercy" by Wiley Cash

By • Mar 20, 2014
Barbara Bush

Novelist Wiley Cash joined us on March 17th in the MC Erny Gallery for a lively Prologue book discussion moderated by Ben Steelman of Star News. Cash spoke at length about the work that has gone into his latest novel, This Dark Road to Mercy, as well as about a future novel he is currently working on. Below is one minute long highlight clip:

Soup to Nuts Live! Photo and Video Recap: Mac & Juice Quartet

By • Mar 19, 2014
Linsey McGrath

One audience member at the March 6th Soup to Nuts Live performance by the Mac & Juice quartet commented online: “What an amazing performance! Had no idea of this band's depth and talent. I've seen 20+ Soup shows, and this was easily the finest. WHQR, you hit this one out of the park!” To that, we say, stay tuned. We've got more to come for Soup to Nuts Live! 

Audio Recap: Cavani Quartet and Poet Mwatabu S. Okantah

By • Feb 13, 2014

We were honored to host the Cavani Quartet and the poet Mwatabu S. Okantah in the MC Erny Gallery on Friday, January 24th for a special live performance and broadcast of classical music and poetry. Gallery guests and listeners were delighted by the skilled blending of poem and song. Enjoy this clip from the performance, which brought tears to the eyes of many audience members. 

Midday Interview: Historian and Author Carole K. Fink

By • Feb 7, 2014
Staff

WHQR graduate fellow Jason Hess interviewed Carole K. Fink about her book Cold War. They spoke about the writing and research processes involved with nonfiction writing, and the importance Fink puts on sharing history as a teacher. Carole is our featured author for Prologue with Ben Steelman this coming Monday at 7 in the MC Erny Gallery at WHQR.

Full details on Carole K. Fink's Prologue event is available here.

My Top Five Non-WHQR Radio Stations

By • Feb 6, 2014
KUOI FM

Working at WHQR (my top station, if there be doubts) as the webmaster, I think a lot about radio, and what makes good radio. There are some generally agreed upon production standards that can help programs sound good or bad. There are basic problems, like that one dj who always plays with the zipper of his jacket on-air so you can't think about the weather advisory he's reading. All you hear is zzzzzzip zzzzzip zzzzzip. Beyond basic sound issues like that, though, it starts to get wishy-washy, creative, and cool.

Prologue Recap: "The Things They Carried" Book Discussion

By • Jan 16, 2014
WHQR

Recap: Enjoy this audio clip from the discussion with Rebecca Lee and Ben Steelman. The two writers offer unique, informed insights into the award winning book The Things They Carried. They Draw connections to other prominent works of literature and help put the work into literary and social perspective:

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Midday Interview: Author Tim O'Brien

By • Jan 16, 2014
Big Read of Wilmington

WHQR's Jason Hess speaks with award winning author Tim O'Brien, special guest of The Big Read of Wilmington. During the lively discussion O'Brien speaks about his book The Things They Carried, the process of writing, the role of storytelling in the lives of soldiers, and about his visit to Wilmington, NC. 

More information on the work of Tim O'Brien can be found online here. The Big Read of Wilmington has a full schedule of events online here.

Spotlight: Folk Singer John Craigie @ WHQR

By • Nov 30, 2013
WHQR

Traveling folk singer John Craigie recently released his eighth studio album, The Apocolypse is Over.  He sat down with WHQR's Jason Hess to talk about the role of the folk singer in contemporary American music culture. Listen to the radio-edit of the interview here:

Craigie also recorded two live songs while in the WHQR studios. Listen to these two exclusive tracks from WHQR Music:

The following song includes the genesis story of the song, along with a rumination on the value of living outside of the Nashville music scene:

Midday Interview: Nicki Leone and Rebecca Lee of North Carolina Writers' Network

By • Nov 8, 2013

North Carolina Writer’s Network Annual Fall Conference will be held November 15-17, next Friday through Sunday in Wrightsville Beach. Guest Midday Interview host Jason Hess interviewed author Rebecca Lee and Nicki Leone about the writing life, the conference, and how writers can get involved with the conference. 

Prologue Update: Listen to Philip Gerard

By • Jul 29, 2013

Update: Listen to award winning North Carolina author Philip Gerard speak about the Cape Fear River, his writing process, and  his adventures writing Down the Wild Cape Fear. The below clip includes Gerard's interesting definition of a river:  

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Join Ben Steelman of StarNews and WHQR Commentator Philip Gerard for light refreshments and a discussion of the author's new book Down the Wild Cape Fear.