In the late 90’s, Daren produced Porches: The South and Her Writers, a 13-part series for public radio featuring some of the more important literary voices in the south. He researched, interviewed, wrote, and engineered these programs. They were financed by Amazon.com, a contract negotiated while the company was preparing for their IPO.
The project was formative. Daren spent nearly two years driving through the south, interviewing over 40 authors and scholars, several of which became lifelong friends. Of all the interviews, the one that remains most cherished was his talk with southern icon James Dickey. Recorded in November 1996, it was his last recorded interview before his death early the next year.