This collection encompasses 50-plus years of interviews, readings, speeches, and reports on the vibrant literary scene in Minnesota. Not only home to giants F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis, our state has an array of incredible contemporary poets, novelists, and playwrights. Their words make up majority of this collection.
Repeatedly being named the “Most Literate City in the United States,” the Twin Cities has played host to numerous visiting national writers via book tours, festivals, and lectures. Many recordings of these are also included.
This project was funded by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.
October 18, 1996 - Blend Memorial Day with Thanksgiving and you get something close to the ancient Aztec observance called Days of the Dead. The two day observance in early November is for honoring the memory of family and friends. The celebration is traced to the indigenous people of Mexico. The Days of the Dead is one of the most popular celebrations in Mexico and is growing in popularity in Minnesota.
October 21, 1996 - Hour 2 of Midmorning featuring Voices of Minnesota with Joan Drury, author of the "Spinsters Ink Books." Also featured is Australian nonfiction author, Jill Ker Conway and Odd Jobs - 911 operator.
October 21, 1996 -
October 25, 1996 -
October 26, 1996 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham takes a walking tour with Dennis William Hauck, author of Haunted Places. The two discuss Minnesota ghost hauntings at the Guthrie Theater, the State’s Capitol, and St. John’s University.
October 27, 1996 - Emilie Buchwald, publisher of Milkweed Editions, reads the winning essay from Boundary Waters writing contest. Essay is titled “Going Home” by Larry Risser.
November 1, 1996 -
November 4, 1996 - As we all walk into our local polling places to cast our vote, commentator Ann Daly Goodwin suggests we rethink all this energy going into improving voter turnout.
November 8, 1996 - Essay on hunting later collected in "Cold Comfort: Life at the Top of the Map by Barton Sutter", published October 1998 by University of Minnesota Press.
November 8, 1996 - Minnesota has more timberwolves in the wild than ever before, and they're covering more ground. Once limited to the arrowhead region, wolves are now establishing packs as far south as Camp Ripley. As the firearms deer season opens tomorrow, hunters in central Minnesota have a better chance than ever to see a wolf in the woods; and some of them aren't happy about what they see as "the competition."