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.
March 19, 1998 - Minneapolis playwright Kim Hines tells the story of three prominent African American women of the time who are largely unknown to most Minnesotans. Hines has written monologues portraying the life of businesswoman Amanda Lyle, social worker Gertrude Brown, and attorney Lena Smith.
March 20, 1998 - Like a church recipe book that weaves together parishioners' favorite banana breads, cobblers and bean dips....Eleanor Ostman's first cookbook, "Always on Sunday" samples some of her favorite recipes collected during her 30 years as Food Columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ostman's newspaper column called "Tested Recipes", generated thousands of reader contributions over the years... including a submission by former Minnesota first Lady Lola Perpich, who started a lengthy controversy when she submitted a pie crust recipe which readers couldn't seem to make work. Ostman says she eventually learned how to eyeball a recipe to figure out if it had potential.
March 20, 1998 - Nolan Zavoral talks about his book about Iowa wrestler and coach Dan Gable.
March 24, 1998 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews Minnesota poet Susan Carol Hauser about her book “Sugartime: The Hidden Pleasures of Making Maple Syrup with a Primer for the Novice Sugarer.”
March 31, 1998 - Nature photographer Jim Brandenburg created the "ninety days project" to challenge himself, and to reconnect with the wilderness. He will appear tonight at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis. His talk and slide show will feature images from the project, which will also be the subject of an upcoming book.
April 15, 1998 - Minnesota has more to offer the culinary world than just State Fair pronto pups. One of the best examples of a restaurant using local food to create mouthwatering meals is found far north, on the edge of the Boundary waters. The Gunflint Lodge has been serving meals since 1925. When Ron Berg started as chef on 1991, he introduced a rotating menu based on what he had on hand and what he wanted to make. His best recipes are now gathered in a new cookbook called The Gunflint Lodge Cookbook.
April 16, 1998 - The little girl with the big voice and the ruby slippers is an American icon--but for Lorna Luft, Judy Garland is also "mama." In her new book ME AND MY SHADOWS Luft chronicles life as Judy Garland's daughter and Liza Minelli's sister. She says about 30 books have been written about her mother and her family--but her book is the only one written by an actual family member. Luft told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham--she felt the time was right to tell HER story... Lorna Luft will sign copies of her book ME AND MY SHADOWS at 7:30 tonight.
April 16, 1998 - The little girl with the big voice and the ruby slippers is an American icon--but for Lorna Luft, Judy Garland is also "mama." In her new book "Me and My Shadows", Luft chronicles life as Judy Garland's daughter and Liza Minelli's sister. She says about 30 books have been written about her mother and her family--but her book is the only one written by an actual family member.
April 17, 1998 - This is a big weekend for Minnesota writers and literature. Tonight the winners of the tenth annual Minnesota Book Awards will be announced. Then on Sunday, the Marshall festival 5 gets underway. It's a week of readings, roundtables and workshops packed with familiar names...Carol Bly, Robert Bly, Bill Holm and Will Weaver just to name a few. Rosalie Maggio is a writer who's a veteran of both events. She'll be giving a workshop on "Wordsmithing" in Marshall, and she's twice won Minnesota Book Awards. Maggio says the book awards have really grown in stature: Rosalie Maggio is a two-time Minnesota Book Award winner. Her most recent book is The New Beacon Book of Quotations for Women.
April 17, 1998 - This is a big weekend for Minnesota writers and literature. Tonight the winners of the tenth annual Minnesota Book Awards will be announced. Then on Sunday, the Marshall festival 5 gets underway. It's a week of readings, roundtables and workshops packed with familiar names...Carol Bly, Robert Bly, Bill Holm and Will Weaver just to name a few. Rosalie Maggio is a writer who's a veteran of both events. She'll be giving a workshop on "Wordsmithing" in Marshall, and she's twice won Minnesota Book Awards. Maggio says the book awards have really grown in stature.