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.
July 5, 1996 - MPR’s Paula Schroeder interviews local playwright Martha Boesing, who discusses her play “These Are My Sisters.” The one-person play explores the political and artistic roots of feminism in the 1970's.
July 12, 1996 -
July 12, 1996 -
July 12, 1996 - Even in this day of e-mail and desk-top publishing, the ancient book arts remain alive and well. That's the message from an international symposium of scholars, historians, collectors and calligraphers gathered at Saint John's University this week.
July 13, 1996 - Patricia Raybon author of "My First White Friend"
July 19, 1996 -
July 20, 1996 - In the early 1980's a pipeline providing extremely pure, and cheap, heroin began pouring the drug into the Scottish Capital of Edinburgh. The effects were dramatic. In a matter of months the number of addicts soared. A couple of years later the number of needle transmitted HIV infections also mushroomed., so much so Edinburgh became known as the AIDS Capital of Europe. The drug explosion also drove Irvine Welsh to become a writer. Welsh is currently the hottest writer in Britain and his publishers are hoping he's about to make a huge impact in the U.S. The movie of his first novel "Trainspotting" opens this week in the states, after a hugely successful run in Britain.
July 24, 1996 -
July 26, 1996 - Minnesota author Barton Sutter reads his essay on the BWCA, titled “The Backroad to Ely.” This is part one of two segments. Essay was later collected in "Cold Comfort: Life at the Top of the Map," published by University of Minnesota Press.
August 2, 1996 - Minnesota author Barton Sutter reads his essay on the BWCA, titled “The Backroad to Ely.” This is part two of two segments. Essay was later collected in "Cold Comfort: Life at the Top of the Map," published by University of Minnesota Press.