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.
August 16, 1997 - A St. Paul author is vying to become the next Tom Clancy. Vince Flynn's new book "Term Limits" is an espionage thriller set in Washington, DC. This self-published book is receiving a lot of attention--not bad for a guy who tended bar at O'Gara's by night so he could write by day.
August 18, 1997 - A Midday call-in program about ecumenism in religion and other trends in organized religion with studio guest Clark Morphew, St. Paul Pioneer Press religion writer and nationally syndicated columnist.
August 23, 1997 - There's something different in your St. Paul Pioneer Press. This week the paper began an 11-part newspaper novel called "Murder on a Stick." Each chapter of the novel is written by a different reporter--kind of like a long group chain letter. The project is the brainchild of Editor Walker Lundy--his inspiration came from the Miami Herald's "Naked Came the Manatee" and Newsday's "Naked Came the Stranger" series. The initial title for THIS project also included a "naked" reference. But the reporters thought "Naked Came the Corn Dog"--might overstep the boundaries of good taste. "Murder on a Stick" includes references to Corn Dogs, butter sculptures and other state fair traditions. Here now are reporters Larry Millett, Linda McDonald and Jim Ragsdale reading part of their contributions.
September 2, 1997 - As students and teachers head back to class today, one of the state's best-known teachers will be staying home. Jon Hassler, the author of novels like "The Dean's List" and "Staggerford", has retired after 42 years teaching high school and college.
September 26, 1997 - Gay-themed movies and T-V shows generally address the most broad themes of gay life, like the difficulty of coming out. Edmund White's latest book, "The Farewell Symphony," digs deeper into the trials and tribulations faced by homosexuals in American society today. Yet, taking a mentor's advice, White keeps you at a little distance, letting you draw your own conclusions. "The Farewell Symphony" is an autobiographical novel about White's repressive Midwest childhood and his life as a usually struggling writer in New York and Europe, during which time he had sex with thousands of men. In the title, White may be saying farewell to Brice, his lover of five years, who died of AIDS in 1994. This was White's first reciprocated love affair and you'd think he'd be more prominent in the book, but Brice makes only cameo appearances in "The Farewell Symphony." We learn why he's mostly quiet about Brice when White is reunited with an old flame.
October 1, 1997 - 2099 is a playlist In his new novel "Floating Kingdom", Minneapolis writer George Rabasa tells the story of a family living on a tiny island in the middle of the Rio Grande, smack in the middle of the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
October 7, 1997 - Remember the house of straw? Built by a hasty and foolish piglet, blown down with ease by a hungry wolf - the straw house was a warning to us all. Well, in fact, it turns out straw makes a pretty good house. Nebraska farmers knew it a century ago, and now houses made of strawbales are making a revival that's reached from New Mexico, to New Zealand, to Northern Minnesota.
October 10, 1997 - Midday’s Gary Eichten speaks with former Minnesota governor Elmer L. Andersen about his life and his book, Views from the Publisher's Desk. Andersen also answers listener call-in questions.
October 18, 1997 - A young boy's fear and admiration for Wolves is the subject of Minnesota author Mary Casanova's new book "Wolf Shadows". Casanova's home is near the Minnesota/Canadian border. Her surroundings often provide the inspiration for her young adult books. Her intimate knowledge of the north woods and her frequent sightings of wolves helped to spark the idea for "Wolf Shadows". Mary Casanova is not afraid to take on controversial subjects in her writing. "Wolf Shadows" explores animal rights and man's complex relationship with wolves.
October 23, 1997 - The name Disneyland conjures images of fairy tale castles, Mickey Mouse, clean and tidy streets and glimpses of the future; a place where nostalgia and fantasy are woven together. Disneyland has also become a metaphor for American popular culture and its grip on the rest of the world. Many cultural critics cringe at Disney's sweeping global influence. But a new exhibit making its American debut at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis seeks to supply a new, more historical perspective on Disney's cultural rise to power. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts spoke with the exhibit's curator, University of Minnesota Art Historian Karal Ann Marling.