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.
December 12, 1999 -
December 12, 1999 -
December 12, 1999 -
December 13, 1999 - For patients sitting through hours of chemotherapy or family members waiting for a loved one to come out of radiation, there are the usual distractions - old magazines, the newspaper or television. But there isn't much to feed the soul, especially for those who haven't come to terms with the disease. Karin Miller is hoping to change that. Two years ago, her husband Thom was diagnosed with cancer. He was 36 and had a tumor the size of a football in his abdomen. Karen began writing poetry to get through the difficult months of his treatment. She suspected others touched by cancer might be doing the same thing, so she founded the Cancer Poetry Project. Through a Web site and other publicity, Miller is soliciting poetry for an anthology that she hopes will be published next year.
December 14, 1999 - The Hungry Mind, Saint Paul's nationally known bookseller, literary review, and press is looking for a new name. The Hungry Mind sold its name to a cyber-university earlier this fall, and needs a new one before April, 2000. In this age of branding, trademarks, and electronic commerce the task of coming up with something as potent as what it's had for the past 29 years is a challenge.
December 14, 1999 - Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the comic strip "Peanuts," announced today he will retire on Jan. 4th, after more than fifty years of drawing the cartoon. Schulz is quitting to concentrate on treating his newly-diagnosed case of colon cancer. Schulz was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and drew inspiration from his life here.
December 15, 1999 - It's been nearly a year and a half since nature photographer Nadine Blacklock and her dog Paddles were killed in a head-on car crash along the North Shore. Before she died, Nadine had been working with her husband Craig to re-issue their popular collection of photographs of the Quetico-Superior wilderness called, Border Country. The Blacklocks wanted to re-work their photos using new digital technology to make them sharper, brighter and more colorful. After Nadine's death, Craig took over the project and has just released the new, improved Border Country. He says looking over the old photos brought back many memories.
December 16, 1999 - It's been nearly a year and a half since nature photographer Nadine Blacklock and her dog Paddles were killed in a head-on car crash along the North Shore. Before she died, Nadine had been working with her husband Craig to re-issue their popular collection of photographs of the Quetico-Superior wilderness called, Border Country. The Blacklocks wanted to re-work their photos using new digital technology to make them sharper, brighter and more colorful. After Nadine's death, Craig took over the project and has just released the new, improved Border Country. He says looking over the old photos brought back many memories.
December 20, 1999 - The city of Saint Paul and Central High School are the settings for Stanley Gordon West's new novel, Finding Laura Buggs. This is the Saint Paul native's second self-published novel. Both books feature characters loosely based on West's friends in the Central High class of 1950. West lives in Montana now. He tells Minnesota Public Radio's Mike Edgerly the idea for Finding Laura Buggs came to him while driving the long interstate from the Twin Cities to his home in Bozeman.
December 21, 1999 - A look at Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and how it's shaped our view of Christmas and charity. Features a 1940 version of A Christmas Carol featuring Lionel Barrymore as Ebenezer Scrooge. Our review of A Christmas Carol was written and produced by John Rabe, with assistance from Kara Fiegenschuh. It included selections from To Charles, With Love, a special production created and produced by Bridget Carpenter, the NEA-PCG playwright in residence of the Guthrie Theatre. We heard My Carol by Doris Baizley, read by Sue Scott; and excerpts of Octoclaus by Eric Ehn, read by Dan Gorenstein; and A Christmas Golem by David Grimm, read by Steve Yoakam.