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 20, 2007 - BIll Holm speaks at the Minneapolis Library series Talk of the Stacks. Holm talks about what living in Iceland teaches you about America in his book "Windows of Brimnes: An American In Iceland."
December 24, 2007 - A memorial service is being planned for early next year for Carol Bly. She died of ovarian cancer on Friday at the age of 77. Bly is being remembered as an exemplary writer and an excellent mother. She was a fiction writer, essayist and creative writingA memorial service is being planned for early next year for Carol Bly. She died of ovarian cancer on Friday at the age of 77. Bly is being remembered as an exemplary writer and an excellent mother . She was a fiction writer, essayist and creative writing teacher. Carol Bly was born in Duluth, but spent part of her childhood living with her aunts in rural North Carolina because her mother was often hospitalized. Bly talked about her mother during an interview with Dan Olson in March of 1999.
December 25, 2007 - Truman Capote reads his story "A Christmas Memory," Garrison Keillor does a Christmas "News from Lake Wobegon," and Dan Olson reads the famous 1897 New York Sun Christmas letter "Is there a Santa Claus."
December 25, 2007 - Stage Session's "The Traditions of Christmas: Those You Want and Those That Are Foisted Upon You," with Heather McElhatton and guest poet Bill Holm, who present an eclectic Christmas show featuring an unexpected mix of literature, music and more.
January 16, 2008 - MPR’s Marriane Combs interviews poet Robery Bly and actor Mark Rylance about Guthrie Theater’s “Peer Gynt” production.
January 18, 2008 - Theater Mu open's its musical "The Walleye Kid" tomorrow night at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. After fifteen years of performing in smaller theaters around the Twin Cities, the asian-american company is getting some welcome exposure in high-profile venues like the Ordway and the Guthrie.
February 7, 2008 - Minneapolis writer Charles Baxter describes his new novel "The Soul Thief" as being about "soul vampirism." It's a bit like identity theft, only instead of stealing a person's bank account and social security numbers, a Soul Thief tries to actually become the other person. Baxter who was nominated for a National Book Award for his book "Feast of Love," told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr "The Soul Thief" grew out of something that happened to him many years ago.
February 20, 2008 - Petty attacks mark the presidential race Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton meet Thursday in a debate in Texas. Texas and Ohio are the next big contests in the Democratic race for president. So far, the candidates have generally been civil to one another, despite the tight contest. But commentator Peter Smith says that could be about to change.
February 26, 2008 - Commentator Peter Smith says he thought the coming 2008 Twins' season looked hopeless until he heard from an old friend. Positivity and hypotheticals commence.
March 10, 2008 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Mary Hu, high school poetry champion of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest held at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Segment also includes clip of Hu performing a Thomas Hardy poem. The students recited poetry of old -- by Longfellow, Poe, Kipling and Browning -- as well as new, like Maya Angelou, Billy Collins and Sharon Olds. After three rounds, Morris Area High School student Mary Hu emerged as this year's winner.