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.
February 25, 2010 - Elizabeth Gilbert's first memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love," which chronicled her travels and personal renewal after a divorce, became a blockbuster bestseller. In her latest book, "Committed" she explains how she came to make peace with marriage as she gives it a second try with a new partner.
March 10, 2010 -
April 7, 2010 - The Guthrie Theater will open it's next season with a world premier adaptation of Louise Erdrich's bestselling novel "The Master Butcher's Singing Club. Critically acclaimed when it came out in 2003, Erdrich's novel "The Master Butcher's Singing Club" is the saga of people living in a small North Dakota town between the two world wars. The Guthrie production will bring together an all-star creative team. The script is by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman. The play will be directed by the internationally acclaimed Francesca Zambello. She directed the Guthrie's musical adaptation of "Little House on the Prairie." In a statement released by the Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling said "To have the opportunity to produce a new play based on a novel by a significant Minnesota author like Louise Erdrich is particularly gratifying." The production will open in September.
April 8, 2010 - Nick Hayes, professor of history at Saint John's University in Collegeville, joins Midday in the studio to talk about his memoir "And One Fine Morning: Memories of My Father." The book traces his family origins and his father's story, including his father's experience growing up Catholic in Protestant Minneapolis.
April 8, 2010 - The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis will present the world premier of a theatrical adaptation of a novel by Minnesota author Louise Erdrich. The critically acclaimed novel - "The Master Butcher's Singing Club" - follows people living in a small town in North Dakota between the two world wars. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Borman wrote the script for the production, which will be directed by Francesca Zumbello. Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling says he expects a lavish production. Marsha Norman has done a beautiful job in not just creating the characters from the book and creating thems on the stage, but also giving the narrative a very strong through line. There will be music in it of course, because it is "The Master Butcher's Singing Club." There will be songs, various different songs, both German and some American songs. Dowling says Erdrich, who lives in Minneapolis, has been very involved in the project. The play will open the Guthrie's 2010-2011 season in September.
April 9, 2010 - The world of smackdowns and body slams is being transported from the ring to the stage in a new production that's opening at Mixed Blood Theatre. The play, called "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" is a local playwright's exploration of the underbelly of a sport he loves- professional wrestling.
April 12, 2010 - This is National Library Week, and one of the people out talking about the importance of libraries is Neil Gaiman. He's the award-winning author of "Coraline", "The Graveyard Book", several film scripts, and the Sandman comic book. Gaiman, who lives just outside the Twin Cities metro, is serving as honorary chair for the event. He told Euan Kerr he knows through personal experience libraries are more vital now than ever.
April 26, 2010 - Brian McLaren, featured speaker at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis, discusses how to be a person of faith in today's world. McLaren is the founding pastor of a nondenominational church in the Baltimore area and the author of several books, including his latest, "A New Kind of Christianity."
April 27, 2010 - Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist Lori Sturdevant was awarded the David Graven Award at the 2010 Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Program and joins Midday to talk about her 35 years of political reporting and editorial writing.
April 27, 2010 - Best-selling comic book and science fiction writer Neil Gaiman speaks at Stillwater High School as part of a new Twin Cities-wide program to celebrate reading. He's the first guest of the new Club Book program, bringing authors to metro communities. Gaiman is the award-winning author of "Coraline," "The Graveyard Book," and the acclaimed DC Comics series "Sandman."