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.
November 15, 2006 - Duluth has long been known as a union town. A new book tells the story of how and why. It's called "By the Ore Docks...A Working People's History of Duluth." Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
November 21, 2006 -
November 23, 2006 - As Thanksgiving brings family together to share food and gratitude, "Giving Thanks" brings together music, stories and writers that contemplate the meaning of the holiday.
November 24, 2006 - Oscar Wilde. Mark Twain. Antonin Dvorak. Gertrude Stein. Those are just a few of the artists who have made their way through St. Paul over the years. The University of Minnesota's Patricia Hampl explored the Capitol City through their eyes in a perfromance Nov. 10 at the Fitzgerald Theater.
December 4, 2006 - A new foundation has awarded three Minnesota artists with substantial grants. United States Artists is a new organization dedicated to supporting America's finest living artists. Starting this year it plans to award 50 grants of 50-thousand dollars each. Minnesota recipients include theater director Dominique Serrand, and writers Susan Power and Sandra Benitez . Benitez says she's thrilled that there's a new foundation directly supporting artists.
December 4, 2006 - St. Paul's Citywide Book Club will focus exclusively on Minnesota authors this year. It's a way to mark the 150th anniversary of the St. Paul Public Schools. The schools, together with the the City of St. Paul and the St Paul Public Library, announced seven selections today, including "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien's collection of short stories about the Vietnam war. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman says he's proud of this selection because it can give Minnesotans perspective on what's happening in Iraq.
December 7, 2006 - To mark the anniversary of Peral Harbor attack, Midday talks with local author Dave Kenny on the Minnesotans' memories of Pearl Harbor. He has written a book Minnesota Goes to War. Program includes call-in commentary and questions.
December 25, 2006 - Stage Sessions, with Minnesota poet and author Bill Holm and host Heather, bring together an eclectic Christmas show featuring an unexpected mix of literature, music and more.
December 25, 2006 - "A Christmas Memory" and other stories. To keep you company this Christmas, Midday presents stories of the season from a host of top-flight story tellers, including Truman Capote, Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris.Hour 2: "Six to Eight Black Men," by David Sedaris. Read by the author in 2002 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This story is included in Sedaris' latest book "Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim." "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," by Dr. Seuss. Read by former Minnesota Public Radio host Bob Potter. "A View From the Card Table," by Kevin Kling. Read by the author on his CD, "Stories off the Shallow End." "The Polar Express," by Chris Van Allsburg. Read by Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson at the Fitzgerald Theater in 2004. Sound effects provided by Tom Keith.
December 25, 2006 - "A Christmas Memory" and other stories. To keep you company this Christmas, Midday presents stories of the season from a host of top-flight story tellers, including Truman Capote, Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris. Hour 1: "A Christmas Memory," by Truman Capote. Read by the author at the University of North Dakota's 1976 Writer's Conference. "Mr. Bergy's Christmas," by Garrison Keillor. Performed in 1991 on Keillor's radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." "Is There a Santa Claus?" This letter first appeared on the editorial page of the New York Sun newspaper in 1897. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reads the letter in only slightly altered form.