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.
October 23, 2015 - MPR’s Doualy Xaykaothao has a conversation with two Native-American artists, playwright Rhiana Yazzie and writer R. Vincent Moniz Jr.
November 6, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles a group of six Black women Minnesota writers Carolyn Holbrook, Lori Young-Williams, Andrea Jenkins, Shannon Gibney, Tish Jones, and Mary Moore Easter. They gathered at the The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis for a reading series called “More Than a Single Story.” Series was created by Carolyn Holbrook.
November 6, 2015 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minnesotan author and columnist Rick Shefchik about his book “Everybody's Heard About the Bird: The True Story of 1960s Rock N Roll in Minnesota.” The book tells the story of The Trashmen and the bands that came before and after them. It's also about the influential figures behind the scenes like Amos Heilicher, founder of Minneapolis-based Soma Records and disc jockey Bill Diehl, the Dick Clark of the Twin Cities.
December 15, 2015 - MPR’s Marriane Combs speaks with playwright Jessica Huang about her play on mixed race, titled “Purple Cloud.” Well... here's a question. "What are you?" It's a question that people of mixed race get all the time. A new play produced by Mu Performing Arts explores what it means to be mixed race... and how it leads one family on a journey of self-discovery.
January 22, 2016 - A profile of Robert Treuer, who died at the age of 89. Treuer was a writer, activist, and a tree farmer near Bemidji. The story of his life intersects with some of the most important themes of world and regional history in the 20th century. Program presents MPR’s Dan Olson interviewing Robert Treuer, as part of our "Voices of Minnesota" series.
February 4, 2016 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews the creators of new play “George Bonga: Black Voyageur.” The History Theater pulls together a dream team of playwright Carlyle Brown, director Marion McClinton, and actor James A. Williams to tell the story of African American voyageur George Bonga.
May 9, 2016 - MPR’s Euan Kerr speaks with Freya Manfred, daughter of author Frederick Manfred, about her father’s book “Lord Grizzly.”
May 17, 2016 - MPR’s Kerri Miller talks with Minnesota author Louise Erdrich about her novel “LaRose” at a Fitzgerald Theater event.
June 17, 2016 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profile on the story of a young Filipino's fascination with the world of pro wrestling. The play is titled “tot: The Untold Story of a Filipino Hulk Hogan,” and is the 50th new work Mu Performing Arts has produced.
July 14, 2016 - People in our community are expressing their feelings about the death of Philando Castile in many ways. 15 local poets gathered at the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul for a community reading. It was part of Black Poets Speak Out, a poetry-driven protest that began after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Report includes an excerpt of Michael Kleber Diggs reading his poem "St. Paul Morning."