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 27, 2009 - Garrison Keillor talks about life, literature, and his latest book, Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance.
October 28, 2009 - Great writers of fiction and nonfiction have the ability to transport readers to different worlds and different times. Two book lovers join Midmorning to share their favorite books about exotic lands.
October 28, 2009 - Segments from Kerri Miller Book Club events with Louise Erdrich and Diane Ackerman. Louise Erdrich talks about her novel, "Love Medicine" 25 years after the book was published. And Diane Ackerman talks about about the natural history of dawn, the subject of her book, "Dawn Light."
October 29, 2009 - Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel in Natick, Massachusetts, speaks about his new book, "Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World." Rabbi Kushner has written several books over the past three decades, including his 1981 bestseller about coping with tragedies, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." He was a featured speaker at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.
November 4, 2009 - The story of a simple monk trying to promote peace during the Vietnam war might seem an unlikely subject for a puppet show. Yet the performers in "A Path Home" at the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater say in many ways their show gets to the very roots of what they do as an organization.
November 5, 2009 - Harvey Cox is a Baptist minister and preeminent American theologian. He recently retired as the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard University, where his research and teaching focused on the interaction of religion, culture, and politics. He is the author of "The Secular City," and is out with a new book, "The Future of Faith." He spoke before an audience at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
November 6, 2009 - Bemidji based writer Kent Nerburn sometimes struggles to categorize what he creates. He writes fictional narratives based on the real stories of people he has met on reservations in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Euan Kerr reports Nerburn latest book, "The Wolf at Twilight," explores the sad legacy of the Indian Boarding schools.
November 10, 2009 - An 'Intelligence Squared' debate features three panelists FOR and three panelists AGAINST the proposition: Good Riddance to the Mainstream Media. Guests: Jim VandeHei: Executive editor of Politico. Michael Wolff: Columnist for Vanity Fair and the founder of news aggregator newser.com. Phil Bronstein: Former executive vice president and editor at large of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Carr: Reporter and columnist for the New York Times. Katrina vanden Heuvel: Editor and publisher of The Nation.
November 11, 2009 - The outgoing head of the National Trust for Historic Preservation calls Fort Snelling the most important historic site in the state. Former Minnesotan Richard Moe announced last week he was retiring after 17 years as president of the trust. Moe is also the author of a book about the First Minnesota Volunteers who played a big role fighting for the Union in the Civil War. The Duluth native says those soldiers enlisted and trained at Fort Snelling. But, Moe says the site where the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers meet represents more than just a former military post.
November 11, 2009 - Minnesota native Richard Moe is retiring as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. He joins Midday to talk about community revitalization and why it's important to save America's historic buildings and places. Richard Moe: President, National Trust for Historic Preservation. Former chief of staff for Senator Walter Mondale and senior staff for President Jimmy Carter. Chairman of Minnesota DFL Party 1969-1972. Author, "The Last Full Measure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers."