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.
September 4, 1975 - MPR’s Bill Siemering presents a feature on the Poetry Out Loud program in Minnesota. Siemering interviews John C. Rezmerski, the coordinator of poetry readings in local communities, who highlights the importance of poets in conversation with their audiences.
September 17, 1975 - MPR’s Bill Siemering interviews Marisha Chamberlain, St. Paul's Poet in Residence, about her experience teaching poetry to mentally handicapped communities.
September 22, 1975 - Over the years, Minneapolis Star columnist Jim Klobuchar has written about virtually every aspect of life in Minnesota. MPR's Gary Eichten asks Klobuchar about some of his impressions of life in the state.
October 1, 1975 - MPR’s Terri Keefe reports on a speech by feminist author Kate Millett at the University of Minnesota. Millet talks about the rules of sexuality in classical literature, Oedipus, Medea, and erotic literature.
October 10, 1975 - When harvest time arrives in the northern plains, farmers go into the fields to harvest the crop. This story is primarily a montage of sounds of the harvest including combines, farm machinery, and a farmer’s reflections.
November 3, 1975 - MPR’s Rachel Kranz has a conversation with Susan Winter, Red Studio Press founder. Winter discusses the advantages of being a smaller, more hands-on publishing house.
November 3, 1975 - MPR’s Rachel Kranz has a conversation with Susan Winter, Red Studio Press founder. Winter describes the advantages to a more local, regional publishing house, which can cater to the specific needs of a Midwest-based writer.
November 3, 1975 - MPR’s Rachel Kranz has a conversation with Susan Winter, Red Studio Press founder. Winter promotes her publishing house's philosophy of integrating the writer into the entire process of publishing, from start to finish.
November 3, 1975 - MPR’s Rachel Kranz has a conversation with Susan Winter, Red Studio Press founder. Winter promotes the publishing house's adherence to quality and aesthetic in their product.
November 6, 1975 - MPR’s Bill Siemering interviews Marisha Chamberlain about her experience in Poetry Out Loud and the subject of poetry in general.