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 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.
November 7, 1975 - MPR’s Bill Siemering interviews Dr. Roland Dille about Sinclair Lewis, author of Main Street, and the theme of ‘small town.’
December 31, 1975 - Garrison Keillor interviews author J. F. Powers about his book Look How the Fish Live. Powers reads from the book and talks of his time overseas.
February 23, 1976 - An audio tour with Rena N. Coen, art historian and author, who discusses early "exploratory" art of Minnesota's first white settlers, including a curiosity with the Native Americans.
February 24, 1976 - An audio tour with art historian Rena Coen about the early artist visitors to Minnesota, including Eastman Johnson and a connection to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Song of Hiawatha.
February 25, 1976 - An audio tour with art historian Rena Coen on the history of religious art, especially the Norwegian immigrants to Minnesota in the 19th century.
February 26, 1976 - An audio tour with art historians Rena Coen and Lyndel King, who comment on the early Minnesota art scene and the foundation for the Minneapolis School of Art.
March 3, 1976 - MPR special coverage of speech and reading by Minneosta poet Robert Bly at Lakewood Community College in White Bear Lake.