February 7, 1985 - MPR’s Lisa DeRemee reports on local reactions as the town of Sauk Centre prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Sinclair Lewis’ birth. The “hometown son” has a complicated relationship to area, as his famous book Main Street provides a less than stellar fictional portrait of town and its residents.
February 14, 1985 - MPR’s Doug Hamilton speaks with local English professor and poet Michael Dennis Brown on the state of modern love poetry today. Brown speaks on poetry’s decreasing popularity in comparison to other forms of media and expression. He also talks about his expectations for the future of poetry and how he hopes it evolves and grows with the world’s changes.
February 18, 1985 - MPR’s Mark Heistad presents an MPR documentary, titled "When Farmers Took a Holiday." Little more than a half century ago Midwestern farmers staged a revolt against the Depression era farm crisis. This documentary reexamines the Farmer's Holiday Association movement through stories of farmers, political figures, bankers, and others.
February 18, 1985 - MPR’s Kate Moos profiles Minnesota’s second poet laureate, Laurene Tibbetts. Segment includes brief interview and reading.
March 5, 1985 - Minnesota Journal host Gary Eichten presents a collection of day/evening reports and news items for Monday, March 5, 1985.
March 16, 1985 - MPR’s Beth Friend profiles the Minneapolis Celtic-punk-folk band, Boiled in Lead. Friend interviews Drew Miller, the band’s bass player, about Boiled in Lead’s style.
April 11, 1985 - In a lecture at the University of Minnesota on April 3, 1985, linguistics pioneer Noam Chomsky looks at critics of American policies in an historical perspective and determines that even the harshest of critics operate within narrow constraints set by the government. Dr. Chomsky’s lecture is entitled "The Manufacture of Consent."
April 13, 1985 - On this Weekend program, Bob Potter interviews former U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy discusses his latest book and Vietnam. He also answers listener questions.
April 25, 1985 - MPR’s Tom Meersman reports on Hmong leaders seeking assistance from state on addressing the continued needs for various programs, including English as a second language (ESL). Local advocates see the language barrier as a source for health and employment challenges in the Hmong community.
April 29, 1985 - MPR Journal host Gary Eichten presents a collection of reports and news items for Monday, April 29th, 1985. This was the first broadcast as MPR Journal, with Minnesota Journal program series being renamed.