January 16, 2001 - A Minnesota Author has won the American Library Association's prestigious Newbery Honor for Children's Literature. Kate DiCamillo's book "Because of Winn-Dixie" follows the friendship of ten year old India Opal Buloni and a stray dog named Winn-Dixie during their first summer together in a small Florida town. DiCamillo says she is still recovering from the shock of finding out she had won.
January 18, 2001 - Students and adults in Fargo-Moorhead are being challenged this week to think differently about people with disabilities. Cleveland based Dancing Wheels dance company is in town to showcase its artistry, and shatter conventional thinking. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
January 22, 2001 - Public Television is airing a ten-part series this month on the history of jazz. The eighteen-hour documentary was produced by Ken Burns, who is known for his documentaries on the Civil War and baseball. The series follows jazz from its birth at the dawn of the twentieth century, incorporating significant historical events that influenced the music. Leigh Kamman hosts Minnesota Public Radio's "The Jazz Image," and he came by the studio to talk about the series. He's been watching, and says jazz is a complicated subject.
January 24, 2001 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the likeness of one of Minnesota's most notable former citizens has been immortalized by the United States Postal Service. The USPS Roy Wilkins Black Heritage stamp was unveiled on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Wilkins' alma mater. Williams summarizes the celebration, which included speeches and performances.
January 24, 2001 - This is a special day for Minnesota stamp collectors. That's because postal service officials are in Minneapolis to issue the Roy Wilkins stamp. Wilkins grew up in St. Paul, and was known as the father of civil rights. He headed the N-DOUBLE-A-C-P for over twenty years from the mid 50's to the late 70's. For stamp collectors, it's a rare opportunity to get the stamp on the first day of issuance, which increases the stamp's value. Joining us now is Bill Anderson, president of the Minnesota Federation of Stamp Clubs.
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January 25, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with Minnesota guitarist Sharon Isbin about her album "Dreams of a World: Folk-Inspired Music for Guitar," which is Grammy-nominated in the best solo instrumentalist category.
January 25, 2001 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen presents a profile of jazz organist Jack McDuff (aka Captain Jack), who died on January 24th, 2001. Segment includes recorded interview with McDuff.
February 1, 2001 - What could lead a parent to kill a child? Dutch author Renate Dorrestein tries to answer that chilling question in her new novel "A Heart of Stone" The book centers on Ellen, whose mother murdered Ellen's father and siblings before killing herself. Ellen struggles to understand why her mother committed such a horrendous act and why she alone was spared. Dorrestein told Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis she was inspired to write the novel four years ago, when a series of murder-suicides within families shocked the Netherlands. She says most of the cases involved husbands and wives caught in bad divorces or violent arguments, but one stood out from the others.
February 8, 2001 - MPR Classical Music Host Tom Crann interviews John Adams, one of the best known living American composers. Adams returns to St. Paul to conduct his own work, and some of the work that he says has inspired him over the years. John Adams will lead The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as it plays works by Debussy, Satie Ravel, and his own Violin Concerto.