July 16, 2001 - In Carol Muske-Dukes' novel "Life After Death" a St. Paul woman tells her husband, in a fit of anger, to drop dead. The following day he does just that, collapsing of a heart attack while playing tennis. She is left angry, confused, guilty, and troubled by strange memories, such as the time he proposed to her in New York. Carol Muske-Dukes says when she began writing "Life after Death", she intended to write a satire on the funeral industry in the spirit of Evelyn Waugh and Jessica Mittford. But as she did her research, talking to funeral directors, she began wanting to write a book about what actually happens to people, both living and dead, when someone passes away. Then, as she told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr, things took a bizarre twist. The week she mailed the finished manuscript for publication, her own husband collapsed and died on a tennis court.
July 18, 2001 - Joe Dowling, Guthrie Theater artistic director, sits in the studio with Gary Eichten to talk about the future of the venue and answer questions from MPR listeners.
July 19, 2001 - Alice Quinn, poetry editor at the New Yorker and Head of the Poetry Society of America discusses the promotion of poetry. Quinn also reads two of her favorite poems.
July 20, 2001 -
July 24, 2001 - MPR’s Mary Stucky profiles Marcela Rodriguez, a Minneapolis painter attempting to preserve little bit of ancient Chilean culture…and a little of the contemporary Chilean society too.
July 24, 2001 - John Banvard (BAN verd) was the most famous living painter in the world and the first millionaire artist. He was acclaimed by the likes of Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens. Today he is barely a footnote to history. You probably wont recognize any of the names in author Paul Collins's new book "Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of Renowned Obscurity, Famous Anonymity, and Rotten Luck." These are the stories of people who rose to great heights and quickly sank into obscurity. Collins told MPR's Stephanie Curtis that he considers some of his subjects unlucky geniuses and others inspired huxsters.
July 27, 2001 - (pronouncer: Bonfiglio = Bone-FEEL-ee-oh) The Minnesota Orchestra continues its SummerMusicFest this week with the musical theme "Absolutely American." Tonight and tomorrow night, the Orchestra will perform works by Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, John Adams and even Elvis Presley. Joining the orchestra is internationally famous harmonica player Robert Bonfiglio. He told Word of Mouth's Marianne Combs how he first discovered the harmonica:
July 30, 2001 - MPR’s Annie Feidt interviews slam poet Thadra Sheridan. She is one of five local poets that are sharpening their words, and clearing their throats in perparation for this year's National Poetry Slam.
August 2, 2001 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on St. Paul plan to turn a downtown parking lot into a park that will contain statues of the Peanuts cartoon characters made famous by one of the city's native sons, Charles Schulz. One of Schulz's daughters joined city officials in announcing plans for the new park.
August 6, 2001 - Robert Spaethling isn't the first person to translate Mozart's letters, but he went to great lengths to be the most precise. The German professor chose 275 letters and postscripts written by Mozart over a span of 22 years. Spaethling tells MPR's Tom Crann it was especially difficult to translate the poems Mozart wrote, like one he sent to his mother in January of 1778.