February 13, 2009 - The Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul announced it is trimming its budget by almost a quarter and pushing a major production into next year.
February 16, 2009 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson talks with English bluegrass/country musician Johnny Butten. The Fargo-Moorhead resident holds the world record for fastest banjo playing.
February 20, 2009 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on album release of former Jayhawks members Mark Olson and Gary Louris. The songs on "Ready for the Flood" are the culmination of reunion between Olson and Louris, which started in the early 2000s.
February 26, 2009 - MPR’s Marianne Combs presents a profile of acclaimed Minnesota poet and essayist Bill Holm, who passed away at the age of 65. Segment includes excerpts of Bill Holm speaking, and remembrances from those who knew him.
February 27, 2009 - Essayist and poet Bill Holm, who was nationally known for his distinctly Minnesotan writing, died at age 65. On this program, Midday features some highlights from Holm's many public appearances and rememberences from those who knew him.
March 9, 2009 - Some of the state's best high school poets competed for the state championship, with eighteen students from across the state took part in the 'Poetry Out Loud' contest. They were judged by a panel on seven criteria, including physical presence and level of difficulty. The champion, Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan, was named after three rounds of poems.
March 10, 2009 - Penumbra's artistic director Lou Bellamy and actors join Midmorning to talk about Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.
April 16, 2009 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on the University of Minnesota three-day international conference celebrating the work of Minnesota poet Robert Bly.
May 20, 2009 - Nico Muhly isn't 30 yet, but the protege of Phillip Glass is already recognized as a major force in contemporary classical music. The Juilliard graduate has composed for, among others, the Boston Pops, Chicago Symphony, and Bjork. Muhly sees himself and his music as a product of the internet age.
June 1, 2009 - There are over 50,000 Hmong people in Minnesota, but very few Hmong restaurants and no mainstream Hmong cookbooks... until now. The University of Minnesota Press has just published "Cooking from the Heart: the Hmong Kitchen in America."