January 11, 2010 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on how the Karen have adopted Minnesota as their new home, 10 years after the first of the Karen escaped the oppressive regime that rules Myanmar, and began to immigrate to the Twin Cities.
January 15, 2010 - MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Twin Cities musician and educator Cyril Paul. A native of Trinidad, Paul has lived in Minnesota for more than 50 years performing the music of his homeland and also serving as a music resource person in schools and churches.
January 22, 2010 - Chris Roberts reports on Minneapolis hip-hop artist Dessa. Roberts interviews Dessa and others about artist’s style, lyric writing, and album "A Badly Broken Code."
January 29, 2010 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles Accordo, the renonwned Twin Cities chamber ensemble. Roberts interviews members of group about their intimate connection while performing together.
February 15, 2010 - MPR’s Rupa Shenoy reports on a group of local African Americans working to purchase the historic Amos Coe mansion in Minneapolis, in hopes of developing museum devoted to Black Minnesotans…a first. There are hopes the museum can be a place where African immigrants and African Americans learn about each other.
February 17, 2010 - MPR’s Euan Kerr reports on the play "Black Pearl Sings." Kerr talks with director Lou Bellamy and actors from play.
February 19, 2010 - When it comes to defining Ellen Kuras, it's simplest just to call her a filmmaker. The bulk of her work is as director of photography for many of the great film directors of our time. She also makes commercials. Last year, her film "The Betrayal" received a nomination for best documentary Oscar. Kuras will speak about her work Saturday night at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She says the different facets of what she does are very much intertwined. Ellen Kuras went to college to study Egyptology and anthropology. To hear her tell it, the path to becoming a cinematographer was a natural progression. "Basically I realized I was interested in people and history, and how people relate to each other and culture. And it was that that led me to an interest in documentary filmmaking," Kuras said. "I have a very strong sense of the political. And I thought, I want to make films that move people, I want people to be educated about the nature of the world, or about stories about people." Kuras started work on a film about a family of Laotian refugees living in New York. Like the Hmong, they fled Laos after helping the U.S. military in the so-called secret war in their country. Kuras directed the film about their struggles in America. She knew it was a great story. Yet as she reviewed the material her crew shot, she became uneasy. The footage was technically great, but she felt something was missing.
March 10, 2010 - Midday features a rebroadcast of two Voices of Minnesota stories about women in World War II. Program includes the profiles, interviews, and a brief NPR report on Women Airforce Service Pilots.
March 29, 2010 - On this All Things Considered segment, MPR’s Tom Crann talks with comedian and Minnesota native Louie Anderson about the profession of stand-up comedy, keys to sucesss, and the joy of doing comedy.
March 30, 2010 - MPR’s Chris Roberts talks with members of Jelloslave, a Minneapolis band that takes the cello where quartets and concertos don't usually go. Their CD "Purple Orange" is highlighted.