July 1, 2002 - The July edition of MPR's Voices of Minnesota series features resigned bishop James Shannon and Pam Costain, the retiring head of the Resource Center of the Americas.
July 3, 2002 -
July 15, 2002 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Minnesota author Brian Malloy about his debut novel "The Year of Ice," which is set in the Twin Cities in 1978. The story revolves around 17-year-old Kevin Doyle, a boy struggling with the death of his mother, his isolation from his father, and coming to terms with his sexuality.
July 16, 2002 - The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts has named David Galligan as its new President and CEO. Galligan will oversee the Ordway's business operations. Past President Kevin McCollum, now the Ordway's artistic producer in charge of programming, will oversee the Center's creative work. Galligan has been second-in-command at the Walker Art Center since 1986. He says he's looking forward to joining the Ordway at such a pivitol point in its history:
July 16, 2002 - Prior Lake, Minnesota is the inspiration for the fictional town of Acorn Lake, Minnesota in Jean Harfenist's new book "A Brief History of the Flood." The book is a collection of short stories set in the 1960's and centered around the Anderson family. The stories follow the developement of the Anderson's daughter, Lillian--from young child to young adult. Lillian is a small town girl dealing with an alcoholic father and a mother who views the world like a romance novel. Lillian is also trying to avoid her mother's mistakes and is focusing on becoming a self-sufficient working woman. Harfenist grew up in Prior Lake and says Minnesota is an essential element to "A Brief History of the Flood." Jean Harfenist is the author of "A Brief History of the Flood." The book is published by Knopf.
July 17, 2002 - This week, the League of Historic American Theatres is holding its annual convention in Minneapolis. A delegation from the organization is touring some historic theatres in rural Minnesota. On the itinerary was Austin's Paramount theatre. The 73 year-old Paramount Theatre is one of the few remaining historic buildings in Austin. The amount of money needed to restore the building pales in comparison to some of the theater projects proposed for the Twin Cities. But as Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz reports, to the handful of people struggling to restore the theatre, the project is every bit as important . {Turrets, spires, and Moorish arches spread across the interior walls to Austin's Paramount Theatre...representing a village courtyard in southern Spain. The Paramount was built in 1929. It's on the national list of historic sites. It's one of Minnesota's few remaining atmospheric theatres...an architectural style that makes visitors feel like they're outside. High above the Paramount's auditorium is the faint light of tiny holes punched in the ceiling, creating the illusion of thousands of stars, stretching out for miles into the night. But for Paramount Theatre manager Scott Andreson, the feeling of infinite space ends there.
July 17, 2002 -
July 17, 2002 - A new book brings renewed attention to an historic civil rights case on the Minnesota iron range. In 1988, Lois Jenson sued Eveleth Mines for the sexual harassment she endured at work. Her case eventually altered the very nature of sexual harassment suits. Journalist Clara Bingham and attorney Laura Leedy-Gansler are the authors of "Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case the Changed Sexual Harassment Law." Both women came by the studio to discuss the case. Bingham says there is a macho culture on the range that contributed to the harassment in the mines.
July 19, 2002 - Minneapolis native Arthur Phillips novel is set in Budapest in 1990. It's called "Prague" though, because that's where the expatriate Americans in the story worry they really should be. The group includes entrepreneurs, writers and diplomats, caught in the excitement of the fall of Eastern European totalitarianism. Yet they can't shake the feeling they are missing the real action elsewhere. Arthur Phillips himself lived in the Hungarian capital in the early nineties. His novel had drawn critical acclaim for it's depiction of a unique period of recent history. "Prague" opens with some of the Americans sitting in a cafe playing "Sincerity", a game where each player makes a series of statements, only one of which is true. The players score by fooling the other players and guessing correctly when they are lying. Phillips told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr the game reveals a great deal about the players.
July 22, 2002 - Not only is Rochester the city known for treating human illnesses, but pianos can get fixed too. Liberace's rhinestone-covered piano is in Rochester for a tune up. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports.