May 15, 1979 - This MPR Special Coverage presents acclaimed poet Robert Bly reading at Southwest State University in Marshall. This appearance includes occasional dulcimer accompaniment as Bly performs and dissects his own works as well as the works of others. This is an edited excerpt from his Marshall appearance.
June 19, 1979 - ‘Polka Power,’ a report and poetic response to the polka festival subculture in the Upper Midwest with local poets Joe and Nancy Paddock.
June 20, 1979 - Southwest Minnesota poet Phil Dacey reads several of his poems, with musical accompaniment by his wife.
June 21, 1979 - Nancy Paddock shows her attempts to strike a balance with nature in poem It's a Pity. Segment includes musical elements.
June 22, 1979 - Minnesota poet Joe Paddock shows his perceptions of the migration of wild geese across the Minnesota prairie in poem The Geese. Segment includes musical elements.
August 31, 1979 - Author Carol Bly of Madison, Minnesota reads from her poem The Gift of Splendid Sound. Segment features the voices of Carol Bly, Joe Paddock, and Bill Holm, who also provide the musical interludes.
October 20, 1979 - Patricia Kane, professor of English at Macalester College, discusses the life and works of St. Paul author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
October 24, 1979 - MPR’s Nancy Fushan talks with writer William Burroughs, whose credited by some as the father of the beat generation. Segment also includes Burroughs reading his work.
December 1, 1979 - On this Weekend program, Joe and Nancy Paddock speak on farm life and read poetry at the Farmers Union Convention.
February 1, 1980 - MPR’s Mark Heistad reports on a group in Madison, Minnesota, that are writing their own soap opera. Heistad interviews local author Carol Bly, who is heading the project.