April 10, 2008 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on release of “Walk it Off,” the sophmore album from Minneapolis band Tapes 'n Tapes. Roberts interviews band members Josh Grier and Eric Applewick about making the album.
April 17, 2008 - Pope Benedict XVI is visiting the United States for the first time as leader of the world's Roman Catholics. Midday explores the messages he plans to emphasize during his trip and the impact of his visit.
April 28, 2008 - One of Minnesota's best-known novelists, Louise Erdrich, discusses her book “A Plague of Doves,” a story that weaves together the murder of a family, a lynching of men innocent of the crime, and the tangled relationships of Ojibwe and whites living around the dying town of Pluto, North Dakota.
May 1, 2008 - May 1st is the traditional decision deadline for high school seniors to make their college decisions. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes talked with students at North High School in Minneapolis about how they made their decisions for college.
May 2, 2008 - Minnesota writer Leif Enger's new novel, "So Brave, Young and Handsome," is a tribute to the Western. An old cowboy seeks forgiveness from his estranged wife as he tries to shake a pursuing Pinkerton detective. And the book's narrator is a writer attempting to match the success of his first book. Enger's first novel, "Peace Like a River," was a best-seller.
May 5, 2008 - MPR’s Dan Olson presents the documentary “From 35th Street to Wall Street: Anatomy of a foreclosure,” which looks at subprime mortgage loans and the impact on individuals finding themselves a part of a foreclosure crisis.
May 7, 2008 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Hmong author Kao Kalia Yang about her book “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.” Yang also describes her family life experience and transition to living in the United States.
May 12, 2008 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that Lake Superior's low water in 2007’ revealed something disturbing…gaping rusted holes in much of the underwater steel in the Duluth-Superior harbor. The aggressive corrosion, discovered just a couple of years ago, has caused extensive damage below the water line. The cause is still a mystery, but studies have begun to identify some leading suspects.
May 12, 2008 - Writer Bill Holm is celebrating a little. Today the McKnight Foundation named him its 2008 Distinguished Artist. The award carries a fifty-thousand dollar stipend. Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr called Holm to talk about the news and found him looking both forward and back.
May 15, 2008 - MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that former Governor Jesse Ventura said he's serious about a possible run for U.S. Senate, and he had harsh words for some of the other candidates already in the race. Comments were made when Ventura broke his boycott of the Minnesota broadcast media, appearing on Minnesota Public Radio's Midday program to talk about his latest book.