December 23, 2016 - When Minnesota poet, author, and musician Bill Holm sat down to write a Christmas letter, he sorted through a lifetime of memories and put some of these memories in his 2009 book titled Faces of Christmas Past, published by the Afton Historical Society Press. That same year, Minnesota Public Radio produced this "Voices of Minnesota" special, with Bill Holm reading from his own book.
January 22, 2016 - A profile of Robert Treuer, who died at the age of 89. Treuer was a writer, activist, and a tree farmer near Bemidji. The story of his life intersects with some of the most important themes of world and regional history in the 20th century. Program presents MPR’s Dan Olson interviewing Robert Treuer, as part of our "Voices of Minnesota" series.
May 19, 2015 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Native American activist and White Earth band member Clyde Bellecourt.
September 25, 2014 - On this episode of MPR’s Minnesota Sound and Voices, Dan Olson profiles the wildlife management of bison in Blue Mounds State Park and raising them for meat on a nearby ranch.
July 31, 2014 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson talks with Chue Vang about his family’s experience fleeing Laos and coming to the U.S. as refugees. Today, he aims to honor the opportunities found in his adopted home and a late brother with a new scholarship for Hmong students.
March 27, 2014 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Orkestar Bez Ime, an Eastern European music group, which has become known as a Balkan party band. Olson interviews members of the band about the complicated music form.
June 28, 2013 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles several women's Hmong American flag football teams as they prepare to compete at this year's Hmong Freedom Celebration. Playing the game was a formidable cultural hurdle the young Hmong American women had to overcome, as families place a high value on women as wives, rather than competitors.
April 5, 2013 - MPR’s Dan Olson presents an episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices with a profile of the langauge in the play “Spunk.”
March 15, 2013 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles dulcimer player Karen Mueller. Mueller is one of the country's top dulcimer and autoharp players, classically trained, steeped in Appalachian, Celtic and folk music. The Minneapolis musician is trying something new: performing a rarely heard classical work with a chamber group.
February 12, 2013 - On this episode of Minnesota Sounds and Voices, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Kim Sueka and David Burk, two members of St. Paul Rose Ensemble. The two that have created the Lau Hawaiian Collective, a group that brings the islands' music to Minnesota audiences.