May 29, 2008 - This weekend two stage veterans who have worked together on and off since the early 1960's will present their latest collaboration. Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr reports Wendy Lehr and Bain Boehlke will star in "The Gin Game" at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.
May 12, 2008 - The McKnight Foundation today gave writer Bill Holm its 2008 Distinguished Artist Award. The award includes a fifty-thousand dollar grant.
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.
April 12, 2008 - The Minnesota Book Awards will be presented tonight at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St Paul. Awards are presented in eight categories, including novel and short story, memoir, Minnesota books and poetry. The event is organized by the friends of the St Paul Library. Awards co-chair Elaine Hopkins says the event has attracted a great deal of attention.
March 20, 2008 - Famed Minnesota novelist Jon Hassler died early this morning. Hassler was 74 and had suffered from Parkinson disease. He had a string of novels to his name, many of them examining the intricacies of life in small Minnesota towns.
March 20, 2008 - Reknowned Minnesota author Jon Hassler died this morning. Hassler wrote about small town Minnesota life in novels such as "Staggerford," "Rookery Blues" and "The Dean's List." In 1999 Hassler told Minnesota Public Radio that he got his first real training as a novelist while working as a boy at his father's grocery store in Plainview.
February 7, 2008 - Minneapolis writer Charles Baxter describes his new novel "The Soul Thief" as being about "soul vampirism." It's a bit like identity theft, only instead of stealing a person's bank account and social security numbers, a Soul Thief tries to actually become the other person. Baxter who was nominated for a National Book Award for his book "Feast of Love," told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr "The Soul Thief" grew out of something that happened to him many years ago.
October 16, 2007 - Twin Cities film fans have a unique opportunity on tap tonight. For one night only, a group of local actors will present a staged reading of "Flag Day." It's a screenplay based on Minneapolis writer Jennifer Vogel's award-winning memoir "Flim Flam Man." The book describes Vogel's relationship with her father John, a felon on the run, accused of counterfeiting 20-million dollars. Vogel describes how she came to see deep flaws in the man she once idolized. Accomplished British screenwriter Jez Butterworth wrote the screenplay. Butterworth had to cancel his travels here because of work on another script. However the film's producer Bill Horberg will be at the reading. Horberg made "Cold Mountain" and "The Talented Mr Ripley."
October 10, 2007 - Minneapolis native Chuck Love shares his thoughts about being a house DJ and his album “Bring Enough to Spill Some." What sets Love apart from most other house DJ's is that he considers himself first and foremost a musician, and he plays several instruments during his live shows.
August 22, 2007 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews Twin/Tone Records co-founder Paul Stark about film made by label of Minneapolis bands playing at 7th St. Entry during the 1980’s rock scene.