November 21, 2000 - Dava Sobel came across the subject for her book "Galileo's Daughter" when researching what became her best-seller "Longtitude." She uncovered a letter to the 16th-century astronomer written by his daughter, a cloistered nun. Sobel discovered it was just one of a hundred letters written during one of the biggest battles between science and theology...the debate over whether Galileo's book proving Copernican theory that the earth revolves round the sun was heretical. She told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr the letters reveal Galileo, far from being an enemy of the church, was a devout Catholic who was trying to protect his religion.
November 13, 2000 - On election day St. Paul voters approved a school levy which earmarked money for improving technology in the public schools. Voters around the country have been asked to spend money on computers in education. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports that, at one time, computers were seen as a cure for America's educational ills, but now some experts are calling for a moratorium on computers in the classroom. { ambience of classroom (59:23, 1:19:30, 1:24:00) At Highwood Hills Elementary School in St. Paul, each of these 7 and 8 year olds has their very own laptop computer. On the teacher's desk there is another computer, which is networked with the machines on the students desks. Teacher Cindy Arle (ar-lee) types a question about a story the children recently read. That quesiton flashes on each child's screen and the kids go to work typing in the answer.
November 7, 2000 - It's election day! And all across the region voters have been flocking to the polls, apparently undeterred by todays inclement weather. We asked Minnesota Public Radio reporters from around the region to check in with what's getting people out to vote in their areas..
October 25, 2000 - In his new book "Singing My Him Song" Malachy McCourt, brother of Frank of "Angela's Ashes" fame, tells more of the wild Irish immigrant story he began in his first memoir "A Monk Swimming". It's also the story of him coming to terms with his alcohol abuse and how he came to work with his brother on the hit show "A Couple of Blaguards". Malachy McCourt says as he looked for the reasons he drank, he focused on his anger at his abusive father.
October 24, 2000 - Computers have changed the film industry with their ability to create mind-bending special effects. They have also irrevocably changed another important film feature: the titles. Design Specialist David Stevens argues film titles are hugely important in creating the the mood of a film, and that importance is growing. He has researched thousands of films and tonight at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis he'll present some of the best in "For Openers: the Art of Film Titles". He'll also talk about the well known title sequences of the pre-computer age. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr how the opening of the Gregory Peck classic "To Kill A Mockingbird" sets up the film through close-ups of a toybox. David Stevens, Curator of "For Openers: the Art of Film Titles, being presented this evening at 7 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
October 19, 2000 - Marc Singer says he didn't start off trying to make a movie, much less one that would win three major awards at the Sundance Film Festival this year. He says he was just looking out his New York apartments window, shortly after he arrived from England, and became fascinated with the street people he saw living around him. He went out of his way to meet some of them, and soon found himself in the dank, rat-infested railway tunnels under the city, among the hundreds of people who call the tunnels home. Singer is in Minneapolis today for a screening of "Dark Days" which tells their stories. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he and his new friends had been looking for ways to get people out of the tunnel.
October 2, 2000 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews Chicago-based poet Ana Castillo about her novel "Peel My Love Like and Onion." The book tells the story of Carmen, a flamenco dancer who overcame the ravages of childhood polio.
September 28, 2000 - Author Terry Brooks has no fewer than 13 million books in print and legions of fans. But unless you are a fan of fantasy fiction there is a good chance you have never heard of him. Since the late 1970's, Seattle-based Brooks has been pumping out regular installments of his epic tales about elves, humans and magic. His latest book "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch", which went straight to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list, is a 454 page first installment of a tale he expects will take five volumes to complete. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he started telling stories while involved in role playing games as a child. He later became a lawyer, and says a surprising amount of what he learned in the legal world has ended up in his books over the years.
September 20, 2000 - Famed classical pianist Fou Ts'ong visits the Minnesota Public Radio studios to play and to talk to MPR Classical Music Host Tom Crann. Fou Ts'ong discusses his touring program, entitled "Chinese Poetry, Western Music," and the connection between music and words in his work.
September 12, 2000 - In Bemidji author Kevin McColley's new novel "The Other Side", a Civil War era farm boy flees after killing a local bully in a fight . After drifting for a while, he ends up in Missouri with Quantrill's Raiders, a rag-tag guerilla army involved in brutal attacks against northern civilians. McColley says he'd wanted to write a Civil War novel for a long tine, but only felt he'd found a subject that hadn't been done to death when he ran across accounts of the raiders. His novel, which has now been nominated for a National Book Award, examines how ordinary people can do horrible things.