December 25, 2005
Jonathan Winters' A Christmas Carol
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Master comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of this holiday classic, using a special performing edition prepared by Dickens for his own presentations. He recreates Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley's spirit and the three Christmas ghosts: Past, Present and Future. Mimi Kennedy also performs.

December 18, 2005
Eugene McCarthy
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Former presidential candidate and Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy, who died over the weekend, appeared on Midday many times over the years. He reflected on politics, read poetry and talked baseball. A tour of the Midday archive showcases McCarthy's brilliance, wit and wisdom.

December 11, 2005
Madeleine Albright and Vin Weber
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The Bush administration says encouraging democracy abroad is the best way to ensure peace and stability in the world But Madeleine Albright—who served as Secretary of State during the Clinton administration—isn't convinced that democracy necessarily leads to peace. Secretary Albright was in the Twin Cities this week to report on the findings of a task force she chaired with former Minnesota Republican Congressman Vin Weber on the future of democracy in the Middle East.

December 4, 2005
Las Vegas—An Unconventional History
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A new American RadioWorks documentary called "Las Vegas—An Unconventional History." It's a sweeping look at the city's dramatic past 100 years—from its beginnings as a remote way station to its most recent phase as a corporately-financed fantasyland. The program highlights Las Vegas' ongoing role as a barometer of American values, aspirations and ideals.

December 2, 2005
Stage Session: Meather McElhatton and Bill Holm
Part 1 | Part 2
An unconvential look at the holidays with Holm, Heather McEllhatton, Robert Bly, Ari Hoptman and the Brave New Workshop comedy troupe.

November 27, 2005
The 12 Discs of Christmas
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Enjoy an hour's worth of musical gift-suggestions for the holidays. Mary Lucia hosts "The 12 Discs of Christmas," with two of the nation's top critics sharing their picks for interesting and creative musical stocking-stuffers—new releases, box sets, reissues, and compilations in rock, country, jazz, world music and more.

November 26, 2005
The Gales of November
Listen: Part 1 | Part 2
Gales of November is a concert version of the acclaimed play, "Ten November," examining the freighter's final voyage. Kevin Kling narrates this haunting tale and is joined by a stellar cast of musicians, including Peter Ostroushko, Dan Chouinard, Prudence Johnson, Claudia Schmidt, Ruth MacKenzie, Eric Peltoniemi and Jeff Willkomm. The program features the music of composer Eric Peltoniemi and the narration, recitation and monologues of playwright Steven Dietz from the original play.

November 20, 2005
While the World Watched
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Sixty years ago, the historic trials of Nazi war criminals began in Nuremberg, Germany. Twenty-one military and civilian Nazi leaders were accused of major war crimes. Broadcast around the world, the trials documented in grisly detail the atrocities of the the Third Reich, and are credited by historians with helping the German people reject their Nazi past. Hear "While the World Watched," a new documentary from the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project.

November 13, 2005
Is Our Democracy Unraveling? A Talk with Richard Harwood
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Listen to the Q & A session

Elections were held around the country this week, but voter turnout was low... Why do so few people decide to vote or become more actively involved in public life? Richard Harwood is a writer and thinker who explores these questions and offers ideas on how to get more people involved in their communities and governments. Harwood was the featured guest at a Minnesota Public Radio/Citizen's League event this week at Macalester College in St. Paul.

November 6, 2005
An Evening with President Bill Clinton
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Listen to the Q & A session
Clinton says U.S. should improve damaged image (news story)

Former President Bill Clinton gives a weekend address at Northrop Memorial Auditorium on the U of M campus. The former President is expected to address issues of democracy, globalization and recent events in the news. Time permitting, there will be a question and answer session, moderated by Cathy Wurzer.

Clinton's lecture is part of the 25th Annual Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series—presented by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs of the University of Minnesota, in partnership with Minnesota Public Radio.

October 30, 2005
Talking Volumes: Joan Didion
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The new season of "Talking Volumes" opens with author, essayist, and screenwriter Joan Didion. Her new book—called "The Year of Magical Thinking"—is unlike any of her others. It's a memoir about the death of her husband, author John Gregory Dunne, at the same time that their daughter was seriously ill. In conversation with host Kerri Miller, Didion talks about how grief changed her writing and her partnership with her late husband.

October 23, 2005
No Place for a Woman
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The movie "North Country" opens around the nation this week and we'll air a special rebroadcast of the American RadioWorks documentary, "No Place for A Woman." It tells the story of the women who fought to work and prove themselves in the northern Minnesota iron ore mines of the 1970s... and how their experiences resulted in the nation's first sexual harassment class action suit and a 10-year battle for justice.

October 16, 2005
The legacy of Edward R. Murrow
In the mid-1950s, Edward R. Murrow produced a series of TV news reports that lead to the censure of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. We'll hear from two people who worked with Murrow on these programs. We'll also hear Murrow's complete "See It Now" broadcast on McCarthy that riveted the nation. See the Midday broadcast from October 14 for more information.

October 9, 2005
An Acoustic Blues Review
Join guitar phenom and "A Prairie Home Companion" regular Pat Donohue as he brings together a wealth of talent for an evening dedicated to the origins of the blues. Donohue will relay the legends and tell the stories of the people who helped make the blues musical tradition so great, and he'll be joined by a wealth of Minnesota blues performers, including Jearlyn Steele, Spider John Koerner and more!

October 2, 2005
The Loop
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The experimental news show, "The Loop" returns! This week, host Jeff Horwich and The Loop team tackle transportation—how "getting from here to there" shapes our lives. From people who drive cars or ride the rails to those who choose bikes—we'll see how much it costs, what it's worth to our peace of mind, and where its future may lie. And The Loop's improv team presents a newly-invented game called "Bumper Sticker Flashcards."

September 25, 2005
American Humorist Series: Lynda Barry
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Commentator, cartoonist and author Lynda Barry in a July appearance at our Series of American Humorists from St. Paul's Central Presbyterian Church. Barry tells of the wonder, heartbreak and humor of childhood in her books including "Cruddy" and "The Good Times Are Killing Me."

September 18, 2005
Literary Friendships: Michael Cunningham and Marie Howe
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Join Garrison Keillor in another of the Literary Friendships series from St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater. We'll meet Michael Cunningham and Marie Howe—a poet and a novelist who write with each other in mind. Cunningham's novel, "Specimen Days," is a journey into the past and future that centers around the American poet Walt Whitman. Howe's first book, "The Good Thief," was selected by Margaret Atwood as winner of the National Poetry Series. Hear Michael Cunningham and Marie Howe on Literary Friendships with Garrison Keillor.

September 11, 2005
Witnesses to Terror
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An encore of the acclaimed American RadioWorks documentary about the findings of the 9/11 Commission called "Witnesses to Terror." The commission heard dramatic stories that changed what we knew about the terrorist attacks. Hear the American RadioWorks documentary "Witnesses to Terror—The 9/11 Hearings,"

September 4, 2005
On the Media
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Due to ongoing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Minnesota Public Radio Presents will be preempted this week. On the Media will air in its place.

August 28, 2005
Literary Friendships: Sandra Cisneros and Joy Harjo
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Join Garrison Keillor in another of the Literary Friendships series from St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater. Sandra Cisneros and Joy Harjo met in grad school and became fierce allies in the face of extreme skepticism from their teachers and peers. Cisneros' many books now include the best-selling "The House on Mango Street"—required reading in classrooms around the country. Harjo, an Oklahoma-born member of the Muskogee tribe, has written many books of poetry including "How We Became Human: Selected Poems." Hear Sandra Cisneros and Joy Harjo on Literary Friendships with Garrison Keillor.

August 21, 2005
Literary Friendships: Dana Gioia and Kay Ryan
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Join Garrison Keillor in another of the Literary Friendships series from St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater. Dana Gioia is Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and worked as a business executive for many before turning to literature full time ... eventually authoring three books of poetry. Kay Ryan is author of five collections of poetry, and—after years of being ignored by the poetry establishment—she won one of its most prestigious prizes. Hear Dana Giola and Kay Ryan on Literary Friendships with Garrison Keillor.

August 14, 2005
Literary Friendships: Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
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Join Garrison Keillor in another of the Literary Friendships series from St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater. We'll meet Michael Chabon—the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and most recently, the novella, "The Final Solution: A Story of Detection." His wife, Ayelet Waldman, has published five detective thrillers in the "Mommy-Track" mystery series and is also author of the novel, "Daughter's Keeper."

August 7, 2005
Literary Friendships: Donald Hall and Robert Bly
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Join Garrison Keillor in the first of a special series called Literary Friendships. It features an outstanding group of American writers, talking about their friendships with one another—and with one another's work—in front of a live audience at St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theatre. This week, we'll hear from poets Donald Hall and Robert Bly and their remarkable 50 year friendship.

July 31, 2005
Baseball enters its modern age
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Frank DeFord, NPR commentator and a senior contributing writer at Sports Illustrated, is out with a new book on the national pastime, but it's not about the baseball of today. "The Old Ball Game" zeroes in on the New York Giants at the turn of the century and tells the story of a pitcher and a manager who DeFord says "created modern baseball."

July 24, 2005
And the English majors shall inherit the Earth
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Author and journalist Daniel Pink says that the jobs of the future will belong to those with well-developed "right brains"—the artists, designers, big thinkers and creative types. While most traditional roads to affluence can easily be automated, outsourced and offshored... Pink says that economic abundance is creating new markets for creative, artistic, even "transcendent" products.

July 17, 2005
Voices of Minnesota: Maria Jette
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Minnesota, it's been said, is the land of sopranos. A Minnesotan who is one of the country's best sopranos—Maria Jette—gave two free concerts in the Twin Cities with the Minnesota Sinfonia this week. Minnesota is Maria Jette's home base as she travels the country singing classical music, American popular song and much more.

July 10, 2005
Married to the military
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The United States is making huge demands on its military personnel; the toughest since the Vietnam War. But the military has changed since Vietnam. Then, most soldiers were young, single men. Today, in the all-volunteer military, about half of all service people are married with children, so the burdens of fighting these wars are shared in military homes and military towns.

July 3, 2005
The human cost of war
Listen: Part 1 | Part 2
War correspondent Michael Phillips says that in all the ongoing controversy over the situation in Iraq, one fact has been too often overlooked: the heroism that war brings out in some military personnel. Phillips' book "The Gift of Valor" profiles a 22-year old Marine named Jason Dunham. Dunham saved his comrades by throwing his kevlar helmet over a grenade, but was fatally wounded, himself.

June 26, 2005
Ask the President of Minnesota Public Radio
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Minnesota Public Radio has gone through some big changes recently. It launched a brand new radio station combining public broadcasting with popular music. Its Twin Cities classical music station KSJN recently became one of the first outfits in the country to broadcast in a new, digital, high definititon format. What do these changes and the recent controversies at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting mean for MPR?

June 19, 2005
Richard Nixon's White House tapes
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Thirty-three years ago, five men were arrested during a break in at the Watergate hotel and office complex in Washington. What originally looked like a third-rate burglary eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. And what did Nixon in, ultimately, were his own tape recordings of White House conversations.

June 12, 2005
History Theater Radio Series Special: Beyond the Rainbow
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If she hadn't died an untimely death in 1969, Minnesota-born singer and actress Judy Garland would have turned 83 on Friday. In its series premiere, The History Theater Radio Series tells the story of Garland's short life, spanning 47 years and over 40 movies. You'll hear her life story—including comments from her daughter Lorna Luft, her co-star Mickey Rooney and many of Judy Garland's most famous songs.

June 5, 2005
American Humorist Series: Baxter Black
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Spend an hour with America's bestselling cowboy poet, former large animal veterinarian, syndicated columnist and National Public Radio commentator. Baxter Black's western campfire view of life brings us insightful humor on everything from rodeos to romance.

June 4, 2005, 7 p.m.
Café Europa with Dan Chouinard
Listen: Part 1 | Part 2
Renowned local musician and master of the stage Dan Chouinard brings Euro culture to a Minnesota audience, creating an artist's interpretations of the sights and sounds of Europe. Many of the stories and songs were inspired by Chouinard's experiences riding around Europe with an accordion strapped to his bicycle.

For this concert, Chouinard enlisted an outstanding group of performers to create a memoir in music: Maria Jette, Prudence Johnson, The Rose Ensemble, Peter Ostroushko, Mandragora Tango Orchestra, Sima Shumilovsky, and Mark Stillman. Recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater, May 21, 2005.

May 29, 2005
Bill Moyers defends "Now"
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Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, says the public perceive a liberal bias in public television and that he wants to make the medium "attractive to a broader cross-section of Americans." Tomlinson has particularly criticized Bill Moyers and the the program he founded, "Now." Moyers fired back in a May 15 speech at the National Conference for Media Reform in St. Louis.

May 22, 2005
WAMU Panel Discussion: Globalization and Poverty
Does the current global economic system really benefit the world's poor? Hosted by WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi and America Abroad Media's Garrick Utley. (Recorded live May 9 as part of Think Global).

May 15, 2005
America Up Close
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Many people have asked, "If globalization's good for America, why are so many factory jobs heading off-shore? And why are small businesses collapsing under competition from cheap imports?" Some say new jobs in the so-called "knowledge sector" will take care of that—right? Maybe not. Hear a Canadian perspective on the U.S. economy in "America Up Close" from the CBC. Part of public radio's week of special programming, Think Global.

May 14, 2005
American Humorist Series: Fran Lebowitz
Listen: Part 1 | Part 2
An evening with author Fran Lebowitz at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. She's a chain-smoking icon known for her sharp wit and New York sensibility. Lebowitz is the author of multiple books including Metropolitan Life—a critically acclaimed collection of essays about life. Lebowitz also frequently appears on National Public Radio's Fresh Air and Weekend Edition.

May 8, 2005
On A Note Of Triumph
Listen: Part 1 | Part 2
60 years ago, on May 8th, 1945, millions of Americans celebrated the end of World War II in Europe and listened to Norman Corwin's special V-E Day program called "On A Note Of Triumph." Hear it again, or for the first time—digitally remastered—but otherwise exactly as Americans heard it 60 years ago.

May 1, 2005
Broadcast Journalist Series with Thomas Friedman
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New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is no stranger to controversy, and in his latest book, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, Friedman says globalization has finally turned the planet into a level playing field, on which ALL countries have more or less even footing. Recorded live at St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theatre.

April 24, 2005
Talking Volumes with Gary Snyder
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Talking Volumes returns with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gary Snyder and a conversation with Kerri Miller on his first collection of poems since 1983 called Danger on Peaks. The collection ponders Mount St. Helens, the environment, the atomic age, Buddhism and more.

April 17, 2005
American Humorists Series
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Roy Blount Jr. leads off the Stage Series of American Humorists at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. A public radio favorite, Blount grew up in Georgia, went to Harvard, wrote a bunch of books, and has thoroughly captured a Southern sense of humor for all of America to hear.

April 10, 2005
The Political Fallout of 9/11
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The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 sent shock waves through the American psyche. They changed the way we travel, sparked off two wars and introduced words like Al Qaeda, WMD and dirty bomb into the working vocabularies of ordinary citizens. As National Public Radio's David Welna explained in a speech at Carleton College this February, the aftershocks of 9/11 are still reverberating through American politics, as well.

April 3, 2005
Remembering Pope John Paul II
A rememberance of the life of Pope John Paul the Second and a look at the legacy he left during his 26-year pontificate. National Public Radio's Lynn Neary looks back on the election of the first Polish pope in 1978, his moral views, travels and fight against communism. The special includes features from Sylvia Poggioli, Emily Harris, Duncan Moon, Jason DeRose and more.

March 27, 2005
What Happened at Red Lake?
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What Happened in Red Lake? details the chronology of the shooting, what's known about the student who killed nine people and himself, and what makes this sovereign Indian community different from other communities. The special also examines the shooting within the context of other school shootings.

March 20, 2005
Talking Volumes with Jonathan Odell
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Midmorning broadcasts Talking Volumes, the joint book club of Minnesota Public Radio, The Star Tribune and The Loft Literary Center. Host Kerri Miller talks with author Jonathan Odell. His novel, The View from Delphi, examines the relationships between blacks and whites in Mississippi in the years before the civil rights movement.

March 13, 2005
Reporting from Iraq: a study in contrasts
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National Public Radio's Deborah Amos is recently back from Iraq and says that violence there has now surged back to the same levels as before the relatively peaceful January 30 election. In this MPR Broadcast Journalist series speech in St. Paul Thursday night, Amos said it is this contrast between hope and despair—the rise of an open society coupled with the daily threat of violence—that keeps her coming back to "the most dangerous assignment in the world."

March 6, 2005
Toxic Traces
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In 2000, 3M announced it was phasing out its popular Scotchgard product because it contained chemicals toxic to lab animals—chemicals that also appeared in the blood of 3M workers, though the company said its employees were not harmed. An investigation by Minnesota Public Radio and American RadioWorks found that even after 3M said it would no longer make these chemicals, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency let two years pass before it began any inquiries. Who is responsible for the safety of the public and the environment? Are state agencies are doing enough to protect citizens from harmful chemicals?

February 27, 2005
Witness: A Tribute to Gordon Parks
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Overcoming poverty, homelessness and prejudice, Renaissance man Gordon Parks has made vast contributions in photography, literature, film and music. VocalEssence and Artistic Director Philip Brunelle present "Witness," a tribute in words and music to Gordon Parks, narrated by Lou Bellamy.

February 20, 2005
Say it Plain
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Martin Luther King Junior was the most famous black orator in history... but he was hardly alone. For generations, African-Americans have been demanding justice and equality, reminding America to make good on its founding principles of democracy. These orators—and the very act of speaking out—played a crucial role in the long struggle for equal rights. You'll hear these great speeches in Say It Plain from American RadioWorks

February 13, 2005
My Foolish Heart
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"My Foolish Heart", a concert in honor of Valentine's Day, featuring local musicians Vern Sutton, Christina Baldwin, Ann Reed, Bruce Henry and Dan Chouinard.

February 6, 2005
A Writer's View of True Crime with Judith Guest
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Join author Judith Guest for "A Writer's View of True Crime." The celebrated author made a recent appearance at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, and will read from a collection of books that view murder as the perceived solution to human problems. She'll discuss the making of crime stories in her own work and the writings of many authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Ann Rule, Richard Brautigan and Diana Trilling.

January 30, 2005
Talking Volumes with Tobias Wolff
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Talking Volumes opens the second half of its season with author Tobias Wolff. You may remember his memoir, "This Boy's Life," which was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. But Wolff's newest work is a novel called "Old School"... it's a tribute to the craft of writing and the culmination of a lifetime spent pursuing that craft.

January 23, 2005
MPR President Bill Kling
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This weekend, Minnesota Public Radio turns 38 years old. Back on January 22, 1967, KSJR Radio went on the air from St. John's University in Collegeville. To mark the occasion, Minnesota Public Radio founder and president, Bill Kling joins Midday host Gary Eichten to tell the story of our growth and development... and what the future holds for this listener-supported service.

January 16, 2005
No Place to Hide
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In the 1990s, the U.S. data industry quietly gathered staggering amounts of personal information about virtually every American adult—mostly for business and marketing purposes. But after the 9/11 attacks, national security officials asked data companies for help in finding potential terrorists. This American RadioWorks documentary asks "where is the balance between our right to privacy and the needs of national security?"

January 9, 2005
Voices of Minnesota
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Our "Voices of Minnesota" series returns as reporter Dan Olson interviews two of the state's most prominent business figures. We'll hear from Marilyn Carlson Nelson, the head of Carlson Companies. And we'll hear from Dr. Hugh Smith, the chair of the Mayo Clinic board of governors in Rochester.

January 2, 2005
Gut Reaction
It's a disease you've probably never heard of, though chances are you or someone you know has it and doesn't know it. Doctors now believe that one-in-133 Americans have Celiac Disease, though only about one-in-50,000 gets diagnosed. Celiac is more common than diabetes and hypertension, but the disease is practically unknown in this country — both to sufferers and their doctors.