Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
We hear about a fun and charming new children’s book, Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum, by Andrew Joyner; Bemidji community member Rucha Ambikar on growing up in india and indian writers; Contributor Andrew DZingel talks with Brian Raftery about his new book Best Movie Year Ever, How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen; NYT bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, has a new book out– in 1940s England a woman tries to find her place in the world in the aftermath of the Great War–A Single Thread is the title of her new book; and we’ll hear about the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program in Bemidji, it’s a community wide book club of sorts centered around the book The Round House, by Louise Erdrich.
The National Endowment for the Arts awards 75 Big Read programs annually across the country. The Big Read program is a shared community reading experience and this year, the Bemidji community is the sole Minnesota recipient of this award. Patrick Leeport, librarian with the A.C. Clark Library at Bemidji State University and Ara Gallo, assistant branch manager at the Bemidji Public library are the organizers behind the Big Read Bemidji program, which also includes the Red Lake Nation College. The book selection is The Round House by Louise Erdrich.
Children’s book writer and illustrator Andrew Joyner has written and illustrated over 40 children’s books including The Pink Hat, and The Duck & the Hippo Series with Jonathan London. “Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum” is one of his latest works. [October 2019]
Rucha Ambikar is a professor of sociology at Bemidji State University and she and I sit down to talk about books and reading, what a childhood in India filled with books meant to her, how different authors speak to us at different times in our lives, and more. [October 2019]
Jane Ryan’s first solo exhibit is titled Purgatory and currently on show at the Crossing Arts Alliance in downtown Brainerd. The series consists of ten large scale graphite images that include an amalgam of objects found in the garage along with two human figures trapped in purgatory.
After setting her guitar aside for several years, April Aylesworth picked it up three years ago. The decision opened up creative channels and opportunities. Shortly thereafter, April sang on Don Ziemans Minstrels of the North Woods album and she now performs regularly at open mic nights and at outdoor venues like Farm by the Lake in Bagley and a recent outdoor celebration at Harmony Food Co-op in Bemidji.
Michael Lyons is an artist, author and puppeteer using his talents to spread knowledge and understanding of Ojibwe language and culture. His puppets Nana Boozhoo and Natasha share skits and music and conversations in their podcast and on their YouTube channel that educate their fans on Anishinaabe words, stories and history. They’ve been featured on the morning show since August and we’ve loved the magic they add to our mix of national news and local features. In this segment, Michael shares excerpts from his family’s history that inspired his passion for spreading awareness of Anishinaabe culture and shaped his multi-faceted view of Indian boarding schools.
The Watermark Art Center in Bemidji is hosting the 15th annual It’s Only Clay curated exhibit now thru December. This juried ceramics show includes pieces from artists across the country. Area Voices producer Katie Carter got the inside scoop of what goes into jurying a show when she spoke with Marion Angelica, the Minneapolis-based ceramics artist who was tasked with pouring through submissions and ultimately deciding what pieces made the final cut.
