Voices of Minnesota, a long-running MPR series, highlights the many interesting voices that make up the people and history of Minnesota. It has appeared on Mid-Morning, MPR, Midday, and News Feature broadcasts in short form, and part of Midday hour programming in long form. Over the years, MPR’s Dan Olson, Gary Eichten, and numerous others, produced hundreds of fascinating interviews from the land of 10,000 Lakes.
August 1, 2002 - The August edition of the MPR series Voices of Minnesota features riverboat captain Bill Bowell (interviewed by William Wilcoxen) and National Park Service Ranger John Anfinson (interviewed by Kate Smith).
August 14, 2002 - MPR series "Voices of Minnesota" features interviews with World War II military veterans Avis Schorer and Ken Porwoll.
November 27, 2002 - A special re-broadcast of a "Voices of Minnesota" interview with the late James Griffin, the first African American to become deputy police chief in St. Paul, and to hold various leadership positions in the St. Paul Police Department. Griffin died on Saturday. We'll also explore charitable giving during the Thanksgiving holiday, and the lastest happenings at the Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul.
December 10, 2002 - The December edition of MPR's "Voices of Minnesota" series features conversations with two of the state's most interesting literary figures. Emilie Buchwald is a founder of Milkweed Editions and the winner of this year's McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist award. We also hear from Mary Winstead, author of the new book, "Back to Mississippi."
January 2, 2003 - The civil rights sit-ins and voter registration drives of the 1960's were dangerous, sometimes deadly. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is Monday, Jan. 20th, and in a "Voices of Minnesota" broadcast, we hear from Chuck McDew and Willie Mae Wilson. McDew is a founder and the first chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee or SNCC. Wilson was one of the thousands of people who marched with SNCC organizers to end segregation in southern cities.
June 3, 2003 - Hour 2 of Midday featuring two Voices of Minnesota interviews with Opera singer Vern Sutton and Bonnie Morris, the founder of the Illusion Theater.
June 26, 2003 - Minnesota is often praised for its unusually vibrant arts and culture scene and during this hour. We hear a Voices of Minnesota interview with writer and publisher Emilie Buchwald, the winner of last year's McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist award. Buchwald was a founder of Milkweed Editions, the influential literary press based in Minneapolis. But now, after decades in the business, Emilie Buchwald is retiring as publisher of Milkweed Editions and she is being honored at a reception Thursday at Open Book in Minneapolis, the literary arts building that she helped bring into being.
July 16, 2003 - We hear northern Minnesota wildlife biologist Bill Berg talk about the state's critters, and we hear from University of Minnesota professor Anne Pusey about her work with Jane Goodall and chimpanzees in Africa. This is the latest in the series of interviews from Minnesota Public Radio's Voices of Minnesota series.
November 28, 2003 - Midday presents two Voices of Minnesota conversations with Minnesota fishermen. Howard Sivertson and Walter Sve share recollections of growing up in fishing families on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It's a way of life that's practically disappeared.
December 11, 2003 - A remembrance of the late Gisela Konopka, U of M professor, an expert on helping troubled kids. The internationally known University of Minnesota professor of social work died Tuesday (12/09/2003). She was born in Berlin, Germany, and was a resistance fighter during World War II. She was interviewed in 1995 for MPR's Voices of Minnesota series.