September 2, 2011 - Garrison Keillor, the host of public radio's A Prairie Home Companion, joins MPR's Gary Eichten on the Carousel Park Stage at the Minnesota State Fair to share stories and answer questions from the audience about his long career as a broadcaster and author.
August 19, 2011 - Architectural historian Larry Millett has written beautiful and informative books about Minnesota's most interesting homes and buildings. His newest book, "Once There Were Castles," describes 90 mansions and estates that have disappeared from Minnesota. Are there homes or buildings that you remember from the past? Some gems still standing?
August 4, 2011 - Lisa See, author of "Shanghai Girls" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," discusses her writing and the influence of her Chinese American heritage at the Hennepin Country Central Library in downtown Minneapolis as part of the Talk of the Stacks series.
June 9, 2011 - On this Midday program, MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with DFL Congressman Tim Walz, who represents Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Program topic is Iraq troop withdrawals, role of Red Bulls, and war in Afghanistan. Walz also answers listener questions.
May 11, 2011 - Author and "A Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor speaks at the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries dinner about writing, performing, and how libraries are a refuge from the outside world.
April 21, 2011 - Midday presents internationally renowned scholar Marcus Borg speaking at Westminster Town Hall Forum. Borg’s topic is reclaiming the language of Christianity.
April 15, 2011 - MPR Presents "Writing Minnesota," a special program highlighting Minnesota writers and authors. Program showcases some of the exciting literary work coming out of the state.
February 18, 2011 - Midday presents A Prairie Home Companion host and creator Garrison Keillor speaking to an audience at Concordia University in St. Paul about the challenges he's had to face as a writer and how his upbringing has helped him deal with them.
December 3, 2010 - A special broadcast of Kevin Kling's play, "Scarecrow on Fire." Based on the classic tale "The Wizard of Oz," the play picks up where that story left off. The production was commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio as part of the Fitzgerald Theater's 100th anniversary. The ensemble cast features Dan Chouinard as the Tin Man, Stephen Yoakam as the Lion, the Wizard, and others, Simone Perrin as Dorothy, and Kevin Kling as the Scarecrow.
November 26, 2010 - A Midday re-broadcast of "The Big Time: F. Scott Fitzgerald," a staged storytelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's vision of making it big. The original MPR-commissioned production of words and music was written by Patricia Hampl, with music direction by Dan Chouinard, and features singer Blake Hazard, who is Fitzgerald's great-granddaughter.