Radio News
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Radio Talking Book Radio News May 2006 |
Current Edition: December 2006
Next Edition: January 2007
Previous News Editions: January 2006, February 2006, March 2006, April 2006, May 2006, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006
New Staff
You will be hearing some new staff on the Radio Talking Book from time to time. In March, the RTB was very pleased to be able to hire two additional intermittent broadcasters, to fill in for vacations and illness. If you hear the voices of Kathy Thurber or Greg Husak on the air, you will know that they are not volunteers stepping in - they are trained professionals and we are happy to have them. They join the other staff: Mark Vidas, Program Coordinator, and broadcasters Chris Colestock, Tony Lopez, Edy Elliott, Steve Adler, and Susan Niefeld. Susan is also an intermittent broadcaster, filling in for vacations and illness. At the Radio Talking Book, our staff ties together the work of the volunteers, currently numbering 451. That includes the volunteers reading local newspapers in Fergus Falls, Duluth, Saint Cloud, Rochester, Mankato, and Grand Rapids. This combination of volunteers and trained staff is what makes your Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network possible.
Books Available Through Faribault
All books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Faribault. Their phone is
800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of books by contacting your own state=s Network Library for the National Library Service.
Review old issues of Radio News on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/radionews/.
Donate to the Communication Center
Donations to the Communication Center can be made by calling Development Director Angela Bodensteiner at 651-642-0445 or 800-652-9000. You may also go to the Development Director=s website at www.mncommunicationcenter.org/ or mail a contribution to the Communication Center at 2200 University Ave. W., Suite 240, Saint Paul, MN 55114-1840.
Chautauqua
Tuesday - Saturday 4 a.m.
Coming to Our Senses
Nonfiction by Jon Kabat-Zinn, 2005.
In our complicated, rapidly changing world, there are still ways to come to a deeper understanding of our beauty, genius, and life path.
Read by Leila Poullada.
22 broadcasts. Began April 4.
Against Depression
Nonfiction by Peter D. Kramer, 2005.
Depression is not viewed as a disease, yet it exhibits all the symptoms of being one. Not treating it as a disease has distorted our view of what it is to be human.
Read by Sherri Afryl.
12 broadcasts. Begins May 4.
The Grail Bird
Nonfiction by Tim Gallagher, 2005.
Tim Gallagher writes of his search through the swamps and bayous of the Mississippi Delta looking for the ivory-billed woodpecker.
Read by Malcolm McLean.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 22.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 9 a.m.
The Great Mortality
Nonfiction by John Kelly, 2005.
The Black Death was Europe’s worst natural disaster; almost no area escaped the pestilence.
Read by Donald Meisel.
14 broadcasts. Began April 18.
Soldiers and Slaves
Nonfiction by Roger Cohen, 2005.
In 1945, 350 American POWs - who were either Jews or the Nazis said they resembled Jews - were denied all rights and enslaved as laborers by the Nazis. Twenty percent of them died. V -
Read by June Prange.
12 broadcasts. Begins May 8.
The Pirate Coast
Nonfiction by Richard Zacks, 2005.
The first foreign policy test for Thomas Jefferson was responding to Tripoli’s declaration of war. Then Barbary pirates took 300 marines hostage.
Read by Bill Joyce.
18 broadcasts. Begins May 24.
Bookworm
Monday - Friday 11 a.m.
Rococo
Fiction by Adriana Trigiani, 2005.
Bartolomeo di Crespi is set to renovate Our Lady of Fatima. With two others, they turn their New Jersey town upside down.
Read by Bonita Sindelir.
11 broadcasts. Begins May 1.
Sweetwater Creek
Fiction by Anne Rivers Siddons, 2005.
Emily lives a sheltered life on a plantation that raises hunting dogs. Then Lulu arrives, escaping her debutante season, and destroys Emily’s quiet calm.
Read by Carolyn Light Bell.
11 broadcasts. Begins May 16.
Two Harbors
Fiction by Kate Benson, 2005.
In Two Harbors, Minnesota, Casey’s mother abandons her to try for stardom in Hollywood. Years later, Casey’s sense of abandonment surfaces and she goes in search of her mother. L -
Read by Nancy Felknor.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 31.
Potpourri
Monday - Friday 2 p.m.
The Year of Magical Thinking
Nonfiction by Joan Didion, 2005.
Within months, Didion experienced the death of her husband and the extreme illness of their child. It forced her to abandon many of her established ideas.
Read by Diane Ladenson.
6 broadcasts. Began April 25.
Becoming Justice Blackmun
Nonfiction by Linda Greenhouse, 2005.
Serving from 1970 to 1994, Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote numerous landmark decisions. He was willing to look for justice even when it would cost him lifelong friendships.
Read by Bill Studer.
13 broadcasts. Begins May 3.
Take Big Bites
Nonfiction by Linda Ellerbee, 2005.
In a memoir of food, travel, and personal misadventure, Ellerbee leads us on a journey of revelation, humor, and heart, from Italy to Afghanistan, and Mexico to Massachusetts.
Read by Susan Niefeld.
11 broadcasts. Begins May 22.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 4 p.m.
The Painted Drum
Fiction by Louise Erdrich, 2005.
Faye appraises an estate that includes Native American artifacts. In the collection is a rare drum made by an Ojibwe man mourning his daughter’s death. L -
Read by Judith Johannessen.
10 broadcasts. Began April 18.
Anansi Boys
Fiction by Neil Gaiman, 2005.
Fat Charlie’s dad was Anansi, the trickster god, so Charlie is going to have an interesting life. Now a stranger appears who seems to be the brother Charlie never knew - and a lot like Charlie’s dad. L - Read by Laura Rohlik.
14 broadcasts. Begins May 2.
The Testing of Luther Albright
Fiction by MacKenzie Bezos, 2005.
Luther designs dams. He’s a devoted father but afraid of his own emotions. Then an earthquake hits and his life starts falling apart.
Read by John Marsicano.
8 broadcasts. Begins May 22.
PM Report
Monday - Friday 8 p.m.
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky
Nonfiction by B. Deng, A. Deng, and B. Ajak, 2005.
Three of Sudan’s Lost Boys tell their story of escape and refuge. V,L -
Read by Katy Stukel.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 1.
More Than Human
Nonfiction by Ramez Naam, 2005.
Science is on the verge of applying knowledge to make people stronger, faster, smarter, and longer-lived.
Read by David Tofteland.
8 broadcasts. Begins May 15.
Are Men Necessary?
Nonfiction by Maureen Dowd, 2005.
Four decades after the sexual revolution, things have not worked out the way they were supposed to. L -
Read by Bonita Sindelir.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 25.
Night Journey
Monday - Friday 9 p.m.
Live Bait
Fiction by P.J. Tracy, 2004.
A series of senseless murders of older people in Minneapolis forces use of a software program that looks at cold cases.
Read by Joy Fogarty.
11 broadcasts. Begins May 1.
Night’s Child
Fiction by Maureen Jennings, 2005.
Police detective William Murdoch investigates a missing teenaged girl.
Read by Amy Morris.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 16.
Where There’s A Will
Fiction by Aaron Elkins, 2005.
The discovery of Uncle Magnus’ remains opens more questions than it answers. L -
Read by John Gunter.
9 broadcasts. Begins May 30.
Off the Shelf
Monday - Friday 10 p.m.
Tyrannosaur Canyon
Fiction by Douglas Preston, 2005.
Tom Broadbent accepts a simple task from a dying man and puts himself and his wife in great danger. V,L,S -
Read by Neil Bright.
14 broadcasts. Began April 27.
Backward-Facing Man
Fiction by Don Silver, 2005.
Thirty years after their carefree youth, Charlie, Lorraine, and Frederick are seeing the consequences. L,S -
Read by Isla Hejny.
13 broadcasts. Begins May 17.
Evening Odyssey
Monday - Friday 11 p.m.
The Knife Man
Nonfiction by Wendy Moore, 2005.
From humble origins, John Hunter rose to become the most famous anatomist and surgeon of the eighteenth century. L -
Read by Ellen Brown.
13 broadcasts. Began April 17.
The Girl in the Glass
Fiction by Jeffrey Ford, 2005.
Thomas Schell is a master grifter, scamming people in Depression era New York. Though his psychic powers are faked, he sees the image of a girl who begs for his help, and he promises to give it. L - Read by William Stout.
10 broadcasts. Begins May 4.
Consent to Kill
Fiction by Vince Flynn, 2005.
For the first time, fearless counter-terrorism operative Mitch Rapp finds himself directly in the line of fire; the father of a dead terrorist demands vengeance in its simplest form - an eye for an eye. V,L - Read by James Keane.
20 broadcasts. Begins May 18.
Good Night Owl
Monday - Friday midnight
Shalimar the Clown
Fiction by Salman Rushdie, 2005.
Ophuls’ murder was not an assassination but a murder inspired by passion. V,L -
Read by Dan Sadoff.
20 broadcasts. Began April 27.
The Undomestic Goddess
Fiction by Sophie Kinsella, 2005.
Samantha has made a huge mistake at work. She gets on a train, ends up in the middle of nowhere, asks for directions, and is mistaken for a job applicant. L -
Read by Barbara Morison.
13 broadcasts. Begins May 25.
After Midnight
Tuesday - Saturday 1 a.m.
Dead as a Doornail
Fiction by Charlaine Harris, 2005.
Sookie has few friends aside from vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings. L,S -
Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe.
9 broadcasts. Began April 26.
Lie by Moonlight
Fiction by Amanda Quick, 2005.
Miss Concordia Glade is hired to tutor four orphaned girls at a remote castle. But there is apparent danger, and she decides to escape with her wards. L,S -
Read by Raulla Mitchell.
9 broadcasts. Begins May 9.
A Mankind Witch
Fiction by Dave Freer, 2005.
Manfred and Erik travel to the pagan Norse-lands to find a relic that has been stolen. Most suspect Signy, who is prepared to lead Vikings in a new age of destruction.
Read by Scott Ford.
16 broadcasts. Begins May 22.
Abbreviation Code: V - violence, L - rough language, S - sexual situations