Radio News
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Radio Talking Book Radio News June 2006 |
Current Edition: October 2007
Previous News Editions: January 2007, February 2007, March 2007, April 2007, May 2007, June 2007, July 2007, August 2007, September 2007
January 2006, February 2006, March 2006, April 2006, May 2006, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006
Volunteer Emeritus Tea
On Wednesday, May 10, members of the Communication Center’s Volunteer Emeritus Program gathered at the Visitor Center of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at St. Paul’s Como Park. There are 52 members of the Volunteer Emeritus Program; the designation is given to those who have volunteered for at least 15 years, but have had to stop their volunteering. Emeriti who were at the event were: Peg Arneson, Tom Bateson, Al Champlain, Dona Champlain, Barb Clark, Marlys Fairbanks, Mary-Ruth Harsha, Tom Heie, Bill Moore, Marlene Semple, and Stu Webb. The combined number of years that this small number of people donated to the Communication Center is 234. There are members of the Volunteer Emeritus Program from all sections of the Communication Center: Braille, Audio Textbooks, Radio Talking Book, and Engineering. The program was established to stress how much we value the contributions of our volunteers, without whom our services would not be 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.
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. Began May 22.
Healthy Aging
Nonfiction by Andrew Weil, M.D., 2005.
Although aging is irreversible, there are many things we can do to keep our minds and bodies in good working order throughout our lives.
Read by Barbara Struyk.
10 broadcasts. Begins June 5.
Jesus and Yahweh
Nonfiction by Harold Bloom, 2005.
Bloom says the Hebrew Bible of the Jews and the Christian Old Testament are different books with different purposes, political as well as religious.
Read by Arlan Dohrenburg.
10 broadcasts. Begins June 19.
Past is Prologue
Monday - Friday 9 a.m.
The Pirate Coast
Nonfiction 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. Began May 24.
Bleeding Blue and Gray
Nonfiction by Ira M. Rutkow, 2005.
The primitive state of medicine made the hardships of the Civil War even worse. Nevertheless, conditions in the war forced major advances in surgery and medical treatment.
Read by Fred Lyon.
15 broadcasts. Begins June 19.
Bookworm
Monday - Friday 11 a.m.
Two Harbors
Fiction by Kate Benson, 2005.
In Two Harbors, Minnesota, Casey’s mother abandons her to try for stardom in Hollywood. When Casey’s first real love affair ends, her sense of abandonment comes to surface, and she goes in search of her mother.
Read by Nancy Felknor.
10 broadcasts. Began May 31.
A Wedding in December
Fiction by Anita Shreve, 2005.
Seven former schoolmates gather for a wedding: Bridget is marrying Bill, who was her lover at Kidd Academy years ago. Nora, who owns the inn, has agreed to host this wedding party/reunion of her old friends that were scattered by a tragedy just before graduation.
Read by Eleanor Berg.
12 broadcasts. Begins June 14.
Potpourri
Monday - Friday 2 p.m.
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. Began May 20.
Symptoms of Withdrawal
Nonfiction by Christopher Kennedy Lawford, 2005. Born to enormous privilege in both Washington politics and Hollywood elite, Lawford was also burdened with family tragedy. After the assassinations of his uncles Jack and Bobby, he began a long descent into drugs and alcohol that almost ended his own life. L -
Read by John Schmidt.
14 broadcasts. Begins June 6.
Augustine: a New Biography
Nonfiction by James J. O’Donnell, 2005.
Augustine, the theologian who served as bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430 C.E., is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the western world. After writing Confessions, he became prominent as a churchman, politician, and writer.
Read by Bill McNiff.
18 broadcasts. Begins June 22.
Choice Reading
Monday - Friday 4 p.m.
The March
Fiction by E.L. Doctorow, 2005.
In 1864, after General Sherman burned Atlanta, he marched his 60,000 troops to the sea, and up into the Carolinas. The army fought off Confederate forces and lived off the land, demolishing cities and accumulating a tag-along retinue of freed blacks and refugees. L -
Read by Ray Christensen.
12 broadcasts. Begins June 1.
Wickett’s Remedy
Fiction by Myla Goldberg, 2005.
With big aspirations, Lydia marries a medical student, but he soon quits medical school to create a patent medicine called Wickett’s Remedy. When the 1918 flu epidemic hits, Lydia becomes a nurse in a ward to understand the epidemic.
Read by Diane Ladenson.
10 broadcasts. Begins June 19.
PM Report
Monday - Friday 8 p.m.
Are Men Necessary?
Nonfiction by Maureen Dowd, 2005.
Dowd explores the mysteries and muddles of sexual combat in America. Four decades after the sexual revolution, things have not worked out the way they were supposed to. L -
Read by Bonita Sindelir.
10 broadcasts. Began May 25.
Bait and Switch
Nonfiction by Barbara Ehrenreich, 2005.
Ehrenreich researches America’s white-collar unemployed: people who have done everything right but have become vulnerable to financial disaster. The middle class is now the lower class in a corporate game of bait and switch.
Read by Audray Rees.
8 broadcasts. Begins June 8.
Kremlin Rising
Nonfiction by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, 2005. With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia launched a transition to Western-style democracy. A decade later, Vladimir Putin resolved to put an end to the revolution. He is trying to reconsolidate power in the Kremlin.
Read by Marylyn Burridge.
21 broadcasts. Begins June 20.
Night Journey
Monday - Friday 9 p.m.
Where There’s A Will
Fiction by Aaron Elkins, 2005.
On Hawaii, the discovery of a family member’s remains opens questions about his death, a long-ago murder, and a mysterious family will. But perhaps they are not Uncle Magnus’ remains.
Read by John Gunter.
9 broadcasts. Began May 30.
Homefront
Fiction by Chuck Logan, 2005.
Nina and Phil have moved to Glacier Falls, Minnesota, to find peace, quiet, and healing. But a fight is set off when their daughter has a run-in with the child of a violent local family. One connection leads to another and they are soon battling major criminals. V,L,S -
Read by Neil Bright.
15 broadcasts. Begins June 12.
Off the Shelf
Monday - Friday 10 p.m.
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. Began May 17.
Death of an Ordinary Man
Fiction by Glen Duncan, 2005.
Now that he’s dead, Nathan finds himself getting to know the land of the living as never before. L,S - Read by Eric Thornton.
11 broadcasts. Begins June 5.
The Good Wife
Fiction by Stewart O’Nan, 2005.
For twenty-eight years, Patty raises her son alone and waits for the end of her husband’s incarceration. L -
Read by Ray Christensen.
10 broadcasts. Begins June 20.
Evening Odyssey
Monday - Friday 11 p.m.
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. Began May 18.
Legends
Fiction by Robert Littell, 2005.
Martin Odum is a one-time CIA operative who has changed identities so often he is having difficulty determining what his true memories are. But is this the result of brainwashing, exhaustion, or a true multiple personality disorder? L,S -
Read by Steve Waldhauser.
14 broadcasts. Begins June 15.
Good Night Owl
Monday - Friday midnight
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. Began May 25.
End of the Beginning
Fiction by Harry Turtledove, 2005.
In an alternative telling of history, the Japanese occupied Hawaii after their attack in 1941. But the strain takes its toll on the Japanese. V,L,S -
Read by John Mandeville.
21 broadcasts. Begins June 13.
After Midnight
Tuesday - Saturday 1 a.m.
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. Began May 22.
One Night with a Prince
Fiction by Sabrina Jeffries, 2005.
Lady Christabel undertakes a scheme to regain some letters that could destroy her. S -
Read by Mary Davies.
11 broadcasts. Begins June 13.
Od Magic
Fiction by Patricia A. McKillip, 2005.
Brenden is brought to Od’s school of magic because of his skill with plants.
Read by Katja Amyx.
9 broadcasts. Begins June 28.
Abbreviation Code: V - violence, L - rough language, S - sexual situations