Arts & Letters

On this fun-filled episode of Arts & Letters, we’ll be talking with musicians Rob Schwimmer and Mark Stewart of Polygraph Lounge about various ways of thinking about and rethinking conceptions of music. Based on two shows Schwimmer and Stewart created for Carnegie Hall Presents, we feature music and discussions about the exploration of sound. "As the rambunctious children of Spike Jones, Victor Borge, PDQ Bach, Tom Leher & the Firesign Theatre, Polygraph Lounge strip mine the common

Immerse yourself in the haunting experiences of patients institutionalized in a Southern state-run facility that sterilized patients without their consent until the mid-twentieth century. On this episode of Arts & Letters, we’ll be talking with poet Molly McCully Brown about her poetry collection The Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded , published by Persea Books, which imagines the voices of patients and staff of the Colony. Whatever it is-- home or hospital, graveyard or asylum

Explore the life and nonfiction of Donald Harington, known as "the Chaucer of the Ozarks" for his artistic and literary portrayal of the traditions and culture of the tri-state region of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. On this episode of Arts & Letters, we’ll be talking with editor Brian Walter about the collected non-fiction of novelist Donald Harington. Walter's book The Guestroom Novelist: A Donald Harington Miscellany published by the University of Arkansas Press collects Harington's

Explore the Music of This Rock & Roll Pioneer In Part II, Arts & Letters continues speaking with biographer Arlene Corsano about the music and career of Arkansan songwriter and singer Rose Marie McCoy and Corsano's book Thought We Were Writing The Blues But They Called It Rock 'n' Roll. Catch up and listen to Part I before this episode! Fiercely independent, as an African-American woman, McCoy broke barrier after barrier in the music business, especially in the fields of jazz, pop, rock

Discover one of America's most prolific songwriters. On this episode of Arts & Letters, we speak with biographer Arlene Corsano about the life and music of Arkansan songwriter and singer Rose Marie McCoy. Through personal stories and rare interview recordings with McCoy, Corsona tells the in-depth and behind-the-scenes story of a complicated singer and songwriter who broke barrier after barrier as a black woman in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s in the music business. Corsano's book T hought We

On this episode of Arts & Letters, we celebrate the music from Season Five. Hosted by producer Mary Ellen Kubit this episode shares favorite and memorable music from the various episodes this year. Our Executive Producer and Host J. Bradley Minnick is busy in the studio recording for Season Six, but he'll break away for a few minutes for a behind the scenes discussion about how music is selected and placed in various episodes. As many of you know, music is at the heart of much of our

The True Tale of "Arkansas Gun Girl," Helen Spence On this episode of Arts & Letters, we continue our discussion with Denise Parkinson about the mysterious and infamous life of 1930s "outlaw" Helen Ruth Spence. Parkinson's book, Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery & Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta is a true-life tale about a depression-era tragedy. Through archival research, newly discovered prison records, community stories, and interviews with Spence's childhood

The True Tale of "Arkansas Gun Girl," Helen Spence On this episode of Arts & Letters, we’ll be talking with writer Denise White Parkinson. Her book is titled Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery & Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta and is published by The History Press. This true-life tale is about a depression-era tragedy and the stranger-than-fiction-life of Helen Spence: "so young and beautiful, even in death--Helen Spence-- a so-called outlaw . . . And why shouldn't she

On this episode of Arts & Letters, we talk with hospice educator and pastor Dr. Kathleen J. Rusnak about what the dying learn about living at the end of life and how this knowledge is their gift to us in the midst of life. Her book Because You've Never Died Before, published by Brick Wall 2 , offers a framework for giving meaning to the experiences of those who are dying as well as an opportunity to gain from the wisdom and insight of the dying for your own life now. Rusnak shares composite

On this episode of Arts & Letters, we speak with writer Joe Meno. Published by Akashic Books, h is novel, Marvel and a Wonder, is set in the summer of 1995. Jim Falls, a grandfather and Korean War veteran, sets out alone to raise his grandson Quentin. Marvel and a Wonder is firmly ensconced in place and reveals the wonderment of possibility, which is looming just beyond the next hill. And then the next. . . “On that Sunday in July 1995, the grandfather woke early, thinking of the boy. He