Main Street

Friday, March, 31, 2023 - Master gardener Audrey Gilbraith joins us to discuss this wet, cold spring and what it means for the upcoming gardening season. ~~~ We continue our look forward to spring as we chat with horticulturist Ron Smith. ~~~ Reporter Sylvia Poggioli is leaving her regular gig at NPR, but don’t call it retirement! She joins us to reflect on her career and her plans going forward. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews a new take on Pinocchio from director Guillermo del Toro. ~~~ Tomorrow is April Fools Day. So, here’s Chuck Lura to tell us about Jackalopes.

Thursday, March 30, 2023 - Our monthly Journalists Roundtable has no shortage of topics! Craig Blumenshine hosts as we visit with Prairie Public news director Dave Thompson; Forum Communications editor-in-chief Matthew Von Pinnon; and the owner and publisher of Journal Publishing in Crosby, Cecile Wehrman.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 - It’s called a searing, adventurous memoir about the cold, hard realities of pursuing the cowboy way. “Twenty Miles of Fence” is a new book that recounts a decade of transformation as Bob West leaves his life as an architect to become a rancher. He joins us from his home in Wyoming. ~~~ Pulitzer Prize winning poet Tracy K. Smith was one of the featured guests at last week’s UND Writers Conference. She visits with Bill Thomas about the importance of poetry and how it works.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 - What’s with all this “woke” talk? It’s actually a word that’s been around a long time. We discuss the concept in this month’s Philosophical Currents conversation with philosophy professor Jack Russell Weinstein. ~~~ We visit with the Grand Forks Center for Exploration fundraising chair Maura Tanabe. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay titled “Bastille at Far-go.” ~~~ A Birdnote feature on the spring migration around the globe.

Monday, March 27, 2023 - How close did we come to nuclear war during Vietnam? That’s explored in American Experience: "The Movement and the Madman." It premieres tomorrow, March 28th on PBS stations. We visit with filmmaker Stephen Talbot. ~~~ Kids Scoop News is an effort to help children learn the value of journalism and to promote literacy. The publication is distributed to students in Western North Dakota, and the hope is to go statewide. Joining us is Cecile Wehrman, publisher of Journal Publishing in Crosby. ~~~ Birdnote: Hummingbirds Returning.

Matt Olien on movie attendance ~ Dave Thompson with a news review ~ Carole Lindstrom and her book "My Powerful Hair."

Theatre NDSU Marc Devine, PCAND Lindsey Burkhardt & Veronica Wiesz, Johnathan Repoyo and Tom Isern, "The Baggage Coach Ahead”

Jeremiah Program and Laetitia Mizero Hellerud, Jessie Veeder, Chuck Lura, "End of the Rope" and filmmaker Daniel Bielinski of Bismarck.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023 - The 54th Annual UND Writers Conference gets underway Thursday. This year’s theme focuses on healing. Juliet Patterson is one of the featured authors, so today we thought it would be a good time to reair a conversation about her book, “Sinkhole: A Legacy of Suicide.” It explores her grief journey following her father’s suicide. ~~~ Crystal Alberts is the organizer of the UND Writers Conference. She joins us with more information about this year’s conference.

Monday, March 20, 2023 - Dr. Stephen Weiler, professor of economics and co-director, of the Regional Economic Development Institute at Colorado State University discusses the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting scheduled for March 21-22. Will they or won't they increase interest rates again? What about bank uncertainty? What does the latest economic data about inflation and jobs mean? And, how will this all impact rural America? ~~~ The Fargo Film Festival is March 21-25. We visit with Allison Otto, who directed The Thief Collector, a documentary feature. It is a hilarious and bizarre true crime story about a mid-day art heist and the very “normal” couple at the center of the mystery. ~~~ How much do birds sing? That question is explored in another episode of Birdnote.