Main Street

Friday, March 17, 2023 - Fargo Film Festival gets underway next week. In this excerpt from the Prairie Pulse television show, host John Harris visits with Sean Volk, the Fargo Theatre development and engagement manager. ~~~ Jessie Veeder shares an essay from the ranch titled, “From the Top of the Hill.” ~~~ Dave Thompson is here with our weekly news chat. ~~~ Matt reviews “The Quiet Girl,” and comments on the recent Academy Awards.

Thursday, March 16, 2023 - The Fargo Film Festival is March 21-25. We visit with Emily Sheskin, the director of the documentary feature JessZilla. It chronicles the journey of boxing protégé Jesselyn Silva as she has an eye on the Olympics, but then receives a horrible diagnosis. ~~~ Recent news about bank failures have created some concern about the banking industry in general. North Dakota has quite a past when it comes to banking. In a story we first aired last August, Nick Rommel explores the history and the legacy of the State Bank of ND. ~~~ We share a BirdNote on how birds stop flying.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 - The Alzheimer’s Association has released its annual Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report. We visit with Dr. Danielle Purcell, practicing neurologist and senior director of clinical practice for the Alzheimer’s Association. ~~~ Chuck Lura discusses the Orion nebula in an episode of Natural North Dakota. ~~~ We revisit the story of Vic Smith with Jeanette Prodgers as we discuss her book: “The Champion Buffalo Hunter: The Frontier Memoirs of Yellowstone Vic Smith.”

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 - Writer Taylor Brorby is coming back to North Dakota to talk about this book, Boys and Oil: Growing up Gay in a Fractured Land, speaking at Zandbroz in Fargo on March 21st. We visited with him about the book when it came out last year. He joins us today to talk about the reaction. ~~~ The State Historical Society has prepared a special presentation Class B basketball in North Dakota. We visit with Laura Forde, the society’s education and engagement manager; and Sarah Walker, head of the North Dakota State Archives. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay.

Monday, March 13, 2023 - Artist Medora Frei was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at age 18. Her new book, “These Are My Flowers: My Story of Composting Trauma Into Colorful Art,” explores pain and suffering, and how that shaped her life. ~~~ Moorhead teacher Rebecca Meyer-Larson is the winner of the Citation Award from the National Federation of State High School Associations. This nationwide award is the highest honor given to a coach or director. She will receive the award this summer in Seattle. ~~~ The spring equinox is coming up, and that’s the subject of this week’s Natural North Dakota from Chuck Lura.

Friday, March 10, 2023 - News director Dave Thompson is here to discuss the latest from the legislature and other highlights from the week’s news. ~~~ The Great American Folk Show is heard weekly on Prairie Public. Today we share an excerpt as we learn how to make a great stew. ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay about owls. ~~~ Matt Olien joins us for an extended movie conversation as he reviews Aftersun, a coming-of-age drama, and previews Sunday’s Academy Awards presentation, sharing his predictions for the big winners.

Thursday, March 9, 2023 - Director of radio Bill Thomas joins us with some highlights from this year’s Poetry Out Loud event. ~~~ Youth For Christ operates in over 100 countries and has a variety of programs, including youth clubs, sports ministries, music ministries, and evangelism training. The organization aims to connect young people, including young people considered “at risk” and provide them with support, mentorship, and guidance as they navigate the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood. Sean Patterson, director from Grand Forks, and Greg Everett, executive director from Fargo, discuss the mission of YFC.

Here is another sampling of musicians from far and wide who have performed in North Dakota. Perhaps you’ll remember some!

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 - UND philosophy professor Jack Russell Weinstein joins us to discuss the theme of next Sunday’s episode of “Why, Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life.” It’s a special episode as he visits with four of his current or past students about their experience studying philosophy. That episode has already been recorded, and he’ll preview that engaging conversation.

Tuesday, March 7, 2023 - Dr. Stephen Reed is a Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Jamestown and is considered an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He spent last fall in Norway, continuing his research about what he calls the Dead Sea Scrolls fragments. ~~~ Dr. Jim O’Connell’s mission to bring healing to homeless people is documented in the new book “Rough Sleepers” by acclaimed author Tracy Kidder. Today we hear from Dr. O’Connell in an excerpt from the Conversations on Healthcare podcast. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay, “Monumental Matters.”