Main Street

Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - Last week, the Interior Department issued a report detailing the brutal history involving federal Indian boarding schools. We take the occasion to share an address by Denise Lajimodiere, author of the book “Stringing Rosaries, the History, the Unforgivable, and the Healing of North American Indian Boarding School Survivors.” She spoke last November at Concordia College. Alicia Hegland Thorpe has prepared an excerpt of that address. You can see the entire presentation here. ~~~ Ed Yong, a writer for The Atlantic, won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the threat of future pandemics requires society to aggressively face and fix racial, economic and health disparities. He visits with Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter in this excerpt from the Conversations on Health Care podcast.

Friday, May 13, 2022 - Violinist Gaelynn Lea of Duluth won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, and more recently she was tapped to compose the music for a new production of Macbeth on Broadway starring Daniel Craig. ~~~ Bismarck has a big celebration this weekend. It’s the town’s sesquicentennial, or 150th birthday. We take the occasion to share a conversation between special contributor Brandi Malarkey and Dr. Marilyn Snyder, president of the Bismarck Historical Society. They discuss an effort to gather major oral histories plus a project to transcribe police records that go all the way back to the early 1900s. ~~~ Matt Olien has this week’s movie review: “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

Thursday, May 12, 2022 - Bismarck kicks off its sesquicentennial celebration this weekend. Alicia Hegland Thorpe visits with Bismarck Assistant City administrator Jason Tomanek and former Bismarck Mayor Bill Sorenson. ~~~ Historian Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay titled “Bachelors of Mt. Carmel.” ~~~ In a piece from the Prairie Public television division, Emily Buermann of the Becker County History Museum in Detroit Lakes shares an “Artifact Spotlight” story about two pioneering women of medicine: “Emma and Emma of Detroit, Minnesota.” ~~~ Sue Balcom is here for Main Street Eats. Today we discuss seeds.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 - A Dusty Echo is a true North Dakota story. It won the 1976 North Dakota Bicentennial Playwriting Contest, and it’s written by Bismarck native Ev Miller. It focuses on a struggling family farm during the Dust Bowl. Alicia Hegland-Thorpe visits with director Amanda Perry and cast member Patrick Engelhart. A Dusty Echo opens tomorrow at Dakota Stage in Bismarck. ~~~ In an excerpt from the Prairie Pulse television show, John Harris visits with Marshall Johnson, the National Audubon Society’s chief conservation officer, who’s based here in North Dakota. ~~~ Speaking of birds, the country is in the midst of one of the worst bird flu outbreaks in years. Millions of wild birds and poultry have died. William Brangham has more in this story from the PBS NewsHour. ~~~ Future Business Leaders of America is an organization devoted to inspiring and preparing students to become community and business minded leaders. And it sponsors competition between its chapters. Teacher Wendy Grote is about to retire, and she’s doing so after leading her students of the Divide County High School FBLA chapter to 21 state championships!

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 - Kate Adamala is a biochemist building synthetic cells. Her research aims at understanding chemical principles of biology, using artificial cells to create new tools for bioengineering, drug development, and basic research. ~~~ Sixty-six million years ago, a gigantic asteroid slammed into Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs. Wednesday on PBS, Nova presents “Dinosaur Apocalypse,” with host David Attenborough. The story explains how a discovery in North Dakota takes us to the very day the apocalypse occurred. Paleontologist Robert DePalma is featured in the program. He joins us with a preview.

Monday, May 9, 2022 - Imagine raising 10 kids during the depression. Martin and Asta Odnes did that in Van Hook, ND, after emigrating from Norway. Granddaughter Barb Solberg of Minot traces the family’s agonizing decision to send three children back to Norway, in hopes of a better life, only to have World War Two break out. She tells the story in What We Leave Behind. ~~~ With the passing of winter, horticulturist Ron Smith is here to help us get ready for spring.

Friday, May 6, 2022 - The annual PBS Kids Writers Contest is always a source of delight here at Prairie Public. We love sharing some of those stories, and joining us to do just that is Christine McClellan. ~~~ Drought is still affecting much of the Great Plains, as we hear from Harvest Public Media’s Elizabeth Rembert. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Val,” a documentary about the life and career of Val Kilmer, using archival footage often shot by Kilmer himself over the course of his career. ~~~ Mothers Day is coming up on Sunday. Did you ever wonder how it got started? We get the story from Nate DiMeo, host of the Memory Palace.

May 5, 2022 - Today is the National Day of Awareness for “Missing And Murdered Indigenous People.” Alicia Hegland-Thorpe visits with Agnes Woodward, a member of the Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan and the director of storytelling for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Initiative. ~~~ Sue Balcom is here to discuss the origins of Mothers Day for Main Street Eats.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 - It’s the first day of our spring member drive. The Moth is coming to North Dakota with a mainstage event in Fargo in December. We visit with executive producer Sarah Austin Jenness. ~~~ The Sacred Pipe Resource Center in Bismarck presents a traveling statue to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People in North Dakota. Dr. Cheryl Kary of the Sacred Pipe Resource Center in Bismarck sits with co-host Alicia Hegland-Thorpe to discuss National Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day and the unique way Sacred Pipe is creating awareness and raising money for families and search teams.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022 - North Dakota poet laureate Larry Woiwode passed away last Thursday after a short illness. Joining us to reflect on his life is associate poet laureate Jamie Parsley. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay, “Railroad Corral.” ~~~ Speaking of history, there are a number of attractions to consider when traveling the state this summer. Bill Peterson, the executive director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, shares some highlights in an excerpt of the Prairie Pulse television show as he visits with host John Harris. ~~~ There is a new opportunity to get your hands dirty in Bismarck. Shelly Sayler has recently opened part of her ceramics studio to the public, including classes and workshops for those interested in learning more about working with clay. Brandi Malarkey visits Shelly's studio to learn more about her work.