Books and Literature

(02/01/12) Our guest is Jaimy Gordon. Her fourth novel, Lord of Misrule, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2011. Her other work includes the novels Shamp of the City-Solo, She Drove Without Stopping, and Bogeywoman. Pedro Ponce and Ellen Rocco host.

Thursday, February 2, Gordon will give a reading at 7:30 pm in Sykes Common Room on the St. Lawrence University campus in Canton NY, as part of the SLU Writers Series. This event is free and open to the public.

(01/25/12) Libraries aren't just quiet places filled with books. In the North Country, libraries serve as social hubs and community centers. These days, they're scrambling to keep pace with the changing ways that we use information and technology.

But decreases in funding are making it harder for rural libraries to juggle their many missions. Sarah Harris has our story. more

(01/25/12) These are tough times, as libraries grapple with changing technology and shrinking budgets. But librarians in Clinton County say their work is more important than ever. Sarah Harris talked with Stan Ransom, Frances Fairchild, Betsy Brooks, Eva Jankowska and Jacqueline Madison, all librarians in Clinton County. more

(01/20/12) New York State now includes more than 10,000 Amish people in 25 settlements, many of them in the North Country. In her book New York Amish, Karen Johnson-Weiner explains some of the history and customs of the Plain people. Betsy Kepes has this review. more

(01/18/12) A new book tells the history of SUNY Potsdam through photographs. Potsdam is the oldest campus in the state university system and the new Arcadia Publishing book includes more than 200 vintage images. The book traces the school's history from its founding in 1816; its teacher training traditions, the Crane School of Music, School of Arts and Sciences, athletics and other activities. Todd Moe talks with the two local authors, Jane Subramanian and Virginia Rose Cayey, about their memories as students at SUNY Potsdam and some of the joys and challenges of sifting through hundreds of historic photos and documents.

(01/12/12) For years, Dana Fast from Lake Clear has been known in the Adirondacks as a master gardener and an active local volunteer. What few people know is that she grew up as a secular Jewish family in Warsaw, Poland. Her name was Lilka Miron. In 1939 she and her family were caught up in the German invasion and the Holocaust that followed.

They were forced into the infamous Warsaw ghetto and lived in hiding for years until Poland was liberated by the Soviet Union. Fast has written a new book about her harrowing experience called "My Nine Lives." She sat down to talk with Brian Mann, who has our profile. more

(12/29/11) Vermont might have become the eastern side of New York State if it hadn't been for the bold action of patriot and land speculator Ethan Allen. Betsy Kepes reviews William Sterne Randall's new biography of Vermont's first hero. more

(12/16/11) Though Canadian writers Merilyn Simonds and Wayne Grady live near the border in Kingston, Ontario neither of them had traveled in the United States. A long road trip seemed an excellent way to explore the landscape and attitudes of their southern neighbor. Betsy Kepes has this review of their new book, Breakfast at the Exit Cafe. more

(12/01/11) A new book profiles the early history, founders, and staff of St. Lawrence County's first hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg. It opened in 1885, and over the years, the hospital has housed a nursing school and was the first to bring many new health services to the region, including an artificial kidney machine in the late 1960's.

Todd Moe talks with Cyndy Clusen and Kelsey Redpath, creators of the latest Arcadia photo book that celebrates Claxton-Hepburn's past. They'll lead a discussion about the hospital and the new book at the Brewer Bookstore in Canton this Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.

(12/01/11) Our annual holiday and winter reading list call-in. Hosted by Ellen Rocco and John Ernst. The show solicits listeners suggestions for great books--new and classic--for gift-giving or deep winter reading.