More books en route
Minnesota Radio Talking Book is continuing to add more books to the schedules for May and June. Listeners are thanked for their patience as this important service gets back on track. Anyone with comments on current books that could be broadcast is urged to contact staff.
Volunteer readers sought
Volunteers are needed at Minnesota Radio Talking Book to record books and periodicals for broadcast. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can contact Roberta Kitlinski at 651-539-1423 or roberta.kitlinski@state.mn.us to learn more.
Use an app to hear programs
Radio Talking Book is not just for listeners with visual disabilities. It can be an asset for people whose disabilities limit hand movements, making it difficult to read a book.
Enjoy programming anytime and anywhere on a hand-held mobile device, for either iOS or Android. Visit the Apple App Store for iOS, or Google Play for Android, and download the Minnesota Radio Talking Book app. It provides a convenient way to tune in wherever and whenever.
Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available for loan through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. The catalog is at www.mnbtbl.org, click on the link Search the Library Catalog. Call the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library at 800-722-0550, Mon-Fri, 9 am – 4 pm CST for details.
Persons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of books via an inter-library loan by contacting their home state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.
The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. More programs and books are available.
To find more information about Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network events go to the Facebook site, Minnesota Radio Talking Book. Audio information about the daily book listings is also on the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newsline. Register for the NFB Newsline by calling 651-539-1424.
The NFB-NEWSLINE service provides access to more than 500 magazines and newspapers, plus information on COVID-19 in the Breaking News section. To learn more, visit www.nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline.
Donate to the State Services for the Blind at mn.gov/deed/ssbdonate
Listen to RTB’s live or archived programs online at www.mnssb.org/rtb
Chautauqua*Monday – Friday 6 a.m.
The War on Science rebroadcast, nonfiction by Shawn Otto, 2016. A Minnesota author reveals a decades-long attack on science, threatening societies around the world. Read by Jack Rossmann. 23 broadcasts; begins Thu, May 5.
Past is Prologue*Monday – Friday 11 a.m.
No One Man Should Have All That Power rebroadcast, nonfiction by Amos Barshad, 2019. The most powerful people aren’t always our elected officials or civic leaders, but instead are the influential figures who wield control from the shadows. Read by Tom Speich. Eight broadcasts; begins Wed, May 4.
Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s ‘Girl Stunt Reporters,’ nonfiction by Kim Todd, 2021. In the waning years of the 19th century, women journalists across the U.S. risked reputation and their own safety to expose the hazardous conditions under which many Americans lived and worked. Read by Carol McPherson. 14 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 16.
Bookworm*Monday – Friday 12 p.m.
Bowlaway rebroadcast, fiction by Elizabeth McCracken, 2019. At the turn of the 20th century, a mysterious woman opens a bowling alley in a small Massachusetts town and impacts the community for decades to come. Read by Don Lee. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
Outlawed, fiction by Anna North, 2021. The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West. Read by Jodi Lindskog. 10 broadcasts; begins Wed, May 18.
The Writer’s Voice*Monday – Friday 1 p.m.
Year of the Monkey rebroadcast, nonfiction by Patti Smith, 2019. Musician and author Patti Smith tells of her life in 2016, the “year of the monkey,” when she hitchhiked across the U.S. Read by Edy Elliott. Five broadcasts; begins Thu, May 5.
Days Like Smoke, nonfiction by Jon Hassler, 2021. Beloved Minnesota novelist Hassler left the manuscript for one important story unfinished when he died: his own. These are his memories of his youth in rural Minnesota during the 1930s and 1940s. Read by Carol McPherson. Five broadcasts; begins Thu, May 12.
Orwell’s Roses, nonfiction by Rebecca Solnit, 2021. A reflection on George Orwell’s passionate gardening and the way that his involvement with plants and the natural world illuminates his other commitments. Read by Lannois Neely. 10 broadcasts; begins Thu, May 12. – L
Choice Reading*Monday – Friday 2 p.m.
Late in the Day rebroadcast, fiction by Tessa Hadley, 2019. The 30-year bond between two couples comes apart when one of the friends dies unexpectedly. Read by Judy Woodward. Nine broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
Are We There Yet?, fiction by Kathleen West, 2021. Alice Sullivan feels like she’s finally found her groove in middle age, but it only takes one moment for her perfectly curated life to unravel. Among fake Instagram pages and long-buried family secrets, one suburban mom searches to find herself. Read by Pat Muir. 13 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 16.
Afternoon Report*Monday – Friday 4 p.m.
Why Honor Matters rebroadcast, nonfiction by Tamler Sommers, 2018. Honor cultures include courage, integrity, responsibility, and a code of behavior. Read by John Mandeville. Nine broadcasts; begins Wed, May 4. – L, R
We’re Still Here, nonfiction by Jennifer M. Silva, 2021. The economy has been brutal to American workers for several decades. Sociologist Silva describes the politics and widespread disengagement of working-class people in Pennsylvania’s coal region. Read by Don Lee. 10 broadcasts; begins Tue, May 17. – L
Profit and Punishment, nonfiction by Tony Messenger, 2021. As a journalist, Messenger exposes injustice that is agonizing and infuriating in its mundane cruelty, as he champions the rights and dignity of some of the most vulnerable Americans. Read by Michele Potts. Eight broadcasts; begins Tue, May 31.
Night Journey*Monday – Friday 7 p.m.
The Poisoned Pawn, fiction by Peggy Blair, 2013. Detective Mike Ellis returns home from vacation only to discover that his estranged wife is dead and that he’s the main suspect. Read by Jack Rossman. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
Hello, Transcriber, fiction by Hannah Morrissey, 2021. A police transcriber believes that writing a book could be her only ticket out of the frozen hellscape of Wisconsin’s most crime-ridden city, but her life isn’t exactly brimming with inspiration until her neighbor confesses to hiding the corpse of an overdose victim. Read by Brenda Powell. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 16.
Off the Shelf*Monday – Friday 8 p.m.
Call Your Daughter Home rebroadcast, fiction by Deb Spera, 2019. In South Carolina, during the depths of the Great Depression, three remarkable women struggle with family relationships. Read by Carol McPherson. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
The Chosen and the Beautiful, fiction by Nghi Vo, 2021. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society. She’s also queer and Asian, and a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers. Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe. 10 broadcasts; begins Wed, May 18. – L, S
Potpourri*Monday – Friday 9 p.m.
Broad Band rebroadcast, nonfiction by Claire L. Evans, 2018. Women have become proficient at technology from the start. This is the story of the women who developed the Internet. Read by Parichay Rudina. 13 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
I Will Take the Answer, nonfiction by Ander Monson, 2020. These essays showcase Monson’s deep thinking, sly wit, and his ability to tunnel deeply into the odd and revealing worlds of American life. Read by John Potts. 10 broadcasts; begins Thu, May 19.
Good Night Owl*Monday – Friday 10 p.m.
Nights in White Castle rebroadcast, nonfiction by Steve Rushin, 2019. A sportswriter chronicles growing up in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington. Read by Glenn Miller. 10 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2.
Brickmakers, fiction by Selva Almada, 2021. Two families are caught in an almost mythic conflict, one that emerges from stubborn pride and intractable machismo. But the families’ teenage sons have somehow fallen in love. Read by Karen Ray. Five broadcasts; begins Mon, May 16. – L, S
Nervous System, fiction by Lina Meruane, 2021. Ella is an astrophysicist struggling with her doctoral thesis when she begins to experience mysterious symptoms that doctors find undiagnosable. Read by Holly Sylvester. Eight broadcasts; begins Mon, May 23.
RTB After Hours*Monday – Friday 11 p.m.
The One Real Thing rebroadcast, fiction by Samantha Young, 2016. A doctor in a woman’s prison discovers 40-year-old love letters and sets out to a small town to deliver them. Read by Anne Obst. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, May 2. – L, S
The Forbidden Orchid rebroadcast, fiction by Peng Shepherd, 2018. The adventures of a British girl in 1861 China, hunting for the orchid that will save her family. Read by Lynda Kayser. 12 broadcasts; begins Wed, May 18 – S
Weekend program books
Your Personal World, 1 p.m. Sat, presents How Healing Works by Wayne Jonas, M.D., read by Beverly Burchett, followed by On Freedom by Maggie Nelson, read by Beverly Burchett – L
Rated R, 11 p.m. Sat, presents American Gospel by Liz Enger, read by Scott McKinney. – L
For the Younger Set, 11 a.m. Sun, presents The Museum of Us by Tara Wilson Redd, read by Esme Evans
Poetic Reflections, noon Sun, presents The Poetry Remedy by William Sieghart, read by Scott McKinney, followed by Such Color by Tracy K. Smith, read by Cintra Godfrey.
The Great North, 4 p.m. Sun, presents Wild and Rare by Adam Regn Arvidson, read by Andrea Bell.
