KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

Most radio stories feature a narrator (usually the reporter) to provide the listener with context and descriptions. But sometimes a radio story is more powerful if the reporter can get out of the way and let the subject tell us what's happening. Or better yet, show us. On this edition of the Listening Lounge, we'll air a podcast produced by Rob Rosenthal of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies . In a recent episode of the Saltcast , Rob discusses non-narrated radio pieces and showcases a story by Sarah Reynolds called Look Me in the Eye . The story is about guy named Bill Bouffard who likes to play quad rugby. We'll also air a story I produced a couple of years ago about the St. Paul Winter Carnival's Bouncing Girl competition. It also lacks narration and I had to give the story quite a bit thought before I bounded over to downtown St. Paul on a chilly January evening for the event. (By the way, a Bouncing Girl competition involves men holding a circular canvas b...

Host Larry Massett spends a "Long Day on the Road" with ex-KGB in the Republic of Georgia. Scott Carrier starts in Salt Lake and ends on the Atlantic in this cross-country "Hitchhike." Lemon Jelly adds beats to the life of a "Ramblin' Man." The band Richmond Fontaine sends musical postcards from the flight of "Walter On the Lam." And Mark Allen tells a tale of a tryst with a "Kinko's Crackhead." And on the July 20 show: "Home from the Road," a commentary by Nanci Olesen.

The problems of the Great Plains have been chronicled for decades-- lack of industry, an aging population, towns closing up shop and reverting to prairie scrub. That's where the idea of a "Buffalo Commons" comes in. Backers want to accumulate big swaths of the Plains, and repopulate the land with bison and other native species. A group called the American Prairie Foundation is trying to do that in northeastern Montana, around the town of Malta. It's knitting together a hodgepodge of old family ranches and public land, with the hope of eventually luring in ecotourists. It's a pretty radical idea for a part of the country that's pretty, but decidedly NOT radical. Here's a portrait from the Plains from producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister.

Any way you slice it, St. Louis is one of the most violent cities in America. A primary cause for that distinction is gang violence. In a special three-part series, KWMU reporter Adam Allington speaks with Crips, Bloods, police, lawyers, and the people living in some of St. Louis' most notorious gang neighborhoods. We air "Block by Block: Street Gangs in St. Louis," recent winner of an Edward R. Murrow Award and "Watching My Cousin Sink Into Gang Life," by Julie Palido of Curie Youth Radio in Chicago.

The producers here at the Listening Lounge have been editing and re-editing radio stories for the debut edition of "Heard Here: KFAI Producers Showcase." We'll begin the show with "Joe Savage: Perennial Sideman," a profile of a local pedal steel guitar player by Joel Grostephan . Unlike traditional public radio stories, Joel doesn't narrate this piece. Instead, we hear from Joe Savage and his crying pedal steel. It's a moving piece and you won't want to miss it. Then it's on to a pair of funny essays on the subject of "People We Like Who Don't Like Us, But We Can't Help But Fancy Them." Diane Richard remembers the girl's bathroom at high school that she was supposed to avoid. Kristina Lund tells us about trying to convince her friend at work to become her friend in real life. "I have plenty of friends outside of work ... I just don't like them as much. They'll do in pinch, especially when I need to know that...

It's never too early to start thinking about the old man. Your father. Your dad. On our June 15 show, we air a half-hour worth of stories about dads. It's called "The Dad Plan." It begins with a very funny song by William Shatner, Aimee Mann and the Ben Folds. Shatner plays the Dad, of course, one who wants to reconnect with his adult child but doesn't want to talk about anything emotional or pressing. The show also includes stories by Sarah Vowell of This American Life. Tune in and don't forget about Dad's Day. Um, it's June 21, I think. (The photo is my old man — Thomas Melby of Hettinger, North Dakota. I'm that baby in the red-and-white outfit. Damn, he looks tired.)

In 2007, we aired a documentary by Joe Richman called Thembi's AIDS Diary , about a South African woman's struggle with HIV/AIDS. Thembi Ngubane was 19 years old when she began recording her thoughts about HIV. She also recorded her loving interactions with her boyfriend, the moment she told her father about her condition and many other touching moments. After her story was broadcast, she toured the United States. Later, she also addressed the South African parliament. Thembi recently contracted tuberculous and died June 4. She was 24. Producer Joe Richman recorded a remembrance of Thembi for National Public Radio. You can listen to it here .