MPR News with Kerri Miller

Minnesota is more than home to author William Kent Krueger. It’s a central character in most of his books. Kruger talked about it — and about his primary human character, Cork O’Connor — at a special spring Talking Volumes in Duluth earlier this month.

This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas, you’ll hear Kerri Miller’s spring Talking Volumes conversation with Minnesota author Kent Krueger. So it’s only fitting that our archive this week is Krueger’s last appearance at Talking Volumes in 2021.

In his new book “The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,” Jeff Sharlet examines the anger underneath American politics today — including a turn toward fascism and Christian nationalism.

Here’s the MPR News lineup on the radio and on the stream.

Minnesota author and illustrator Drew Brockington joined Kerri Miller at a special Talking Volumes in Rochester earlier this month.

Drew Brockington is the author, illustrator and space nerd behind the hit graphic novel series, “CatStronauts.”

Brendan Slocumb returns to Big Books and Bold Ideas with another musical mystery. This time, he’s tell the story of a musicologist who uncovers a betrayal by his favorite composer.

Animal Month on Big Books and Bold Ideas ends with an encore presentation of host Kerri Miller’s conversation with dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz who literally wrote the book on puppies.

Environmental journalist Oliver Milman says we are experiencing an unprecedented crisis in the world of insects. And it’s bad news for humans, too.

Next up on Animal Month: insects — and how the loss of everything from bee hives to butterfly colonies affects the entire animal ecosystem.