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(Marathon, 21st Olympiad in Montreal)
We chronicle strivings for perfection – at the Montreal Olympics, at an annual Potato Blossom Festival, and on stage where an opera singer’s efforts to sing are thwarted by a highly erratic composition. Also this week, the return of Erin McKean, word pusher, along with guest author Simon Winchester. And reflections on Frank Sinatra by Irish writer Nuala O’Faolain.
Olympic Hopeful
Potato Queen
On the Farm
Photo right: Lili, Collage by Leah Giberson
Goats' End
Ole Blue Eyes for the Lassies
Back in the 1950s, Frank Sinatra epitomized the idea of sophistication for teenagers in rural Ireland – at least according to writer Nuala O’Faolain, who remembers with what devotion she and her Catholic schoolgirl friends used to listen to his music. Produced by Jill Krauss.
Word Lobby
In her self-appointed role as lexicographical activist, Oxford American Dictionary editor Erin McKean is determined to rescue forgotten or undiscovered words that run the risk of becoming obsolete. Her strategy? To foist those words upon respected writers. Her latest victim? Author Simon Winchester. Produced by Julie Subrin.
Just Sing
Composer Nicholas Brooke is consumed by the way our personal relationship to music has changed over the past century, with the advent of the phonograph and other recording technologies. So consumed, ...
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