Topic: Books and Reading

When Ryan Bartelmay published his debut novel, he based it in central Illinois. This hour on Focus, he talks with host Jim Meadows.

Do you fancy yourself a reader? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? 

The “goods” were kept under lock and key… and under special lighting… in the back room….

Do you have a sense of your own history? What stereotypes about the Midwest do you agree or disagree with? Today on Focus, Lisa Bralts talks with Diane Johnson about her new memoir “Flyover Lives.” 

After sifting through thousands of documents, Brian Dolinar finished a book started over 70 years ago. The work he helped to complete? "The Negro in Illinois: The WPA Papers."

Have you ever forgotten something? Can you imagine what it would be like to forget nearly every detail about your life? 

Are you a science fiction fan? Today on Focus, we'll listen back to a conversation host Jim Meadows had with New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson.

Ryan Bartelmay recently published his debut novel, which is based in central Illinois. This hour on Focus, he talks with host Jim Meadows.

What’s the best book you’ve read this winter? If someone asked you for a book recommendation for a holiday gift, what would you recommend?

Dave Isay has spent more than the last decade of his career helping Americans collect stories for the public radio segment “StoryCorps.” During this Focus interview, host Jim Meadows talks with Isay about his new book “Ties that Bind.”