Unspooling the Cassette Tape in Springfield, Missouri
The National Audio Company is keeping the cassette tape —and tape culture —alive in the Midwest and around the world. [...]
Listening to America with Studs Terkel
The Studs Terkel Radio Archive provides an entry point into his wide-ranging and influential work.
The History of American Music, as Recorded in Richmond, Indiana
How one Midwestern record company changed the course of popular music.
The Legend of Baby Huey
After fifty years and hundreds of hip hop samples, the iconic Chicago musician’s only record remains urgent and imperative listening.
Forty Years of ‘Blues Before Sunrise’
Steve Cushing’s long-running radio program remains a singular and imperative cultural exploration of America’s blues heritage.
Life After the Derecho
In eastern Iowa, we’re a long way from recovery.
A Night at the Drive-In During a Pandemic Summer
"It feels so foreign now, this kind of shared experience in real time."
An Elegy for John Prine
"If you listen long enough, you’ll find your own Prine line, the one that makes you feel real lonesome and want to laugh, all at once."
Caucus Night
"We went last night to stand and/be counted at the high school/gymnasium."
House on the Rock at Sixty
Approaching six decades of existence, one of the strangest places in the Midwest continues to defy easy description.
Is the Mississippi River Ready for Climate Change?
Decades beyond its intended lifespan, the river’s shipping infrastructure faces an uncertain future.
Gambling on Hemp
Illinois began accepting applications to grow industrial hemp at the end of April. But the first legal crop in more than eighty years is accompanied by a lot of uncertainty.