John R. Killacky’s new book “because art: Commentary, Critique, & Conversation” is a collage of writings about his life and work across the country as a performing artist, arts administrator, curator and legislator.
Prominent in the book is his time as the Performing Arts Curator at the Walker Art Center (1988-1996) in Minneapolis. This was a time of radical queer performance art, the AIDS Crisis, Reagan-Bush politics, culture wars of the time and attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts. Killacky is a gay, differently abled artist and is currently in the Vermont House of Representatives.
Included in the book are commentaries on a debilitating spinal surgery, Zen Buddhism, and censorship; critiques on such artists as Ron Athey, Eiko Otake, John Cage, and Keith Haring; plus interviews with artists Alison Bechdel, Trisha Brown, Janis Ian, Bill T. Jones, Tony Kushner, Meredith Monk and more.
KFAI’s Dixie Treichel spoke with Killacky about his life and work.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Ian starts off the show, joined by writer John Medieros, by diving into a conversation about the pandemic that swept the world before COVID: the HIV-AIDS crisis. Medeiros and his identical twin brother participated in a gene therapy study in which the HIV-positive twin was infused with billions of genes from the HIV-negative twin, as detailed in his memoir, Self, Divided.
After the break, Liz brings out her music chops and welcomes Bill Schnee on air to discuss his fascinating experiences doing audio production and engineering for such brilliant minds as John Lennon and Ringo, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, and many more. These magic yarns and more can be found in his new book Chairman at the Board.
This week on Write On! Radio, Dave welcomes frequent New York Times Magazine contributor Russell Shorto on-air to discuss his book Small-Time: A Story of My Family and the Mob.
After the break, novelist and Rutgers professor Lisa Zeidner joins Annie to discuss her new work of nonfiction, Who Says? Mastering Point of View, which takes a close, practical, and curious look at how narrative voice construction affects reading experience.
In the first half of the hour, Liz brings NYT bestselling mystery author Jacqueline Winspear on-air to discuss her new memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing, an eye-opening and heartfelt story of her working-class upbringing in England in the wake of World War II.
After the break, Kirun Kapur reads from her newest poetry collection, Women in the Waiting Room, and chats with Dave about the inspirations behind her work, her intercontinental childhood, and the tales of women she breathes life into.
Write On! Radio
Write On! Radio - Jacqueline Winspear + Kirun Kapur
In the first half of the hour, Annie interviews author, former MN state representative, and mental illness advocate Mindy Greiling about her nonfiction book Fix What You Can. Greiling’s work is based largely on her experience with her son’s schizoaffective disorder, and the conversation includes the collaborative writing process with him, as well as her work as a lawmaker and National Alliance on Mental Illness board member striving to decriminalize mental illness in Minnesota and build better lives for those living with a mental illness.
In the second half of the hour, Josh and Ian whip out good ol’ James Joyce for a celebration of Twelfth Night, including a reading!
First, Dave Fettig and Adrian S Potter discuss Potter’s new poetry collection, Everything Wrong Feels Right, plus setting in writing, Potter’s scientific background, his writing process, and more.
Next, Annie Harvieux and Tiffany McDaniel use McDaniel’s latest novel, Betty, as a means to look at telling family stories through creative writing, the challenges of bringing true stories of child abuse to light, and how Cherokee versus white Christian traditions of gender dynamics play out in the novel’s multiracial family.
Write On! Radio
Write On! Radio: Adrian S. Potter + Tiffany McDaniel
