As a part of my recent DoSoEvAyMo I’ve been scheduling more public radio time in to my days.What is great is that now all of these programs are available to listen to online so that I can listen at my leisure. I’ve included some links if any of you feel like listening.

Today I listened to a very interesting show on the Wisconsin Public Radio Program, To The Best of Our Knowledge on Reclaiming the Classics. The first segment of this program discusses the classic poet “Beowulf” and the recent movie adaptations. Surprise, surprise. It sounds like the movie versions do not stick to the original story. The second segment is an interview with Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, a husband and wife translation team who have recently came out with a new translation of “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. (sidenote: Hopefully most of those of you reading this realize how important a good translation is in a piece of literature.)

This American Life is one of the most intelligent and entertaining radio shows. It is put on by Chicago Public Radio and recently started a television version that I’ve never seen because well I bet you’ve guessed it, I have two channels and the channel it’s on is Showtime. Nope we don’t have that one. I have a aural crush on Ira Glass and who doesn’t adore Sarah Vowell’s name and voice and sense of humor? I enjoy every episode but one that I love to listen to the most is this one on Babysitting.

I’ve written before about how much I enjoy Jean Feraca’s program on Wisconsin Public Radio called Here on Earth. (Let me give another shout out for her book I Hear Voices too. Brilliant and touching. I adore her) One of my favorite episodes was an interview that she did with travel writer supreme, Colin Tubron on his latest book “Shadow of the Silk Road” on his travels third class on the silk road. The silk road was a trade route through Asia and the trade along this route was a major factor in the development of some of the greatest civilizations and the foundations of what we now consider the “modern” world.

Also if you get a chance don’t miss Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know?. (I know that Jaynova got to see him live with The Otter and I’m so jealous. It’s usually broadcast in Madison 2 hours from where I live and I’ve never had the chance to. It’s on of those “before I die” things). Two more try to catch shows are Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me and A Way With Words. Wait, Wait is a humorous quiz show with the likes of P.J Rourke, Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone and others. As well as the incomperable voice of Carl Kasell. A Way With Words is a call in show that is all about language that is informative and entertaining all at the same time.

Happy Listening.