Garrison Keillor: An Evening with Garrison Keillor

Abstract

Garrison Keillor, author, storyteller and humorist, discusses his life and life in America in general. A Minnesota native, Keillor began his radio career as a freshman at the University of Minnesota, from which he graduated in 1966. He went to work for Minnesota Public Radio in 1969, and on July 6, 1974, hosted the first broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion in St. Paul. The show ended in 1987, resumed in 1989 in New York as The American Radio Company, returned to Minnesota and in 1993 resumed its original name. Each week 2.6 million listeners on more than 450 public radio stations now hear the show. Keillor also hosts a daily five-minute radio program, The Writer\u27s Almanac, is a frequent contributor to Time magazine and writes a biweekly column of advice to the lovelorn for Salon, an online magazine. He is the author of 12 books, including Lake Wobegon Days (1985), Love Me (2003) and HomeGrown Democrat (2004). Keillor has received numerous awards, including a Grammy for his recording of Lake Wobegon Days, two ACE Awards for cable television and a George Foster Peabody Award. In 1994 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. He received a National Humanities Medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities. With Philip Brunelle, Keillor has performed with many orchestras, including the Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and National symphonies. He has appeared at Wolf Trap, Carnegie Hall and other concert halls as a member of The Hopeful Gospel Quartet, and he has performed in one-man shows across the country and on tour broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion