The Dad Plan - Airs June 21

It's never too early to start thinking about the old man. Your father. Your dad. On our June 15 show, we air a half-hour worth of stories about dads. It's called "The Dad Plan." It begins with a very funny song by William Shatner, Aimee Mann and the Ben Folds. Shatner plays the Dad, of course, one who wants to reconnect with his adult child but doesn't want to talk about anything emotional or pressing. The show also includes stories by Sarah Vowell of This American Life. Tune in and don't forget about Dad's Day. Um, it's June 21, I think. (The photo is my old man — Thomas Melby of Hettinger, North Dakota. I'm that baby in the red-and-white outfit. Damn, he looks tired.)

Thembi Ngubane Dies

In 2007, we aired a documentary by Joe Richman called Thembi's AIDS Diary, about a South African woman's struggle with HIV/AIDS. Thembi Ngubane was 19 years old when she began recording her thoughts about HIV. She also recorded her loving interactions with her boyfriend, the moment she told her father about her condition and many other touching moments. After her story was broadcast, she toured the United States. Later, she also addressed the South African parliament. Thembi recently contracted tuberculous and died June 4. She was 24. Producer Joe Richman recorded a remembrance of Thembi for National Public Radio. You can listen to it here.

Jennie's Secret - Airs June 8

Take a look at this picture. Maybe you can figure out that the Civil War soldier on the right is a woman. But the guy sitting next to her sure couldn’t, and neither could the rest of her fellow soldiers. They didn’t conduct physical exams back in those days the way the military does now. The army’s policy, one observer quipped, was “ don’t test the eyes, count ‘em.“

The non-bearded soldier in this picture was known to her comrades as Albert Cashier. But she was born in Ireland on Christmas Day of 1843 as Jennie Hodgers. This is the story of a woman who posed as a man during the Civil War and went on to live most of her life as a man in the tiny town of Saunemin, Illinois. Through the years the town has been ambivalent about their most famous citizen & has struggled to figure out what to do with her old house.

This show includes an interview with producer Linda Paul.

You can read more about Jennie's Secret here and here.

Two from Canada - Airs June 1

On our June 1 show, we'll air two stories by Canadian producers: A Map of the Sea (Chris Brookes) and Colonel's Daughter (Makiko Ishihara). The first story documents the decline of a Newfoundland town by Chris Brookes, a really fantastic producer who uses sound in unusual ways. The second story is a Japanese-Canadian woman's story about her strident father and her relationship with him.

Route 66 - Airs May 18 and May 25

Americans have long been fascinated with the promise of the open road.

Beginning in 1926, that metaphor for hope and unfulfilled dreams was Route 66, a highway that connected Chicago to the Pacific Ocean. In a two-part documentary airing on the Listening Lounge, you'll hear what the highway meant to 20th century America.

Says one woman, "I do think that losing Route 66 was like losing a member of the family. It was a part of what people in Chicago could identify with, people in Oklahoma, people in Texas, people all the way to California. It was like a ribbon that tied us together."

Route 66 airs at 7 p.m. May 18 and May 25 on the Listening Lounge on KFAI, 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul.

Asian Pacific Heritage Special - Airs May 4

We celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with five stories by or about Asian-Americans, including "Weenie Royale" by the Kitchen Sisters, "Honk for Tibet" by Todd Melby, "This I Believe" by Yo Yo Ma and a touching story by Dmae Roberts called "Memorial." In "Memorial," Dmae Roberts plays phone messages from her mother as she muses on their relationship. It's really a great, great piece. I also love "Weenie Royale," which tells the story of how interned Japanese-Americans invented extraordinary meals using every day food.

Ten Cents A Dance - Airs April 27

During and despite the Great Depression, the entertainment industry was working overtime. Listen to some of the gems and the stories behind them. The roughest years in American history produced what many consider the greatest era of popular music. Elliot Majerczyk looks at the songs that became the soundtrack of the ‘lost generation’ and helped pull America through the hard times. He says that given the state of the economy, we may get to hear more songs like these in the near future.