Press Release

[i]VOICES: A COLLECTION OF ILLINOIS STORIES[/i] RADIO SERIES FEATURES VOICES OF THE STATE’S YOUTH, SCHOLARS, ARTISTS, MIGRANT WO

llinois Humanities Council-sponsored series will air on 98.7WFMT beginning November 5, 2007

CHICAGO The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) is pleased to announce that Voices: A Collection of Illinois Stories, a radio series produced in partnership with 98.7WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Experience, will air November- December, 2007. Voices: A Collection of Illinois Stories is an eight-part radio series that features programs funded and created by the IHC.

This original documentary series can be heard on 98.7WFMT every Monday at 6:50PM and every Saturday morning at 6:05AM beginning November 5 and running through December 29. Each segment can also be heard, as they air, via WFMT’s enhanced web streaming and will be archived for on-demand listening at wfmt.com. The series is also being offered to radio stations across the state (please check local listings) through The WFMT Radio Network.

Voices: A Collection of Illinois Stories showcases a wide variety of programs created or funded by the Illinois Humanities Council, including:



  • A migrant workers‘ oral history project in Southern Illinois’ agricultural community of Cobden; (airing November 5 at 6:50PM – repeating on November 10 at 6:05AM)
  • The Spanish Language Odyssey Project, (Fundamentos de EducaciĆ³n enHumanidades), a year-long, classics-based course in the humanities for native spanish-speakers; (airing November 12 at 6:50PM – repeating on November 17 at 6:05AM)
  • A vintage baseball game hosted by the Early American Museum in Mahomet, Illinois; (airing on November 19 at 6:50PM – repeating on November 24 at 6:05AM)
  • A conversation about African American gentrification in Chicago’s North Kenwood-Oakland community with Northwestern University Professor Mary Pattillo, author of Black on the Block; (airing on November 26 at 6:50PM – repeating on December 1 at 6:05AM)
  • Velosophie, a cycling and reading and discussion program along the roads of Northern Illinois; (airing on December 3 at 6:50PM – repeating on December 8 at 6:05AM)
  • A behind-the scenes look at Free Street Theater, a creative writing and performing community arts organization in Chicago (airing on December 10 at 6:50PM – repeating on December 15 at 6:05AM)
  • A conversation about genetics and privacy with Professor Lori Andrews, Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Science, Law and Technology at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago (airing on December 17 at 6:50PM – repeating December 22 at 6:05AM)
  • Folksongs of Illinois a comprehensive CD series that documents — for the first time — the folk, multi-ethnic, and vernacular music traditions of Illinois from 1800 to 1950 (airing on December 24 at 6:50PM – repeating on December 29 at 6:05AM)

Voices: A Collection of Illinois Stories is underwritten by the Illinois Humanities Council. The series was produced and reported by Anne Glickman for the WFMT Radio Network, and edited and mixed in the studios of 98.7WFMT.

For more information about the Illinois Humanities Council, please call (312) 422-5580, write ihc@prairie.org, or visit www.prairie.org.

The Illinois Humanities Council is an educational organization dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Through its programs and grants, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. Organized as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973, the IHC is now a private nonprofit (501 [c] 3) organization that is funded by contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations; by the Illinois General Assembly; and by the NEH.

98.7WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Experience, provides the best and broadest selection of classical music and fine arts programming heard in the country. A broadcasting force for more than 50 years, the station’s appeal continues to widen. 98.7WFMT is currently serving the largest audience in its history. 98.7WFMT is available to listeners across the nation and around the world via the station’s enhanced web streaming at www.wfmt.com.

The WFMT Radio Network, the international syndication division of award-winning Chicago classical music station 98.7WFMT, is one of the world’s most well-regarded sources for classical, jazz and folk music programming. The WFMT Radio Network syndicates performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, as well as ongoing series and documentary specials such as Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin and Leonard Bernstein: An American Life. The WFMT Radio Network also offers exclusive programming from Germany’s Deutsche Welle Radio, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and dozens of classical, folk, jazz, news series, and specials to radio outlets around the world. Many of the WFMT Radio Network’s series and specials are available for on-demand listening for a nominal fee at www.wfmt.com/streaming.

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