Brian Laidlaw: Experimental Poetry, Campfire Songs

You might not imagine abstract poetry and folk songs could come from the same brain, but why not? For Brian Laidlaw, these two are endlessly interconnected and inspiring…

Lacking rhyme and complete sentences, Brian Laidlaw's experimental poems are just plain hard for many people. But he's also a songwriter. And when Laidlaw does that, his words reach a wider audience. KFAI's Emily Bright reports. (Photo by Ali Rogers of Prana Lens.)

Millions of Cats: Reimagining Picture Books

Treating the words as artfully as the pictures…on the same page! Thank you, Wanda Gag, for your picture book legacy, 90 years ago this year!

Decades before "Cat in the Hat," another children’s book surprised readers with its inventiveness. "Millions of Cats," by Minnesota's Wanda Gag, combined illustration and text on the same page in a way people hadn't seen before. KFAI's Emily Bright reports.(Photo: Wanda Gag and her cat, Snoopy. Photo courtesy of Children's Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries.)

Dragons and gooey alien sounds, oh my!

When you watch a show, do you notice the sound? Katharine Horowitz does. On the eve of the Tonys reintroducing sound design awards (after four years of silence), Katharine Horowitz gives the behind-the-scene scoop on creating an invisible world of sound.

A compelling play is more than just a script, actors and sets. Sound designers like Katharine Horowitz also help create a mood and sense of place for theatergoers. KFAI's Emily Bright spoke to Horowitz about creating imaginary worlds out of sound. (Photo by Chris Roethler.)