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The romance of the north

The night sky in Wisconsin glows with the Northern Lights as a geomagnetic storm brings vibrant pink and green colors to a majority of the northern states.
Ross Harried
/
NurPhoto / Getty Images
The night sky in Wisconsin glows with the Northern Lights as a geomagnetic storm brings vibrant pink and green colors to a majority of the northern states.

It's cold, snowy winters like this that make us question why we choose to live in a place where snow, sleet, and wind define one-third of the year. It's a great excuse to complain, but does it also make us stronger and better people?

This hour, we'll explore the idea of "northmanship." We'll talk about what it means to be from the north and to be inspired by the north. Is there a connection that we make to truth and beauty? Are we obsessed with it because it's slowly disappearing?

GUESTS: 

  • Michael Robinson: Author, Department of Humanities Chair and Professor of History at University of Hartford. He hosts a podcast called "Time to Eat the Dogs"
  • Luanne Rice: Author of more than 30 novels, including 22 consecutive New York Times best sellers 
  • Mary Ehrlander: Professor Emeritus of History at University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • Halla Oskarsdottir: Icelandic journalist, columnist and book critic

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicTuneInListen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Julia Pistell and Chion Wolf contributed to this program, which originally aired March 5, 2015. 

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Catie Talarski is Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming at Connecticut Public.