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Central Standard

Kansas City Writer's Reflection On His Youth Inspires New Ideas About Being 'Midwestern'

Teemu008
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Creative Commons, Flickr

Former Kansas City Star columnist Bill Tammeus, who still blogs for the paper, recently released a memoir titled Woodstock: A Story of Middle Americans.

It's about his boyhood in the Illinois town of Woodstock, in the middle of the 20th century. Through critical reflection on his early experiences and observations, Tammeus arrives at a handful of truisms about life in the Midwest, offered without sentimentality or rose-colored glasses, but with measured fondness.

On Thursday's Central Standard, host Gina Kaufmann chatted with Tammeus about his life, and about Midwestern identity more broadly.

We also revealed listeners' responses to our Tell KCUR challenge of the week: to capture what it means to be Midwestern in 5 words or less.

Guest:

  • Bill Tammeus, author, Woodstock: A Story of Middle Americans
People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.
Matthew Long-Middleton has been a talk-show producer, community producer, Media Training Manager and now the Community Engagement Manager at KCUR. You can reach him at Matthew@kcur.org, or on Twitter @MLMIndustries.