Jamie Ford | Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Like the fragile red and white parasol that unfolds in the opening pages of Montana writer Jamie Ford’s debut novel, the author takes a delicate look at a painful page in American history in Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
An aging Henry Lee watches as workers unearth the belongings of 37 Japanese families, left in the basement of Seattle’s Panama Hotel when the owners were forcibly removed from Japantown in 1942 and incarcerated in internment camps for the duration of World War II.
Lee, of Chinese ancestry, grew up wedged between the loyalties and passions of his father and his attraction to a young Japanese girl he met while “scholarshipping” at an otherwise all-white school. His father despised the Japanese, who were waging war on mainland China; Henry, however, is enchanted by his new friend.
But their blossoming love is sundered by war, as Keiko and her family are sent to an internment camp in Idaho, and further doomed by the machinations of his… Read more
National Folk Festival announces musical line-up
The National Folk Festival organizers recently announced the full musical line-up for the 71st National Folk Festival, July 10-12 in Butte. The roster of 20 bands and musicians varies from New Orleans jazz to Native American drumming, from Mexican mariachi to Texas fiddle music. Read more
Anti-Crap Radio: The antidote to red-and-blue bickering
Uncle Daddy, aka Peter Rosten, is rockin’ the airwaves on Missoula-based KMPT with his talk show, Anti-Crap Radio. The two-hour program, which airs live on Saturdays manages to be both bawdy and bold, smart and irreverent, with guests opining on a wide range of topics, from forest management to music, and sex to astronomy. Read more
What’s your “aha” moment? Record it in Billings
The 2009 Aha Moment tour, a nationwide effort to collect and share Americans' inspirational moments, comes to the Yellowstone Art Museum parking lot in Billings Sept. 2-3. Featuring a custom Airstream trailer converted into a mobile television studio, the tour will visit 25 cities in 25 states. Read more
ATP summer season: Something to write home about
The performing arts are thriving in Whitefish, says the founding artists of Alpine Theatre Project. The professional theatre company, launched by a trio of Broadway veterans, launches its fifth season June 16 with the Irish comedy, “Stones in His Pockets,” followed by the Tony Award-winning musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and the stylish musical revue, “The World Goes ‘Round.” Read more
Rocky Mountain College to run Virginia City Opera House
The home of Montana’s oldest professional acting company will be operated by the state’s oldest institution of higher education when the curtain goes up in the Virginia City Opera House this Memorial Day. For Rocky, the opportunity to have a high profile at a major tourist location, coupled with the opportunities for Rocky students to serve as the historic Virginia City Players, “is a wonderful challenge and a wonderful opportunity,” said RMC President Michael Mace. Read more
Erin Prophet | Prophet’s Daughter
Erin Prophet, the daughter of church leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet and her one-time heir apparent, offers a clear-eyed, unflinchingly honest look at the Church Universal and Triumphant's controversial past in Prophet’s Daughter, which explores the dynamics of the charismatic Prophet family, the foundation of their spiritual beliefs and the cult-like control Prophet wielded over her most devout followers. Read more