Midday Margins

The first time I interviewed South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson, we were in Pierre, and I was still getting lost in the Capitol building as I tried to gain my bearings.

We talked about the upcoming legislative session and, for whatever reason, I kept wanting to ask him what he was reading. He just seemed like a reader to me – a deep, thoughtful communicator with books.

It’s generally not a great idea to ask a guest what they are reading on air unless you’ve given them fair warning. So I let the distraction pass.

Three words are posted above my desk at South Dakota Public Broadcasting. These are the core principals the Dakota Midday team endeavors to bring into the studio every day.

One of those words is “Authentic.”

The way people read fascinates me. Most people don't think about it much, but there are as many different reading lives as there are people living them.

More and more, I am asking guests on Dakota Midday what they are reading. The answers are often surprising and delightful.

South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson was reading about Teddy Roosevelt. Yoga teacher Jill Johnson was reading about communication with animals. The book? "The Cosmic Purr."

Author Jerry Wilson joins Dakota Midday to talk about his new novel "Across the Cimmaron."

Wilson brings depth, thought and social consciousness to historical fiction in this story of the Land Run into Oklahoma Territory.

He talks with Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh about writing, about memory, and about  the complicated relationship humans have with the earth.