Program will be honored at the 2011 Association for Women in Communications national conference

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – “New Letters on the Air,” a nationally-distributed public radio literary program produced by New Letters magazine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, (UMKC), received a 2011 Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications. The weekly program will be honored at the 2011 national conference on Oct. 15 in Tulsa, Okla.

The award-winning entry, submitted by producer/host Angela Elam for the best “Women’s Issues Radio Program” award, features readings from “When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women,” edited by Andrea Hollander Budy. Produced with assistance from “New Letters on the Air” staff members Dennis Conrow, Annie Walsh and UMKC student Max Mosley, the show features a reading recorded at The Writers Place in Kansas City and “New Letters on the Air” interviews with poets. Originally aired in honor of Women’s History Month in March 2010, the show features six poets: Jo McDougall, Michelle Boisseau, Robin Behn, Dorianne Laux, Alice Friman and Andrea Hollander Budy. The program can be heard on the “New Letters on the Air” website through October.

“New Letters on the Air” archive programs are becoming widely accessible, thanks to a Save America’s Treasures grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Park Service. New Letters is working with Miller Nichols Library‘s Marr Sound Archives to digitize the archives, which date back to the radio show’s beginning in 1977. The archives were described by a Clarion judge as “one of the largest and best collections of recordings of contemporary authors.”

About “New Letters on the Air”

An independent production of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, “New Letters on the Air” is partially funded by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. It is distributed through the Public Radio Satellite System and the Public Radio Exchange, and is aired on various public radio stations throughout the country. This radio companion to the literary magazine, New Letters, can be heard in Kansas City on KCUR 89.3 FM at 6 a.m. on Sunday mornings, and also is available via podcast or online at www.newletters.org/radio.

About UMKC

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.