IPR Listeners Share Summer Book Picks

Reading a dictionary from cover to cover might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but "that's what word nerds do," jokes Carol Trimmer, outreach coordinator for Indiana Public Radio.

Self-proclaimed word nerd Bob Bowatski worked his way from A to Z partly because he is intrigued by language and partly because of his ongoing banter with fellow word nerd Pat Collier. Both men teach in the English Department at Ball State University and enjoy digging into the derivations of unusual words. When they get together at social events "one feeds off the other and they take off in all sorts of directions and have a great time," says Trimmer.

Word of the nerds traveled to IPR two years ago and the result is a five-minute broadcast that follows the popular "Car Talk" show each Saturday at 11 a.m. Launched with the support of a $3,800 Foundation grant, each program blends humor and education as the profs trace interesting words and discuss how meanings change over time. The original plan was to produce 40 segments of "Word Nerds" because Bowatski and Collier-who write the scripts and donate their time-figured they eventually would run out of material. That hasn't happened, much to the delight of listeners.

"We did a survey and found the show is particularly popular among people who like games, puzzles and witty entertainment," explains Trimmer. The program has led to spin-off products: A CD compilation of episodes is available to Indiana schools; the IPR website (www.bsu.edu/ipr) offers files of past segments; and Bowatski and Collier occasionally do "live" presentations for community organizations. "IPR's mission is to be part of the community," says Trimmer, "‘Word Nerds' fits into that mission."

The same listeners who are fascinated by the quirkiness of language are likely to enjoy "BookSpeak," a summer reading program that invites IPR listeners to share reviews of books they've recently read. A $1,200 grant from the Foundation helped cover the cost of fliers that announced the program to library patrons in IPR's five-county region. Again, the motivation was for public radio to be part of each community it serves.

"Libraries are great gathering places," says Trimmer, who visited 15 libraries to promote the reading program. "You hear that nobody reads anymore, but I don't find that to be true. If you can get people into a library, the chances are great that they will discover a good book while they're there."

"BookSpeak" gives readers the opportunity to recommend books by writing and recording a 350-word review. The show is aired every Wednesday through July during the noon hour. All genres are acceptable, and new releases as well as "classics" are welcome. Part of the fun of presenting a book review is the opportunity to visit IPR's studios on the BSU campus, meet the staff, tour the facilities and be coached by a professional on-air communicator.

"Last summer one of our reviewers was a 7-year-old girl who was very articulate," recalls Trimmer. Adults who may have felt intimidated about being part of a radio broadcast were emboldened. "When people heard a child do such a good job they thought, ‘OK, I can do that!'"