Untold Stories is a national award-winning labor history series sponsored by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

The series kicks off this year with the 2008 David Noble Lecture at the Minnesota History Center, 345 Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul. On Tuesday, April 15 at 7 p.m., Professor Peter Rachleff presents “The Making, Unmaking and Remaking of Minnesota’s Labor Movement in the 20th and 21st Centuries.” For more information call 651/259-3015. This program is presented by the Minnesota Historical Society, and co-sponsored by The Friends and the Departments of American Studies and History at the University of Minnesota.

On Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m., join author Barbara W. Sommer for Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota, at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, Visitor’s Center, 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul. The evidence of the CCC, a program of the Works Progress Administration, is everywhere in Minnesota—from the Lakeview Refectory at Gooseberry Falls State Park to Como Zoo, to the contour farming techniques still used in southeastern Minnesota today. Hard Work and a Good Deal is a fascinating look at the legacy of this important Depression-era program, as well as the personal stories of the men and boys who took part.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the New Deal, author and professor Colin Gordon presents “The Promise and Limits of the New Deal” on Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m., at the Rice Street Branch Library, 1011 Rice St., Saint Paul. Gordon is professor of History at the University of Iowa and author of New Deals: Business, Labor and Politics, 1920-1935, as well as Dead on Arrival: the Politics of Health in Twentieth-Century America.

Untold Stories continues with a theatrical presentation by Lex-Ham Community Theater at the St. Anthony Park Branch Library, 2245 Como Avenue, Saint Paul, on Sunday, April 24, 2 p.m. Actors from the company will stage a reading of Jeannine Coulombe\'s play, Beakers, inspired by the 1989 conflict at Boise Cascade in International Falls.

Jennifer Klein presents her book For All These Rights: Business, Labor, and the Shaping of America’s Public-Private Welfare State on Wednesday, April 30, 7 p.m., at Dayton’s Bluff Branch/Metropolitan State University Library, Ecolab Room, 645 E. Seventh St., Saint Paul. In America, unlike anywhere else in the world, most people depend overwhelmingly on private health insurance and employee benefits. In this powerful history of the American reliance on employment-based benefits, Klein examines the interwoven politics of social provision and labor relations from the 1910s to the 1960s.

On Thursday, May 1, 7 p.m., a distinguished panel of historians and labor scholars look at 150 years of labor in Minnesota, at the Saint Paul Labor Centre, 411 Main Street, Saint Paul. The panel includes: Hy Berman, labor scholar and Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Minnesota; Mary Wingerd, author of Claiming the City and a forthcoming history of Minnesota; and Annette Atkins, professor of history at College of St. Benedict and author of Creating Minnesota. After the panel discussion, the Saint Paul Labor Chorus leads a sing-along of popular –and some unknown– labor tunes.

On Sunday, May 4, 2 p.m., the Minnesota Jewish Theatre presents The Triangle Factory Fire Project, about the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that killed 146 workers, the subsequent trial, and social and political changes that resulted. Watch the matinee show and take part in a post-show discussion with Professor Peter Rachleff and others. Mention Untold Stories and receive a $5 discount on your ticket. Call 651-647-4315 to order tickets. The performance is at the Hillcrest Auditorium, 1974 Ford Parkway, Saint Paul.

Untold Stories and the Labor Education Service at the University of Minnesota present the film, “Cradle Will Rock,” written and directed by Tim Robbins about artists during the WPA era. Join us at 6 p.m. for refreshments and a pre-show discussion, with the film following at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 7, 6 p.m., at the Merriam Park Branch Library, 1831 Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul.

On Tuesday, May 13, 7 p.m., view selections from “Thank God and FDR…” New Deal Art from Minnesota, the Works Progress Administration art collection now held in perpetuity by the Minnesota Historical Society, and listen to a gallery talk by exhibition curator Brian Szott. The collection was housed for over 70 years on location at Ah-Gwah-Ching (meaning “out of doors” in Ojibwe), a state run medical facility in Walker, MN. The Ah-Gwah-Ching archive consists of more the 160 items including prints, watercolors, oils and woodcarvings by such artists as Bob Brown, Henry Bukowski, Reathel Keppen, Dorothea Lau, Alexander Oja and Bennet Swanson. The exhibit and talk are held at the James J. Hill House Gallery, 240 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul.

Minnesota History Day encourages young people to explore a historical subject related to an annual theme—this year, “Conflict and Compromise in History.” The program promotes the study of history by engaging students and teachers in the excitement of historical inquiry and creative presentation. Watch labor history come alive with imaginative exhibits, original performances and media presentations, as students display their 2008 projects on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m., at the Saint Paul Labor Center, 411 Main St., Saint Paul.

Join Untold Stories regular and labor historian Dave Riehle to explore labor sites in the White Bear Lake area on Saturday, May 17. Travel on a historic bus from Wildwood Amusement Park at the end of the streetcar line in Mahtomedi to Ramaley Pavilion on the west side of the lake, both sites of big labor events in the 19th century. Also view sites of workers’ homes and sites related to Native Americans and French Canadian (Metis) settlers in Centerville, Vadnais Heights and others. The tour departs at 2 p.m. from the Sun Ray Branch Library, 2105 Wilson Avenue, Saint Paul. Please call 651/222-3242 to reserve your seat on the bus, as space is limited.

The Untold Stories series concludes with a performance of These Shining Lives and a post-show discussion at the History Theatre, on Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m. These Shining Lives is a new play about workers at the Radium Dial Watch Company, and the suit filed against the company by the “Radium Girls,” who suffered anemia, bone fractures and death from exposure to radium. Watch the matinee show and take part in a post-show discussion and reception. Special union discount—mention your union affiliation or Untold Stories and get a half-price ticket for this show only! Call 651-292-4323 for tickets.

Untold Stories events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information, visit www.thefriends.org or call 651/222-3242. Untold Stories is coordinated by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Co-sponsors include Como Zoo & Conservatory, Macalester College History Department, the Department of Social Sciences at Metropolitan State University, Micawber\'s Books, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul Area AFL-CIO Trades and Labor Assembly, Saint Paul Labor Speakers Club, Twin Cities Labor History Society, and the University of Minnesota Labor Education Service. This series is supported by an endowment created with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation.