This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. I beg to differ with The New Yorker magazine. In their first issue in 1926, they announced that they were not writing for “the little old lady from Dubuque [Iowa].” Easterners passing through Rock Island still sometimes wonder if we have electric lights or indoor plumbing. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition ... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. The designer of the stage on which we Rock Islanders act out our lives—our seven parts—does good work, but he’s awfully slow. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Listen ... Read More

Jon Shields, co-author of Trump’s Democrats (along with Stephanie Muravchik), talks about his book’s focus on white, working class voters who switched from voting for Barack Obama to Donald Trump. He provides insights into their reasons, why they are still vital for the Democratic coalition and whether they will come back to Biden. Other Episodes May 9, 2024 The Origins... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Three years ago, a colleague of mine bought a house in a small town south of Rock Island. When she decided to get a leaking eavestrough fixed, she chose to use local labor rather than the professionals without realizing that she was also choosing a lifestyle. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition ... Read More

Other Episodes May 10, 2024 The Cities 5/11/24 The Cities 4/11/24 Listen · 27:15 ... Read More

Other Episodes June 23, 2023 Scribble: The Finale Listen · 29:02 June... Read More

Other Episodes May 11, 2024 Bird Migration and Light Pollution Listen · 2:56 ... Read More

Former Illinois Governor George Ryan talks about his recent book, Until I Could Be Sure: How I Stopped The Death Penalty in Illinois, and the journey that led him from being a pro-capital punishment conservative to leading the charge to stop the death penalty in Illinois and across the nation. Other Episodes May 9, 2024 The Origins of Populists and Populism ... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. George Washington never slept here. You can’t visit Rock Island and sleep in the same bed for an extra nine dollars a night the way you can up and down the east coast. You’ll just have to settle for Robert E. Lee. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition This is Roald Tweet on Rock... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Folks around Rock Island don’t take much stock in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. None of those wonders did any work. The pyramids in Egypt and the Colossus of Rhodes merely took up space. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. ... Read More