Dan Libman
A lifelong Illinois resident, Dan Libman has been living near Rockford and teaching at Northern Illinois University for 20 years, where he was awarded the Excellence in Undergraduate teaching award in 2018.
His essays and stories have garnered a Paris Review Discovery Prize, a Pushcart Prize for fiction, and an Illinois Arts Council grant in prose. His debut story collection, Married But Looking, was featured on WNIJ's inaugural book series in 2012.
His history with NPR includes reading a This I Believe Essay on the Bob Edwards show, stumping the chumps on Car Talk, and winning a pink elephant on Whad'ya Know. He also was tied for being the first cyclist (along with radio's Carl Nelson) to ride the length of the Rock River, which was chronicled in a five-part Morning Edition series. He has previously reported from RABGRAI, bicycled Lincoln Highway, and has sat in bars talking politics for WNIJ. Currently, he hosts the WNIJ podcast Under Rocks.
He is a Leo and can be reached at heylibman@yahoo.com
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2000 called and wants its phone book back. And now it's in the hands that last touched it 25 years ago. Join Northern Star reporters past and present as they relive the past and plan for the future through a time capsule in a wall at Northern Illinois University. -
Dan Libman says to challenge yourself, no matter how bad it feels at first. -
There's a museum around every corner in Illinois. The Under Rocks team explores three of them near us to see how they are preserving our histories. Got a favorite? Tell us at rocks@niu.edu -
Does Illinois really need a new flag? Or is the old "seal on a bedsheet" good enough? In this Under Rocks Extra, we call on our favorite expert, self-proclaimed state symbologist and Illinois Enthusiast John Kokoris to review the options the state's flag commission is offering. And he is, respectfully, not pleased. -
Thanks to a small town in northern Illinois, Groundhog Day is bigger than one chubby rodent and its shadow dropping a dubious weather forecast. In Woodstock, the groundhog takes a backseat to the real cause for celebration: the 1993 Bill Murray movie that was filmed there. The Under Rocks team visited the famed town square with the head of the annual festival (and Groundhog Day movie extra!) Rick Bellairs. -
Craft distilleries are the new craft breweries: There’s a growing number of these small operations in northern Illinois, offering their own take on the art of whiskey-making. And to wrap up another year of the Under Rocks podcast, our team heads out in search of some holiday spirit at Whiskey Acres in DeKalb. -
We say goodbye to a field campus that meant a lot to northern Illinoisans during its decades of serving students interested in the environment and the arts. And we revisit a deep dive we took into one of the works of art that made the Lorado Taft campus so special. -
There's a big sprawling graveyard in northern Illinois where the people of Belvidere have been laid to rest for nearly 200 years. In the heart of the Belvidere Cemetery is a tiny community space with a big history: Pettit Chapel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Under Rocks team met with Sam Larson there to learn more about the history of the sacred space and the role of a sexton. -
What do you get when you combine dragons, boats, a touch of “oh my!” and 22 dedicated athletes? The coolest sport you’ve never heard of! Dragon boating has roots in ancient China and branches all over the world…including a lake near you. The Under Rocks crew dons life vests and heads to Shabbona Lake for their latest adventure. -
Fun-starved explorers find gold (and prizes!) along the Rockford Adventure Trail. Join us for what could be the most ambitious Under Rocks ever!
