Blogs and blogging on the Daily Planet

Every TC Daily Planet reader is a potential blogger. All you have to do is register as a member and start blogging (see sidebar for directions.) We also publish blogs from various other sources:

1) Blog partners, who give us permission to re-publish any of their blog posts

2) Multi-author Daily Planet blogs, where we publish occasional posts on various topics from people who choose not to set up their own blogs

3) Arts blog partners

4) Our wonderful Fringe bloggers, who work day and night before, during and after the Fringe Festival to deliver their reviews of Fringe productions.

TCDP guidelines for bloggers

As more community bloggers have signed on, we have found that a few more guidelines are needed to help you and to make our policies clear. Blogs submitted to the Daily Planet should:

• be original writing.

• avoid commercial advertising - and that includes trying to put a URL to another site in as the name of your blog.

• aim for accuracy when discussing matters of fact.

• be constructive - it's okay to be silly or artistic-you don't always need to have a "point" to make, but we want to minimize name-calling and personal attacks.

• have a Minnesota connection, either in subject matter or because the blogger is a Minnesotan.

The author of a blog post must be a real person writing under his/her real name. Even if your friends know you as "salty dog," we want your legal name.

Some of our blog partners and TCDP blogs are listed below:

All Learning, All the Time - This multi-author Daily Planet blog includes writing by community members about education issues.

Arts Orbit is a multisource blog about the local arts scene, featuring both original contributions by Daily Planet writers and entries reprinted from partner blogs and online publications.

Blandin on Broadband offers information on broadband use, access, and trends especially in rural Minnesota. Sponsored by the Blandin Foundation and their Broadband Initiative at Blandin on Broadband on WordPress.

Blog of the Moderate Left - Jeff Fecke is a freelance writer who lives in Eagan, Minnesota. In addition to his own blog, Blog of the Moderate Left, he contributes to Alas, a Blog. He has also written for Minnesota Monitor, Shakesville and Alternet. Fecke has appeared as a guest on the “Today” show, the Alan Colmes radio show, and the Mark Heaney Show. Fecke is divorced, and the father of one really terrific daughter.

By the People is a weblog on civic engagement produced by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg University, where By the People has its home.

Cabbages and Kings is a multi-author TC Daily Planet blog that offers space to interesting but hard-to-categorize blog submissions, in the sole discretion of the editors.

Cinna.mn - A blog by Erica Mauter: “A place where I (and others) can talk about the sometimes strange experience of being a person of color in Minnesota.”

Downstream - Emilio DeGrazia has authored four books of fiction, including Seventeen Grams of Soul, winner of a Minnesota Book Award, and Enemy Country, winner of a Writer’s Choice Award. A founding editor of Great River Review, he has co-edited (with his wife Monica) 26 Minnesota Writers and 33 Minnesota Poets. His most recent book is a collection of essays entitled Burying the Tree, from which “A Place for the Perplexed” is taken. He lives downstream in Winona.

Engage Minnesota - Posts on this multi-author blog are re-published with permission from Engage Minnesota, a blog by and about Muslims in Minnesota, which tries to "give voice to a community that is being attacked and defined from a position of ignorance."

Eyeteeth - Paul Schmelzer is a writer, editor, and journalist, and the managing editor of Minnesota Independent. Occasional posts from his blog, Eyeteeth, are re-published with his permission.

Facts and Fictions - Eleanor Arnason writes science fiction and fantasy. Occasional posts are republished with permission from her blog.

The Fifth Column - Stephen B. Young, Global Executive Director of the Caux Round Table, is a lawyer and writer. He has served as Dean of the Hamline University School of Law and as an Assistant Dean at Harvard Law School.

Flyover Land  Amy Rea writes about the best of Minnesota, and why you shouldn't just fly over. More in her own Flyover Land blog.

Fresh.mn - A blog by Erica Mauter: “It’s about living in the Twin Cities. That’s all. That’s a lot, actually.”

From the Soapbox The Soapbox blog offers a space for local opinion on (mostly) national and world issues, including elections.

Front Row Seat - A blog by Jay Gabler, the Daily Planet's arts editor.

Full Frontal Fringe - Kate Hoff is one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

Going Green is a multisource blog featuring posts about ways to "go green" and take environmentally responsible actions.

Good To Momma - Wendy Gennaula is one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

Going Through the Movements - John Munger is one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

Ground Zero - Rich Broderick teaches journalism, serves on the board of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, and sometimes still finds time to write for the TC Daily Planet.

Hispanic Fanatic - The Hispanic Fanatic blogger "has an IQ of 380, the strength of twelve men, and can change the seasons just by waving his hand." Despite his superpowers, he recently left the Twin Cities for California, land of (maybe more) opportunity. In keeping with our "Minnesota connection" policy, we regretfully have stopped publishing the Hispanic Fanatic, but you can still find him on Wordpress.

Iggers Digest is the blog of Jeremy Iggers, the TC Media Alliance's executive director. Jeremy is also the creator of TCFoodies, a local food networking site.

Johnny Northside, occasionally appearing in the TC Daily Planet. Being the amazing, true-to-life adventures and (very likely) misadventures of a divorced man who seeks to take his education, activism and seemingly boundless energy to the North Side of Minneapolis, to help with a process of turning an arguably-blighted neighborhood into something approaching Urban Utopia. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be near my child. The Adventures of Johnny Northside is dedicated to my 12-year-old son Alex, and his dream of studying math and robotics at MIT.

The Knothole View is Jean Gabler's blog about the Minnesota Twins and all things baseball.

Lemonade Chronicles is a blog written by Jackie Alfonso, a local writer who is deeply concerned about food ... and other issues.

Life of Cyn, an advice column on sex, romance, and life generally, is published each Thursday as part of the Arts Orbit Weekly newsletter.

Loon Commons The Land Stewardship Project is a contributor to Loon Commons, a blog of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership.  Contact Land Stewardship Project at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org.  Contact Loon Commons at erinjredlin@mepartnership.org

Mennonista is the blog of Steve Clemens, a Twin Cities peace and justice activist who writes about his convictions that often lead to arrest and [occasional] convictions. He writes the Mennonista blog on Blogspot.

MinneAfrica offers a way to connect, reconnect and stay connected with Africans and friends of Africans in Minnesota. For more, see MinneAfrica on Wordpress.

Minnesota Budget Bites is a multi-author blog published by the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits.

Minnesota Progressive Project is the result of the merger between Minnesota Campaign Report and MN Blue, with common goals of providing a go-to source for online progressive politics in Minnesota.

A Motherly Eye is the blog of Deb Pleasants, a stay-at-home-mom (mother of four) who moonlights as a freelance writer and citizen journalist. Her short stories, essays and poems can be found on her blog

Myles Spicer Graduate U of Minn 1954. Flying officer USAF 1954-57 honorably discharged from reserve with rank of Capt. Owner several ad agencies in the Twin Cities and San Diego for over 45 years. Won several national creative awards in my career; and was a published author. Active politically entire adult life, and civil rights activist since age of 21. 76 years old...and an unrepentant liberal!

New Minnesotans Speak This multi-author Daily Planet blog features voices of new Minnesotans. Many of them participate as part of English Language Learning classes, either in high school or in adult literacy programs.

News Day Blog News with attitude, mostly from Minnesota but with occasional forays abroad. In News Day, Mary Turck summarizes, links to, and comments on reports from news media around the world.

A Parallel Universe is the blog of Chuck Turchick, who was a bum, now he's retired. He hates to write but gets headaches unless he spews forth with his weird, other-worldy thoughts.

Politics from the Precincts includes blogs about the political process from a variety of participants.

Rachel Says - Thoughts, from the political to the personal, by Rachel Dykoski.

Rosemary Writes - Rosemary Ruffenach is a teacher who occasionally finds time to write for the TC Daily Planet.

Saint Paul Almanac - Including a calendar, date book, restaurant reviews, essays and poems about Saint Paul, the Saint Paul Almanac is a rich resource for anyone wishing to explore the cultural and social depths of Saint Paul throughout the year.

School Talk - Joe Nathan, jnathan@umn.edu, is a former public school educator who directs the Center for School Change now housed at Macalester College.

Single White Fringe Geek (and Mom) - Matthew A. Everett is one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

From the Soapbox The Soapbox blog offers a space for local opinion on local, state, national and world issues, including elections.

Think Forward is a blog written by staff of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy covering sustainability as it intersects with food, rural development, international trade, the environment and public health. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.

Womb With a View - Phillip Andrew Bennett Low is one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

World Views - World Views is a multi-author Daily Planet blog that publishes stories, reflection and analysis with an international perspective and a Minnesota connection.

Former blogs:

Abdi's Blog - Abdi Aynte is a Minnesota journalist, originally from Somalia, who wrote for the Minnesota Monitor before moving on to the BBC in 2008. He was also the chair of the board of the Twin Cities Media Alliance.
Ballot Box - Craig Cox
Building Minnesota - Todd Melby is a journalist who writes about architecture and other subjects. The Daily Planet re-publishes some posts from his Building Minnesota blog.
The Head Fake - Jay Kelly
Kolet ink is the blog of Colette Davidson, a freelance writer for the TC Daily Planet and a former assistant editor of the Uptown Neighborhood News.

Rants and Ruminations - James Clay Fuller is a sort-of retired journalist who has worked in newspapers and magazines for more than 45 years. Occasional posts are republished with permission from Rants and Ruminations.
Vox Verax - Leigh Pomeroy
A journey across our America - Louis Mendoza
Mombo - Nancy Oleson