Lydia Howell

About me

Lydia Howell (email lydia@tcdailyplanet.net), a winner of the 2007 Premack Award for Public Interest Journalism, is a Minneapolis independent journalist writing for various newspapers and online journals. She produces and hostsCatalyst: politics & culture on KFAI Radio on Fridays at 11 a.m.

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THEATER | "Winter Dreams" at Heart of the Beast: Puppetry for all ages and cultures

By Lydia Howell, TC Daily Planet

After the holiday “door-buster” sales insanity, In The Heart of the Beast Puppet And Mask Theatre re-connects us to something priceless with its production of Winter Dreams. Transcending all religious traditions, this magical performance reunites us to the deeper rhythms of our natural world.MORE »

MOVIES | Mizna's Arab Film Festival: Revolutionary art that entertains

By Lydia Howell, TC Daily Planet

“I believe cinematic language is international.” – Georges HachemMORE »

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Pangea’s “Zafira The Olive Oil Warrior”: Reflection 10 years after September 11th

By Lydia Howell, Free Speech Zone

In all the remembrances of the September 11th attacks, there’s a huge hole: how Muslim, Arab, and South Asian people are now demonized and the increasing for peril civil liberties in the post-9/11 United States.MORE »

FREE SPEECH ZONE | After Bin Laden: A reckoning and reflection

By Lydia Howell, Free Speech Zone

After hearing that Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden is dead, I felt relief---and hope. Hope like light coming through the crack in a locked door. Hope that we can finally end the longest war in United States’ history.MORE »

Digging into urban farming at the University of Minnesota

By Dusty Hinz and Lydia Howell, TC Daily Planet

Cities of the future may include widespread urban farming, beekeeping and a locally-grown fish industry, according to speakers at an April 19 forum on urban agriculture at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. Robert Jones, U of M professor of agronomy and plant genetics, led the discussion.MORE »

FREE SPEECH ZONE | War and unemployment

By Lydia Howell, Free Speech Zone

High unemployment is good for war.

Whether it’s debt-ridden college graduates working as baristas or small town youth with only fast-food and Wal-Mart as post-high school career options, high unemployment keeps a volunteer military ranks full.MORE »

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Is Progressive Dissent Public Enemy #1?

By Lydia Howell, Free Speech Zone

Is free speech worth the constitutional paper it's written on?

After the September 26 FBI raids on peace activists' homes in Minneapolis, Chicago and North Carolina, it appears to depend on who's speaking and what they're saying.
MORE »

FREE SPEECH ZONE | "Ady": Time travel through art and identity

By Lydia Howell, Free Speech Zone

Finding one's authentic self is a journey that can take you unexpected places and bring you full circle back home.MORE »

Twin Cities celebrate 200 years of Mexican independence with new work by Mexican visual artists and composers

By Lydia Howell, TC Daily Planet

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain, the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul is collaborating with Twin Cities arts organizations to making 2010 a year to re-imagine Mexico. VocalEssence presents a free concert on May 25th at the St. Mary's Basilica, and Intermedia Arts hosts visual artists through May 28th.MORE »

MOVIES | Kelly Reichardt's films, now showing at the Walker, capture the angst of 21st-century America

By Lydia Howell, TC Daily Planet

A filmmaker can perfectly pinpoint the essence of her time. Kelly Reichardt's three features tell fresh stories that express the economic dislocation, social polarization, and emotional disconnection of 21st-century America. From May 5-14, the Walker Art Center screens Reichardt's complete works (including short films) and hosts a dialogue with the director.MORE »