Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/books/page/8/)
The Standish and Ericsson neighborhoods are fortunate to have a great neighborhood library, Roosevelt Library (4026 28th Ave. S.), right here in the community. The recent renovation updated technology and expanded space for library patrons. Hennepin County’s investment in Roosevelt Library and our community is greatly appreciated.
With a firm hand and a smile that could charm the toughest solon, Minnesota native Eileen Delores Cooke (1928-2000) shaped and steered the legislative agenda of America’s libraries. She anticipated the role of telecommunications technology, held firm to the principle of freedom of information, and saw to it that the there are public libraries in small towns throughout the nation. Continue Reading
Born in Washington, DC in 1963 Andrea Davis Pinkney was an infant during the Civil Rights Movement, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary. And yet she tells the stories of those days with beauty and passion – in words and pictures that communicate with children of today. Today Pinkney is a highly regarded writer, editor and publisher, creator of stories that bring deeper understanding of African American heritage to young readers. Continue Reading
Rudy Perpich’s 1984 proposal for a Labor History Center was killed by a Jesse Ventura’s 1999 line-item veto, after a series of legislative twists and turns that spanned the intervening 15 years. Now a new labor history center is emerging in East Saint Paul. Former Macalester history professor Peter Rachleff, and his wife, theater professor Beth Cleary, are spearheading the East Side Freedom Library, said that while it’s not a re-incarnation of Perpich’s plan, it will carry forward some of the goals of preserving records and conducting oral histories of labor movement, to as well as encouraging educational activities and cultural programming. Rachleff and Cleary’s new nonprofit organization has negotiated a 15-year lease with the city on the old Carnegie library at 1105 Greenbrier Street. The lease provides for a rental of $1 a year in addition to doing restoration and preservation. Continue Reading
Using voice distortion, audio loops and images of dancing crotches, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs grabbed my attention during her poetry performance at the Walker Art Center. The author of four chapbooks and one album, Diggs is a poet/writer, sound artist, vocalist, and performer. Before I sat in her audience, I didn’t know what to expect, and even now, I’m not sure how to describe the experience.Diggs warmed up the audience by reading some poetry over a loop of her own lip trills. The sound was comforting, like a nice soup base. It highlighted her words as she read them through an audio distortion device that createed an echo to each syllable. Continue Reading
This post is unlike any I’ve done before because it doesn’t involve a bike ride. Although it veers from the stated goal of the blog, it is related. This post consists of the first part of an interview I did in January 2014 with Donald Empson and his wife, Kathy Vadnais. They are the authors of the book “The Street Where You Live: A Guide to the Place Names of St. Paul”, one of my primary research resources. A sincere thanks to Don and Kathy for their time and support of my project. This interview has been edited for clarity. Continue Reading
This past Saturday I stood in front of a very small group to read an essay that is probably the most personal thing I’ve written outside of the pages of my journal in years. That group will decide whether I will be offered an opportunity to read my essay in front of a much larger audience as part of the 2014 Listen to Your Mother show. I won’t hear until the end of the week whether my audition was successful. In all honesty, I’m not sure which outcome I’m rooting for. Continue Reading
“Visual artists have found cooperative arrangements for work, studio space and housing; why couldn’t local crime writers find ways to share their expertise and experience and contribute to a rising tide that lifts all boats?” is how Erin Hart, Minnesota author, describes the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime (TC SinC).
Marque Jensen, North Minneapolis resident, blogger and author has released his first book. “Touching Stones, Turning Tables and Crying in the Rain: Stories from a Journey to Beloved Community” He invites you to a book release party April 4 in North Minneapolis. Cross Connections Center, 1823 Emerson Ave North Minneapolis 7 – 10 pm. Continue Reading
MarsCon is coming up this weekend, one of the first major science fiction conventions of Minnesota each year, along such popular conventions as ConVergence, Diversicon, Crypticon, Anime Detour, Arcana, MinnCon, and the like, each a celebration of the fantastic and the futuristic. I enjoy these events. As I often tell my writing colleagues, I think many literary festivals could take a cue from events such as these, where you see so much passion and talent on display. Continue Reading