The Saint Paul Almanac continues its year-round literary celebration of Minnesota’s capital city with the acclaimed Lowertown Reading Jams. The April presentation of the eclectic series, curated by Marcie R. Rendon, features readings by three native poets and performers living in Minnesota.
The Anishinabe and Lakota Lowertown Reading Jam will be presented on Monday, April 11th, 2011 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, 308 Prince Street in Saint Paul. The Jams will continue on the second Monday of each month through July.
About the performers
Marcie R. Rendon, White Earth Anishinabe, is a mother, grandmother, writer, and sometimes performance artist. Her poetry is in numerous anthologies, including: Saint Paul Almanac 2010; Traces in Blood, Bone and Stone; and in Poetry International – Ahani: Indigenous American Poetry. She has collaborated on four choral songs with international Mohican composer, Brent Michael Davids who resides in Saint Paul. Her script, Rough Face Girl, was the premier production for the American Indian Repertory Theater in Lawrence, Kansas, 2008. A former recipient of the Loft’s Inroads Writers of Color Award for Native Americans she is a l998/99 recipient of the Saint Paul Company’s LIN (Leadership In Neighborhoods) Grant to “create a viable Native presence in the Twin Cities theater community.”
Sharon Day, Ojibwe – Bois Forte Enrollee. An artist and musician, she has spent 46 years as a Saint Paulite.
Marisa Carr is a poet, performer, musician and visual artist. She grew up in Milwaukee, WI, but currently lives and works in Minneapolis. She was one of 8 fellows selected to participate in The Loft’s Inroads for Native Writers program, and has been featured as a performer in various venues around the Twin Cities, including the award-winning Equilibrium spoken word series, as well as in Johannesburg, South Africa. Marisa is Turtle Mountain Ojibwe. She is 23 years old.
About the Lowertown Reading Jams
The entire 2010–2011 season of Lowertown Reading Jams will be presented at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, a popular Saint Paul venue for spoken word artists, and a co-sponsor of the series. The Jams are curated by the following creative writers and agents for social change:
Oct. 11, 2010 – Deborah Torraine
Nov. 8, 2010 – Tish Jones
Dec. 13, 2010 – Matthew Rucker
Jan. 10, 2011 – May Lee-Yang
Feb. 21, 2011 – Tou SaiKo Lee
Mar. 14, 2011 – Carol Connolly
Apr. 11, 2011 – Marcie Rendon
May 9, 2011 – Desdamona
June 13, 2011 – Melvin Giles
July 11, 2011 – Diego Vázquez, Jr.
About the Saint Paul Almanac
Now in its fifth edition, the Saint Paul Almanac features essays, poems, photos, maps, and listings of events, bars, restaurant, theaters, and other cultural venues within a datebook format. The 2011 Almanac features 129 works by 118 writers. These writers include literary giants, everyday residents, students, journalists, new Americans, and lovers of Saint Paul who live in other corners of the world. Writers interested in having their work considered for the 2012 Almanac have until March 1, 2011 to make a submission. Information on upcoming events, how to make a submission, and other Saint Paul Almanac news is available at www.saintpaulalmanac.org.
The 2011 Saint Paul Almanac sells for $11.95 online at www.saintpaulalmanac.org, and is available in independent and mainstream bookstores everywhere, as well as at libraries and coffee houses throughout the City.
Saint Paul Almanac activities are made possible, in part, by funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council from an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature. Sponsors and partner organizations include the Black Dog Café and Wine Bar, the City of Saint Paul and Saint Paul STAR Program, Clouds in Water Zen Center, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, KFAI Radio, The Lowertown Future Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), Travelers Arts & Diversity Grant, and Twin Cities Daily Planet.