This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, March 10–Sunday, March 16, 2014
March 10, 2014
Last week, I checked out three movies from the library. I did not watch any of them. I am guilty of depriving the rest of the world of these copies of movies, but I have an excuse: I went outside. I saw things. I met with people who are doing things. I saw people—people not unlike the folks our stories celebrate each week. Whether I was meeting in Lowertown or Rondo, or working in my neighborhood, it felt great, likely at least in part due to the improving weather. It will grow even warmer this week, and some of the art will be even hotter! We have a few ideas to turn up the temperature.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, March 3–Sunday, March 9, 2014
March 2, 2014
One of the reasons that Saint Paul has a snow emergency protocol different from that of Minneapolis is that so many of the cross streets in many parts of town do not have houses or other buildings with numbers on them. This means that knowing which side of the street is “the odd side” can be tricky. This is why I was a little surprised when, Thursday evening, the city told us that the odd side of streets is where we must park on many roadways in town until further notice—just like Minneapolis. This means many of us have to move our cars. To where? Well, since you asked, we have a few ideas this week.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, February 24–Sunday, March 2, 2014
February 24, 2014
A little over a week ago, I received a message from Kathy at Ginkgo Coffeehouseto let me know that Ellis Paul, who was scheduled to play two events there that Saturday, was snowed in—in Virginia! I resisted the urge to mock our southern neighbors for a lack of a heartiness that we fake so well. Our own storm arrived on Friday with its own spate of local cancellations and kvetching—naturally behind a façade of Minnesota Nice. We might have missed some cool events over the weekend, with a renewed reminder that winter is not over. Still, we can make up for what we missed with a lot of hot happenings this week.
Saint Paul Almanac Writers and Juxtaposition Arts Artists Featured in Black History Month Publication
February 17, 2014
The Collaborative Development Project, a joint initiative of the Saint Paul Almanac, Juxtaposition Arts, and Givens Foundation for African American Literature, and in partnership with Youthprise, is pleased to announce that articles and artwork by a team of youth and adults from our organizations will be published in February. Their work will be featured in a special Black History Month edition of Youthprise’s publication Newsflash.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, February 17–Sunday, February 23, 2014
February 16, 2014
I think it is getting warmer. Is it just my imagination or an exercise in learning the meaning of the word “relative”? I will be content to be content with what I feel, even if it results in my being a typical Minnesotan and wearing shorts when the State High School Hockey Tournament comes to town. I can't wait, though. While some of the snowbirds are getting their own dose of hockey tournament weather to our south, we have some ideas to keep us warm until Minnesota's spring is sprung from its blanket of ice.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, February 10–Sunday, February 16, 2014
February 10, 2014
Friends have noticed that the days are getting longer. Maybe the days are getting warmer, too, but I dare not speak too soon, in case the polar vortex makes me eat my words. Instead, I'll follow the sun and write a letter or two because St. Valentine was known as a great letter writer. However you want to celebrate, or not celebrate, now, in the hope of longer days and maybe warmer weather, it is time to write and connect with the creative energies we love in Saint Paul.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, February 3–Sunday, February 9, 2014
February 3, 2014
On Tuesday, Minnesota holds its precinct caucuses. I know that we have spent a good deal of time cultivating a hefty measure of cynicism about politics. It's been stewing for a long time, and out of that big pot, more beef is served every day. Caucuses are a place where you can trade that tired dish for a potluck with your neighbors. Pick your party, ideas, and thoughts to share. I could give you a couple dozen reasons to go, but a big one we should remember is the fact that communities need both artists and art, and need people who recognize how important art is to communities. That's you—and your friends and family.
Hans Weyandt, co-owner of Micawber’s, ends the chapter titled ‘bookseller’
February 1, 2014
Hans Weyandt—who has co-owned Micawber’s with Tom Bielenberg since 2003— is quitting the book business to stay home and care for his three sons as his wife, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, takes on a new position. The father of boys ages 6, soon-to-be-4 and 16 months, Weyandt said he’s had many men—especially older men—say they wish they would have done what he is about to do. And despite the prospect of spending more time with dad, Weyandt’s eldest, Elliott, isn’t happy that he will no longer be allowed to roam the stacks at Micawber’s—a place that’s been a part of his life from the beginning—and take a book home with him at whim.
Brave New Voices Youth Poetry Slam Festival: Six young people wanted to represent Minnesota!
January 31, 2014
The Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam Series, presented by TruArtSpeaks, is a series of poetry slams held throughout the Twin Cities from February 7th to March 29th, 2013. The series will identify six young people between the ages of 13-19 to represent MN in the international BRAVE NEW VOICES Youth Poetry Slam Festival (BNV) summer 2014!
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, January 27–Sunday, February 2, 2014
January 27, 2014
A little more than a week ago, I attended a press conference on the Central Corridor in Frogtown that announced the Victoria Theater Arts Initiative, a new project that will launch an array of arts events and programs for Saint Paul. It was great to be out, amongst friends, even though most of the people there were folks I'd never seen before. It made me realize that getting out, even during a winter that has already been too long, makes the short days and low temperatures much easier to bear.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, January 20–Sunday, January 26, 2014
January 20, 2014
In the summer of 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till took the bus from Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives. He never returned and his murder became a focal point that highlighted the culture of terror under which African Americans had lived for four centuries. The awareness that followed this event made clear that the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. was about much more than getting a preferred seat on a bus. This is not just history: these experiences are recounted in the stories of our neighbors—both those who lived in the previous century and those who still live with racism today. The theatrical visions presented for four decades by Saint Paul's Penumbra Theatre can be seen as ripples that still spread outward from the original splash of King's “I Have A Dream” speech.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, January 13–Sunday, January 19, 2014
January 13, 2014
Now that the frigid winds of the polar vortex have retreated back to the habitat of fluffy killer bears and—like most Minnesotans—you’re back to wearing shorts and sending outdoor T-shirt selfies to Facebook friends in Florida, there’s no excuse to stay inside. This week, let Saint Paul provide a post-chill sensory explosion.