A Strange Man Named Hicks
2013
There once was a strange man named Hicks Who yearned to create limericks...
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, December 31, 2013–Sunday, January 5, 2014
2013
One holiday is over, but the kids are still out of school. Maybe you were able to take in “History Center Holidays” at the Minnesota History Center. If not, the festivities continue through the last day of the year. Whether you already checked that one off your list, or if your family is moving at a slightly different speed, there are several other ways to ring in the new year.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, December 23–Sunday, December 30, 2013
2013
Chances are, your neighborhood is now filled with young people who are starting an extended winter break from school. It is a hard time for grown-ups and near grown-ups to find a real break in this season, whether we have to go to a job or not, but maybe some of you are still lucky enough to be able to grab a little bit of a break. “Break” might not be the correct term, but we are here to suggest a few things that might “break” the stress of your holiday week.
The Juliet Avenue Neighborhood Ladies’ Annual Open House
2013
In 1973 we invited the women we knew in the neighborhood—most of them, like us, mothers of preschoolers. We knew the mothers of the teenagers who babysat for us, so we invited them too. And we invited our elderly neighbors who indulged our children riding Big Wheels over their lawns. We scheduled the party the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, when, we reasoned, mothers needed a break from their children. Our written invitations flatly stated, “MOMS ONLY.”
The Power of Education
2013
Relax. Think. Who was your favorite teacher? Hold that thought. James Dee Cook doesn’t recall the male teacher’s name but confirms that his third grade teacher was a major force throughout his lifetime. James was born and raised in the Rice neighborhood at the height of the Great Depression and rode the bus to elementary school. Math was James’s art. Like a human calculator, he doodled numbers in his right brain as he played in his sandbox.
Back Again
2013
I took my first breath in St. John’s Hospital at Seventh and Maria. That makes me a native Saint Paulite, even though I grew up in the suburbs. In the late 1950s and early ’60s, many suburban parents-to-be chose Saint Paul hospitals to welcome their babies into the world. As a suburban child, it was a big deal to go shopping at the downtown department stores, and each trip we took, my mom never failed to point out St. John’s at the top of the bluff. “That’s where you two were born,” Mom would remind my brother and me. Anytime my brother and I were fighting in the backseat, Mom would remind us that we’d all wind up back at St. John’s if she crashed the car because we had distracted her.
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, December 16–Sunday, December 22, 2013
2013
UPDATED with more weekend activities! It is supposed to warm up this week, and many of us will show more courage venturing out into the world without the sharp cold that nipped our noses last week. We have lost our excuse to sit inside, and this week's arts calendar shows us we can't be caught saying, “There's nothing for me to do.” In part, thanks to three remarkable women of words and letters, and some other talented neighbors, we will not be bored.
I Remember RONDO
By Moleen (Harris-Davis) Lowe ● 2013
I remember Rondo . . . the streets were cobbled stone. I remember Rondo . . . 450 was our home. I remember Rondo—the intersection Arundel Hill, On one corner the cab station; across the street, Joe’s Grocery Store . . . I remember Rondo, and we never locked our door. I remember Rondo—smiling faces still in my mind
This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, December 9–Sunday, December 15, 2013
2013
It has been a true Minnesota Winter week, with more to come. Even so, we have found several things that’ll make you want to venture outside to where the coziness and heat will make it worth the neighborhood trek.
January 30, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic with Michael Lee
2013
Michael Lee is a writer, performer and youth worker. He is a recipient of a 2014 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant as well as a VERVE Grant. Michael ranked ninth at the 2011 Individual World Poetry Slam and was named the 2011 “Best Individual Poet” of Collegiate Nationals (CUPSI). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Rattle, Indiana Review and Criminal Class Press. He lives in Minneapolis where he works as a youth counselor at Avenues for Homeless Youth and drinks entirely too much coffee.
January 23, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic’s “First Take”
2013
An open mic entirely dedicated to new work! Bring in your first drafts and test them out in the Soul Sounds community; a space for constructive feedback and good insight!
January 22, 2014: Guante presents “Let the Bars Breathe” at the Lowertown Reading Jam
2013
Featuring performances by Guante, Desdamona, Crescent Moon (of Kill the Vultures), Metasota, and See More Perspective. Come listen to five, singular voices in the world-renowned Twin Cities hip hop scene share their writing. Performing either a capella or accompanied by vocal percussion, the artists present an "unplugged" rap show that will highlight rap as a unique, dynamic poetic form with its own rules, values, and philosophies. The aim of the performance is not to divorce the voices from the beats in an attempt to compare and contrast rap with other forms of poetry, but rather to decontextualize the words in order to hear them from a new angle and gain a deeper appreciation for the craft of rapping.