Pazzaluna: Good Vibrations
2010
My husband and I have a favorite restaurant, Pazzaluna, in downtown Saint Paul. The Italian eatery has happy-hour pizza and wine specials that keep us coming back. Even better, its energy is so good that a bad mood can be lifted just by walking in the door. Last week, I realized the source of the good vibes. As they say in real estate: location, location, location. Pazzaluna is located in the same place once occupied by Frank Murphy, a women’s clothing store.
Art by Kirk Anderson
Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like My Mama
By Rose McGee ● 2010
Every holiday, every barbecue, every church social, and Lord knows for every somebody or another’s funeral, the unspoken expectation has always been that my mama makes the sweet potato pies. Calling her pies delicious is an understatement—they are heavenly.
Irv Williams: A Life in Music
2010
In the spring of 2009, Irv Williams is playing a shiny new tenor saxophone. He has a young miniature schnauzer named Ditto who, in Irv’s words, is “very exuberant about everything.” He’s writing new songs for his next CD, his fifth since 2004. He has two regular weekly gigs, one at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis and the other at Il Vesco Vino on West Seventh in Saint Paul.
April 5th, 2010 Lowertown Reading Jam: Desdemona presents “Poetry & Activism” with award-winning artists & poets
2010
The April 5th Lowertown Reading Jam, curated by internationally acclaimed artist, Desdamona, will also feature performances by Reggie Harris, Tish Jones and Ibé. The Almanac has been hosting the monthly Reading Jams since October 2009, and they have been steadily gaining in popularity as excited audiences spread the word about their powerful shared experiences. The Jams provide an opportunity to explore and bridge the cultural and social breadth of Saint Paul throughout the year as stories are both given and received.