Stories and music are able to shine a light on our personal woes in a world of harsh realities: a lost love, the cruelty of others, systematic injustice and hard times. These tales and tunes are what move us, make us feel alive and inspire us.
What are YOU doing this summer? I am still trying to answer that. Both the question and its answers slip my mind too often. Before I forget, I wanted to make sure to ask and answer that query for a couple of fantastic opportunities that few of our young actors should check out in the next week or two.
I would like to tell you the Saint Paul Universe is slowing down. It’s not. But I dare not take a breather for fear of missing the lovely celebration of art, life and the city. Speeding to the end of National Poetry Month, I did leave a share of poems, aided by a couple of muses—and my son will be glad to know that he was not one of them. (At least not for any poems that are planned to see the light of day.)
Last week was a poetry powerhouse in Saint Paul, fitting for the waning days of National Poetry Month. We had another all-star Reading by Writers with Carol Connolly that included some of the best pieces “with fire and light” from Nodin Press’s anthology and a packed Lowertown Reading Jam with “Farmworkers and Food Justice”. As I write, I realize that it is still National Poetry Month and I have not written enough poetry.
This Almanac busy wheel keeps on spinning. A few days ago the Midwest Book Award finalists were announced and the 2015 Saint Paul Almanac gained honors in SEVEN categories: Culture, Illustration (Photography), Interior Layout, Midwest Regional Interest, Reference, Total Book Design, and Travel! It is not the first time the Almanac has been honored. We received top honors last year in the Travel category. We were busy last year.
As you read this, I may still be sleeping off our week at the Association of Writers a Writing Programs (AWP) conference. Storymobile was a great hit. So many questions. So many ideas. So many writers, many of whom have their work in the Almanac, whose face has graced the stages of our many writing series, and who love what we do for Saint Paul and writers.
On the eve of the anniversary of the death of Cesar Chavez, one of the most iconic figures in the fight for farmworker justice in the United States, we honor the lives and work of farmworkers, and celebrate the struggle for workers’ rights and food justice. The poets featured each have an organic relationship to the issues, some of them being descendants of farmworkers, some doing food justice work. All of them use art to tell the stories and change the world.
This is going to be a long week. The Association of Writers & Writing Programs annual conference is in the Twin Cities. Many Almanac writers will be there, and we will be there with where we might ask you, “What’s your story?” I tried packing in a few naps to help me keep up with the young folks, but after you see what gets mentioned here, and realize that there is much much more, you might realize the naps are futile. Getting out to join the happenings will not be futile.
In the wake of a great Lowertown Reading Jam “ReMix the Struggle,” hosted by Eva Song Margolis, we are on the eve of and a week and a half away from The Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference (AWP). We are on the verge of more words than one can shake a dictionary at. Be prepared to be overwhelmed. Be prepared to write some of your own poetry. You have no poems, you say? Maybe you can find some inspiration around town this week.
It has been a roaring March! We are also having another great season of Lowertown Reading Jams. This Wednesday, March 25, promises to live up to the reputation.
St. Patrick’s Day has arrived in Saint Paul. There continue to emerge versions of the St. Patrick image that conflate stories which go beyond the tale of leading rats out of Ireland. I am not going to try to deconstruct or reconstruct those narratives.
We made it through the state high school hockey tournament without a snowstorm. Are we now ready for the month-long spring tease? I expect this week will sport parks and college campuses with people wringing sun out of the sky like it was an Arizona vacation and wildly guessing which coat to wear out of the house. Like I mentioned last month, we don’t measure our winters by the groundhog nor the calendar.
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