Over the past three months, I have been on the road doing a bit of driving. In addition to our MHC Statewide Tour - which took me to New Ulm, Rochester, St. Paul, Fergus Falls, Duluth, and Red Wing - I have been travelling with our good friends from Danger Boat Productions and OMG Studios (along with their wonderful OMG Innovation Lab youth) for our Sketches of Minnesota and Reconstruction Destructed film tours.
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Every November, we pause to honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day reminds us not only of their service and sacrifice, but also of the global and human stories intertwined with that service – the allies, families, and communities whose lives are forever connected through shared struggle and resilience.
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When Congress created the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 1965, America was in a moment of great change. We were in the midst of a cold war on the world stage, the advance of computer technology, the space race was pushing human imagination beyond the earth, and the Civil Rights Movement was fueling debates about justice, identity, and freedom in classrooms and living rooms throughout the nation and world.
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This week was unseasonably cold and wet in the Twin Cities, and I found myself suddenly wondering where I had stored my warm comfortable sweaters. Despite my protests to the contrary, it was undeniably clear that summer was ending, the seasons were changing, and fall was coming to Minnesota. Despite…
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Our country is approaching a significant milestone: the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Along with libraries, humanities, and historical organizations across the country, The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library has been thinking about what this anniversary means to our community today. In March 2024, the Minnesota…
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The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) generously donated copies of the book “Travels of Igal Shidad” to Minnesota Hands & Voices for an event hosted for families with children who are deaf or are hard of hearing (DHH). “Travels of Igal Shidad” is one of four traditional Somali folktales in MHC’s…
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August has been unusually hot this year, to the point that the impact of “corn sweat” on humidity levels in Minnesota has been discussed on the porch and backyard on more than one occasion. The heat has given me the opportunity to catch up on good conversations, experiment with making…
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I can’t believe it’s been five years. When asked to reflect on my experience writing the first iteration of “Peggy Flanagan: Lieutenant Governor,” and my thoughts about its newest form, I realized it had been a half decade since this creation took life. Time seems to go by a lot faster the older you get.
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Summer has arrived in Minnesota and like most of you, we are attempting to make the most of the warm weather by keeping ourselves busy.
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Since 1993, the small town of New York Mills has held “The Great American Think-off” (GATO). It is an annual philosophy essay contest and debate. I have been aware of it’s existence since thestart. I was amused that one of the early finalists thought they’d won a trip to New…
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