Online - Woman Life Freedom (3 part series)
2023-01-18 17:30 - 19:30, 2023-01-25 17:30 - 19:30, 2023-02-01 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Online
Illustration by Roshi Rouzbehani
*$30 is the fee for all three sessions. Participants must attend all three sessions.
This winter, MHC will be hosting a timely virtual course, Woman, Life, Freedom: The Iranian Women’s Revolution in Transnational Context, with Dr. Yalda Hamidi from Minnesota State University-Mankato. The Iranian Feminist Movement of the moment is the first female-led movement in the Middle East and the world, which received global support and transnational solidarities, and incited several national and regional feminist resistance movements in Afghanistan, Turkey, India, and more. Understanding this movement can change our knowledge of the “other women” and how we perceive them in America and will challenge how we locate our feminist demand here in Minnesota.
This virtual course will meet for three weeks, and participants will learn more about Iranian history and culture, women’s rights in Iran, and the current women’s revolution, using pre-assigned readings and primary resources to guide their discussions. Key speakers will also be involved in each session to contribute their perspectives and engage participants in conversation.
Yalda Hamidi (She/Her/Hers) is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at Minnesota State University Mankato and a member of the Ms. Committee of Scholars. She identifies as a teacher, mentor, storyteller, sister, and auntie. At MNSU Mankato, Yalda teaches transnational feminism, feminist pedagogy, and queer identities courses. In her research, she writes about the importance of politics of location for understanding the feminism/s of non-white and non-Western women. Yalda’s non-academic work strives to share the stories of Iranian women championing and fighting intersectional systems of oppression.
View Full Bio
Schedule:
January 18, 2023 – 5:30-7:30 p.m.
January 25, 2023 – 5:30-7:30 p.m.
February 1, 2023 – 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Registration
*$30 is the fee for all three sessions. If cost is a barrier, please contact Jessica Rust at jessica@mnhum.org.
Participants must attend all three sessions. Educators will receive 6 CEUs for this course. All are welcome to participate.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
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St. Paul - Minnesota Writers Series: The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself Book Launch
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join us in celebrating the release of David Mura’s new book, “The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives”, released in January of 2023 by University of Minnesota Press. Following a reading of selections from the new book, Mura will be joined by best-selling author and President of Innocent Technologies Alexs Pate for a discussion on the issues of race, history and education. A book signing will follow the talk. Part of the Minnesota Writers Series. Co-sponsored by University of Minnesota Press.
About the book: From the country’s founding through the summer of Black Lives Matter in 2020, Mura’s new book unmasks how white stories about race attempt to erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present. Mura shows how deeply we need to change our racial narratives to dissolve the myth of Whiteness and fully acknowledge the experiences of Black Americans. Poet Douglas Kearney has said of Mura’s new book that it “offers what so many Americans claim they want: a rigorous education in perceiving themselves stripped of their dearest myths.”
About the author: David Mura is a poet, writer of creative nonfiction and fiction, critic, and playwright. He is author of “A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing” and the memoirs “Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei” and “Where the Body Meets Memory: An Odyssey of Race, Sexuality, and Identity”. He is coeditor, with Carolyn Holbrook, of “We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World” (2021). He lives in Minneapolis.
Registration
This event is free, but registration is required.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Remembering - A Black Writers' Retreat
2023-03-25 09:00 - 15:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Since the pandemic overwhelmed the world, we have become saddled with grief, fear, and disillusionment stirred up by continuous violence, strife, and misunderstanding. Everywhere we turn, we are striving to counter despair with joyous living. This retreat will center around remembering as an act of joy that provides opportunities for healing and recovery in ways that forgetting does not.
To make the writing process accessible and enjoyable, Pamela Fletcher Bush (writer, creative writing teacher, editor, CEO & Publisher of Saint Paul Almanac) and Ebony Aya (founder of the Aya Collective, a space that centers the expertise and experience of Black women, and program manager at the Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching at Macalester College) will lead workshop participants in guided writing exercises and discussion on a journey of Remembering.
Special Minnesota guest author Michael Kleber-Diggs will share how using one’s unique voice sets the writer and reader on a journey of discovery.
This full-day writing retreat is being offered by In Black Ink in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center. It is open to all members of the Black community, writers at all levels and nonwriters alike. Registration is limited to 40 participants.
Continental breakfast and lunch are included. A journal will be provided.
Registration
You are welcome to register using promo code COMMUNITY to waive the fee if you wish.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Minnesota Writers Series: Wild Things
2023-03-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join us on Trans Day of Visibility for a conversation with author Lynette Reini-Grandell, author of “Wild Things: A Trans Glam Punk Rock Love Story,” in a deeply personal conversation with her trans spouse, Venus de Mars. The two will discuss the themes and stories in the book, which follows the two through the art, literary, and indie rock worlds of Minneapolis and New York in the 1990s and early 2000s as they learn, change, and grow together, navigating the transition, the communities they found, and the hostility they faced. Part of the Minnesota Writers Series. Sponsored by RECLAIM, whose mission is to increase access to mental health care so queer and trans youth may reclaim their lives from oppression in all its forms.
About the Author
Lynette Reini-Grandell is the author of “Wild Verge” (Holy Cow! Press, 2018), “Approaching the Gate” (Holy Cow! Press, 2014), and the forthcoming memoir, “Wild Things: A Trans Glam Punk Rock Love Story” (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2023). Other work has appeared in Alligator Juniper, The Understanding between Foxes and Light, Poetry Motel, Revolver, Poetry City U.S.A., and Seminary Ridge Review, among others. She has been nominated for a Pushcart and received grants for her work from the Finlandia Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board. She performs with the Bosso Poetry Company and the jazz/poetry collective Sonoglyph. Her work is often inspired by Finnish folk culture and song, and she frequently collaborates with Nordic Roots artists in multimedia performances. She lives in Minneapolis on the ancestral homeland of the Dakota people.
Registration
If cost is a barrier, please contact Jessica Rust at jessica@mnhum.org before registering.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Poetry Sparks!
2023-04-21 15:00 - 18:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
In celebration of National Poetry Month, join Minnesota’s Poet Laureate Gwen Westerman, at a poetry gathering just for poets. Hear about Gwen’s vision for poetry across the state, get connected to other poets, and let your creativity loose with some writing time. Stay after for a casual group meal, and we’ll send you home feeling inspired, centered, and reinvigorated. We’ll provide the pens and the paper – bring yourself and come Spark! poetry connection and creativity with us!
3:00 p.m. Event start
6:00 p.m. Event close/Dinner served
Registration
This event is free but registration is required. Dinner after the event will be provided. Please note that this event is for poets only.
COVID-19 Policy: to help keep our artists safe, all audience members are required to be masked inside the venue during the event regardless of vaccination status. Masks will not be required after the event while dinner is being served.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
Registration for this event has closed.
Want to know more about Minnesota’s Poet Laureate?
Learn more about Gwen Nell Westerman and the history of Minnesota’s Poet Laureate.

Learn More

St. Paul - Children's Book Week Celebration
2023-05-06 12:00 - 16:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Children’s literature is one of the first ways in which storytelling makes an impact in young humans’ lives, teaching them about the world they live in and the power of their own imagination, and celebrating what makes us all both similar and unique. Join the Minnesota Humanities Center for a celebration on the lawn honoring Children’s Book Week, with guest author readings, book art workshops, story walks, games, crafts, book sales, food trucks, and special giveaways. Authors and book illustrators joining include Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin 신 선 영, Shannon Gibney, John Coy, Marian Hassan, Magdalena Mora, Remona Htoo, and Dr. Artika Tyner. ARTrageous will also be setting up a Creation Station for kids and kids at heart to make their own bookmarks, and Babycakes Book Stack bus will also be on site selling books. In partnership with Diverse Reads and AMPACT.
Story Time Schedule
12:00 p.m. – My Daddy Tells Me with Thuba Nguyen
12:30 p.m. – Somali folktales with Marian Hassan
1:00 p.m. – Magdalena Mora
1:30 p.m. – My Little Legs with Remona Htoo
2:00 p.m. – Where We Come From with John Coy, Shannon Gibney, Sun Yung Shin, and Diane Wilson
2:30 p.m. – Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight with Shannon Gibney
3:00 p.m. – Joey and Grandpa Johnson’s Day in Rondo with Dr. Artika Tyner
Registration
Registration is appreciated but not required for this event.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Minneapolis - Juneteenth Brunch: It Starts With Me with Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO The King Center
2023-06-10 11:00 - 15:00 | Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Juneteenth Brunch 2023 from OMG Studios on Vimeo.
It Starts With Me Cultivating A Beloved Community Mindset To Transform Unjust Systems brings a fresh perspective to the questions, “Where do we go from here?” and “How do we overcome economic inequities and injustices in our world house?”
Dr. Bernice A. King , CEO of The King Center /Author of “It Starts With Me” / Daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr .and Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Dr. Bernice A. King is a global thought leader, strategist, solutionist, orator, peace advocate, and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother as the official living memorial to the life, work, and legacy of her father. In this position, Bernice continues to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change through policy, advocacy, research, as well as education & training through the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence, which she re-branded Nonviolence365™ (NV365™). Through her work at The King Center, she educates youth and adults around the world about the nonviolent principles and strategies modeled by her parents. Dr. King received both a Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Divinity (MDiv) Degrees from Emory University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Spelman College. As a noted author, she has to her credit, “Hard Questions, Heart Answers,” as well as a children’s book entitled “It Starts with Me,” which is a part of The King Center’s Be Love movement. Dr. King is an innovative, inspirational, and transformational leader. She is dedicated to ensuring that her parents’ legacy and teachings, The King Center, as well as the work of creating the Beloved Community, with Nonviolence365™ as the pathway, are introduced to new generations of influencers.
Juneteenth Brunch
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Cultivating A Beloved Community Mindset To Transform Unjust Systems Conversation
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
It Starts With Me Book Signing
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Music by: Jevetta Steele
Supported by: McKnight Foundation, Thrivent, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Habitat for Humanity, Breakfast Bar of Minnesota, Mortenson, and the African American Leadership Forum
Produced by: OMG Studios
Parking at Westminster Presbyterian Church
There is parking (bicycle and car) at Westminster! The Westminster parking ramp is located on Alice Rainville Place between Nicollet Ave and Marquette. Additional parking is available in other parking ramps and at automated meters on the streets. Westminster is accessible by numerous public transit options. Nice Ride bicycles are also a (great) option.
Parking Map
Registration
Registration is required. $25 admission includes: brunch, an autographed copy of “It Starts With Me,” co-written by Dr. Bernice A. King and Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Golden Valley - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story (Morning Performance)
2023-06-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Breck School, 123 Ottawa Avenue North, Golden Valley, MN, 55422, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. Although awareness has grown, many people are still unfamiliar with why we celebrate Juneteenth and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center and Sweet Potato Comfort Pie are proud to bring Kumbayah the Juneteenth Story to the Twin Cities in collaboration with local organizations to include: Breck School, League of Women Voters, Metropolitan State University, Upper Room Community, and the City of Golden Valley.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story from iDream.tv on Vimeo.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.
Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
ASL interpretation will be available for the morning performance
The morning performance is free to attend, but registration is highly recommended.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Golden Valley - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story (Evening Performance)
2023-06-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Breck School, 123 Ottawa Avenue North, Golden Valley, MN, 55422, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. Although awareness has grown, many people are still unfamiliar with why we celebrate Juneteenth and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center and Sweet Potato Comfort Pie are proud to bring Kumbayah the Juneteenth Story to the Twin Cities in collaboration with local organizations to include: Breck School, League of Women Voters, Metropolitan State University, Upper Room Community, and the City of Golden Valley.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story from iDream.tv on Vimeo.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.
Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
The evening performance is free to attend, but registration is highly recommended.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Peter - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story
2023-06-19 17:30 - 19:30 | St. Peter High School, 2121 Broadway Ave, St. Peter, MN, 56082, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. Although awareness has grown, many people are still unfamiliar with why we celebrate Juneteenth and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center and Sweet Potato Comfort Pie are proud to bring Kumbayah the Juneteenth Story to St. Peter and Mankato communities in collaboration with the following local host partners: True Essentials Consulting, Juneteenth Foundation, and St. Peter Area Public Schools.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story from iDream.tv on Vimeo.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.
Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
The evening performance is free to attend, but registration is highly recommended.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Rochester - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story
2023-06-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE, Rochester, MN, 55904, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. Although awareness has grown, many people are still unfamiliar with why we celebrate Juneteenth and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center and Sweet Potato Comfort Pie are proud to bring Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story to Rochester area communities in collaboration with the following local organizations: Mayo Clinic, Rochester Branch of the NAACP, and Rochester Public Schools.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story from iDream.tv on Vimeo.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.
Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
The evening performance is free to attend, but registration is required.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Cloud - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story
2023-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Marcus Theatres, 1533 Frontage Road North, Waite Park, MN, 56387, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance. Following, on February 3rd, 2023, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Minnesota. Although awareness has grown, many people are still unfamiliar with why we celebrate Juneteenth and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center and Sweet Potato Comfort Pie are proud to bring Kumbayah the Juneteenth Story to St. Cloud area communities in collaboration with host partner United Way of Central Minnesota and local organizations.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story from iDream.tv on Vimeo.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.
Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
The evening performance is free to attend, but registration is required.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Critical Conversation: Starting with the Indigenous | Emphasis on Place
2023-07-10 18:00 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
What connects us to this place? How does the history of this place inform who we are and how we connect with each other? Join Indigenous leaders Kate Beane, Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and Christina Woods, Executive Director of the Duluth Art Institute, who will engage participants in deep dialogue about Indigenous issues related to place and land. Participants will learn from Dakota and Ojibwe community members, through stories and histories often left out of public narratives, how art helps us create deeper meaning and connections.
Refreshments and a light meal will be served. This event is part of a series of Critical Conversations, created in partnership with Public Art Saint Paul’s 2023 Wakpa Triennial Art Festival.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Duluth - Minnesota Writers Series: The Sky Watched
2023-07-12 17:30 - 19:30 | American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), 202 West 2nd Street, Duluth, MN, 55802, United States
Author and poet Linda LeGarde Grover will be joining the Minnesota Writers Series for a special event in Duluth. In addition to reading selections from her recently re-released collection, The Sky Watched: Poems of Ojibwe Lives (University of Minnesota Press, 2022), Grover will also join in conversation with Dr. Jill M. Doerfler, head of American Indian Studies at University of Minnesota-Duluth, about the joys and complexities of leading a life devoted to writing and poetry, and the ways in which poetry has connected her further to her Native culture. In celebration of poets at all stages of their writing journey, during the second half of the event, members of the audience will be invited to share their own poetry as time allows. Co-sponsored by the American Indian Community Housing Organization, also the host site for this event.
About the book: The Sky Watched is a collective memoir in poetry of an Ojibwe family and tribal community, from creation myth to this day, updated with new poems. The collection gives poetic voice, in English and Ojibwe, those assembled here—voices of history, of memory and experience, of children and elders, Indian boarding school students, tribal storytellers, and the Manidoog, the unseen beings who surround our lives—come together to create a collective memoir in poetry as expansive and particular as the starry sky.
About the author: Linda LeGarde Grover is professor emerita of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. Her books The Road Back to Sweetgrass, Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year, In the Night of Memory, and Gichigami Hearts: Stories and Histories from Misaabekong, all from Minnesota, have earned numerous awards, including the Native Writers Circle of the Americas First Book Award; Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards for poetry, memoir, and fiction; and a Minnesota Book Award for memoir and creative nonfiction. Her book of stories The Dance Boots received the Flannery O’Connor Award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize.
About the moderator: Jill Doerfler is a professor and department head of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her primary area of scholarly interest is American Indian identity with a focus on Anishinaabe citizenship.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Shakespeare in our Parks: Much Ado About Nothing
2023-07-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Minnesota Humanities Center is pleased to host Classical Actors Ensemble as they bring their 9th season of Shakespeare in Our Parks live theater to MHC’s lawn. This year’s play, which will travel to over 15 locations across the Twin Cities, will be William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” In this classic romantic comedy of manners, a Prince and his soldiers returning from a long campaign bring excitement, intrigue, and passion to a rural town. Can callow youths and jaded exes both find love when malicious gossip is afoot?
Picnics, lawn chairs, sunbrellas, and blankets are welcome. Please note that the performance is in an open field with minimal shade. Please plan accordingly. Can’t make that date? Check out Classical Actors Ensemble’s full calendar for other performance across the Twin Cities this summer.
From Classical Actors Ensemble: “The Theater is a sacred place. It is a public forum where actors and audience gather to contemplate what it means to be human. Shakespeare and his contemporaries grappled with that question in some of the English language’s best poetry, leaving behind a canon of compelling stories with universal themes that provide invigorating challenge for actors and an awe-inspiring legacy for audiences. Classical Actors Ensemble performs the plays of the English Renaissance as they were originally intended: as popular entertainment for everyone. By demonstrating why these works of art are considered classic, we freshly prove their relevance in today’s world.”
Registration
Registration is appreciated on the Classical Actors Ensemble website but not required.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Critical Conversation: Stories I Didn't Know
2023-07-17 18:00 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
The award-winning documentary, “Stories I Didn’t Know,” follows the story of Saint Paul resident Rita Davern as she uncovers uneasy truths of her Irish ancestors and their ownership of Pike Island, sacred land to the Dakota people. Join us for a special screening of the film followed by a community conversation with Rita Davern, Ramona Kitto Stately, and Reuben Kitto Stately. Reflect on how one person’s discovery of truth can create a significant positive impact on personal and statewide levels. Consider the transgressions made by the federal government and non-Native leaders and how together we can confront current systemic failures as we work to create a more just Minnesota.
Refreshments and a light meal will be served. This event is part of a series of Critical Conversations, created in partnership with Public Art Saint Paul’s 2023 Wakpa Triennial Art Festival.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Critical Conversation: The Art and Response to Castile and Floyd
2023-07-26 18:00 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Art has the power to help communities process and heal. Two of Minnesota’s leading artists are lighting the way forward as we process deep pain and confusion and setting us on a path of healing after the murders of Mr. Philando Castile and Mr. George Floyd. Be part of a Critical Conversation with gifted artists Ta-coumba T. Aiken and Seitu Ken Jones as they reflect on creating art in these tumultuous times, how art sparks change at personal and societal levels, and how we build our futures in the Twin Cities with equity and inclusion so that everyone thrives. Minnesota Humanities Center CEO Kevin Lindsey will host this interactive and vibrant conversation.
Refreshments and a light meal will be served. This event is part of a series of Critical Conversations, created in partnership with the 2023 Wakpa Triennial Art Festival, presented by Public Art Saint Paul.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Minnesota Writers Series: Rose McGee Children's Book Release
2023-08-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Minnesota Humanities Center, in partnership with Minnesota Historical Society Press, is pleased to host the launch of Rose McGee’s new children’s book, “Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama!” The author and the book’s illustrator, Christopheraaron Deanes, will read from the book and participate in a moderated discussion around themes related to food and family. Freddie Bell, KMOJ radio personality and Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductee, will moderate the discussion. The author and illustrator will be available for a book signing and discussion at a reception following the event. Books will be available for purchase from Black Garnet Books. Part of the Minnesota Writers Series.
About the Book
In Rose McGee’s charming picture book (3-7 age range), young Marie and Landon think that their grandmother, “Mama,” makes the best sweet potato pies ever. The twins sometimes wonder if there might be some magic involved. Neighbors dealing with bad news or struggling with loss stop by for a slice. Sharing the pies—their sweet aroma, their familiar texture—in Mama’s warm home brings them comfort. The twins marvel at the neighbors’ transformation. Maybe, the twins realize, the magic isn’t in the pies. Maybe it’s in their mama.
About the Author and Illustrator
Rose McGee’s touching story expands on her own work building community and relationships through her “baketivism” as the leader of the nonprofit Sweet Potato Comfort Pie. She is a well-known facilitator, the playwright behind “Kumbayah: The Juneteenth Story,” one of Minnesota’s 50 Over 50, and a 2019 Bush Fellow. Her work has been featured in the national PBS documentary, “A Few Good Pie Places,” and in the TEDx Talk, “The Power of Pie.”
Christopheraaron Deanes is an artist and educator working to build creative equitable spaces that support and engage communities. As an artist, Christopheraaron is represented in local galleries and has created metal enamel sculptures as well as murals sited throughout the Twin Cities. As an educator, he works in the administration offices at Fridley Public Schools and with communities of color around Minneapolis and St. Paul. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Cara, and five amazing children.
Registration
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Minneapolis - Critical Conversation: Healing Through Equitable Recovery and Redevelopment
2023-08-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Moon Palace Books, 3032 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55406, United States
Since 2020, when several buildings were destroyed in the uprising following George Floyd’s murder, much has been happening at Minnehaha Avenue and East Lake Street as community organizations like Longfellow Rising, local residents and business leaders, and arts groups like Pangea World Theater plan for equitable redevelopment that centers the needs and visions of the neighborhood. Join Pangea’s Executive Director Meena Natarajan, Artistic Co-Director Dipankar Mukherjee, and other facilitators for this conversation about how our networks of mutuality working together can help to heal the traumas of 2020 to create an exciting, equitable future for Minneapolis.
Light meal will be served. This event is part of a series of Critical Conversations, created in partnership with the 2023 Wakpa Triennial Art Festival, presented by Public Art Saint Paul.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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St. Paul - National Read a Book Day
2023-09-06 15:00 - 18:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
September 6 is National Read a Book Day. In celebration, we invite book lovers of all ages to the lawn of the Minnesota Humanities Center for a read-in gathering. Bring the book of your choice, a blanket or chair, and join in celebration by reading in community. Extra blankets and books will be available for those without. Story Walks will also be located around the grounds for wandering young readers. Can’t make it? Celebrate wherever you happen to be by taking time out of your day to read. The event is free and open to all to join at their leisure as time allows.
Registration
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St. Paul - Poetry Encuentro: A Latine Poetry Gathering
2023-09-09 09:30 - 16:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
This poetry encuentro will bring together Latine community members to engage in storytelling based on Latine literary traditions. We want to recognize the complex and inspiring stories of Minnesota’s Latine community and their contribution to Minnesota’s diverse and vibrant cultural heritage. Focusing on poetry as creative expression, writers of all levels will produce, break bread, and perform together in a shared space. Join us for what will be a historic and memorable encuentro celebrating the written and spoken word!
This full-day gathering is being offered by Palabristas in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center. Poetry Encuentro hosts/facilitators: Marion Gomez, Larry Lucio Jr., David Mendez, Teresa Ortiz, and Gabriela Spears-Rico.
Registration
This event is open to all Latine community members who want to write or who identify as writers. Registration is limited to 40 participants.
Continental breakfast and lunch are included.
You are welcome to register using promo code COMMUNITY to waive the fee if you wish.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
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St. Paul - Cambodian Heritage Celebration
2023-09-23 18:00 - 22:00 | Minnesota History Center, 345 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN, 55102, United States
Join us for the first Cambodian Heritage Day as we celebrate the beauty of the Cambodian Minnesota community and its complex culture. This event features an evening of performances, music, food, and history. All community members are invited to this event to learn more about Minnesota’s Cambodian ancestry. There is no cost to attend, but registration is strongly encouraged.
The Minnesota Humanities Center and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans are honored to support this partnership with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
Registration
Parking in the Minnesota History Center parking lot is complimentary, thanks to funding by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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St. Cloud - Minnesota Writers Series: Break Point: Two Minnesota Athletes and the Road to Title IX
2023-09-28 17:00 - 19:00 | St. Cloud City Hall, 1201 7th Street South, St. Cloud, MN, 56301, United States
The Minnesota Writers Series welcomes Sheri Brenden, author of “Break Point: Two Minnesota Athletes and the Road to Title IX” in a conversation with her sister, Peg Brenden, one of the St. Cloud student athletes behind the groundbreaking 1972 federal court case that took on the unequal system of school athletics nationwide. The event will take place in the former high school gym, now converted into St. Cloud city council chambers. Mayor Dave Kleis will provide a welcome. Co-sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership and the Stearns County Museum. Registration is required for this in-person event.
Can’t make it to the St. Cloud event for Break Point? Join the Brenden sisters in Red Wing in November in conjunction with the Anderson Center at Tower View’s Books in the Barn series.
Registration
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St. Paul - Our Ancestors Are Us: An Asian Adoptee Life Writing Workshop
2023-10-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
As part of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s writing and reflection offerings, we are excited to collaborate with Jennifer Kwon Dobbs to host Our Ancestors Are Us: An Asian Adoptee Life Writing Workshop, a project funded by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
Adoption from Asia involves a child’s removal from their kinship of birth and oftentimes disconnection from their ancestral culture and ways of knowing. This interactive workshop creates a generative, adult adoptee-centered space in which to explore the unique ways that adoptee memory and experience can be empowering sources of creativity and literary witness. Participants will learn and share writing strategies to compose works of their own about their lives lived, unlived, and imagined otherwise as adoptees.
Lee Herrick – Special guest Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate. He is the author of three books of poems: Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead; and This Many Miles from Desire. Born in Daejeon, Korea and adopted as an infant, Lee teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe.
Jennifer Kwon Dobbs 허수진 – Born in Wonju, Republic of Korea and adopted in Oklahoma, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs 허수진 is the author of Interrogation Room (White Pine Press, 2018), Paper Pavilion (White Pine, 2007), and the chapbooks Notes from a Missing Person (Essay Press, 2015) and Necro Citizens (hochroth Verlag, 2019). Her work has received the 2023 American-Scandinavian Foundation’s Lief and Inger Sjöberg Prize for literary translation among other honors. Currently, she is senior poetry editor of AGNI and professor and chair of English at St. Olaf College. www.jkwondobbs.com.
Registration
This event is open to all adult Asian diaspora adoptees who want to write or who identify as writers. Registration is limited to 40 participants.
Snacks are included, and a journal will be provided.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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St. Paul - Poetry Sparks! Youth Writing Workshop
2023-10-06 17:30 - 20:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Are you a young person (13-19 years of age) who writes poetry or aspires to start writing poetry? Do you want to connect with other youth writers? Then join us for the Poetry Sparks! Youth Writing Workshop with Minnesota’s Poet Laureate Gwen Nell Westerman, and former St. Paul Youth Poet Laureate Chavah Gabrielle. During this in-person session, you’ll have a chance to work with Gwen and Chavah to create a new piece of writing, or workshop a piece you’ve been developing. You’ll also get a chance to read aloud and practice performing some poetry. We hope that once you’ve perfected your piece, you’ll sign up for the Youth Voices Open Mic evening on November 4th. Grab a friend and pen some lines with the Laureates!
This event is free however registration is required; a light dinner will be provided; participants must 13-19 years of age*.
(We are also holding a virtual option on October 13, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. over Zoom – sign up for one or both!)
*Youth is ages 13-19 as defined by the National Youth Poet Laureate organization.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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Online - Poetry Sparks! Youth Writing Workshop
2023-10-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
Are you a young person (13-19 years of age) who writes poetry or aspires to start writing poetry? Do you want to connect with other youth writers? Then join us for the Poetry Sparks! Youth Writing Workshop with Minnesota’s Poet Laureate Gwen Nell Westerman, and former St. Paul Youth Poet Laureate, Chavah Gabrielle. During this virtual session, you’ll have a chance to work with Gwen and Chavah to create a new piece of writing, or workshop a piece you’ve been developing. You’ll also get a chance to read aloud and practice performing some poetry. We hope that once you’ve perfected your piece, you’ll sign up for the Youth Voices Open Mic evening on November 4th. Grab a friend and pen some lines with the Laureates!
This event is free however registration is required; participants must 13-19 years of age*.
(We are also holding an in-person session on October 6, 2023 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Minnesota Humanities Center. Sign up for one or both!)
*Youth is ages 13-19 as defined by the National Youth Poet Laureate organization.

St. Paul - Veterans Voices Month Celebration
2023-10-21 17:30 - 19:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
October is Veterans Voices Month in Minnesota. Veterans and civilians are invited to gather at Minnesota Humanities Center for a dinner and poetry reading honoring the experiences of those serving the U.S. military from the margins, including women, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, Black, and American Indian service members among others. This event will kick off the MHC’s upcoming NEH-funded series, “Examining Military Service From the Margins.” Following dinner and a sneak peek into MHC’s plans to diversify how we think of military history and service, U.S. Army Veteran poet Jessi M. Atherton, who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom, will read from her new collection, The Time War Takes. This free event is part of the Minnesota Writers Series and Many Fronts: Veteran and Community Voices initiatives.
SCHEDULE:
5:30-6:00 p.m. Opening Ceremony and Remarks
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30-7:30 p.m. Poetry reading and discussion
Registration
When registering, please note whether you plan to attend both the dinner and poetry reading, or just one or the other.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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St. Paul - Poetry Sparks! Book Discussion and Open Mic with Minnesota’s Poet Laureate, Gwen Nell Westerman
2023-11-04 17:30 - 20:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join us for a two-part event, a book launch of Minnesota Poet Laureate Gwen Nell Westerman’s new collection, “Songs, Blood Deep”, followed by an Open Mic! Poet and author Heid Erdrich will engage Gwen in conversation about her new collection, and what the role of the Poet Laureate has meant for her. Their discussion will be followed by an all-ages Open Mic emceed by former St. Paul Youth Poet Laureate, Chavah Gabrielle. Hear Gwen, Heid, and Chavah read some of their work, and then take the stage yourself to read or perform!
Books will be available for purchase and signing after the Open Mic. This event is free, however registration is required; a light dinner will be provided. If you would like to read a poem during the open mic, email Corey China at corey@mnhum.org to be added to the program!
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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