Shoreview - Minnesota Writers Off the Page: Debra J. Stone
2026-02-18 17:30 - 19:15 (America/Chicago) | Emmet D. Williams Elementary School, 955 W County Rd D, Shoreview, 55126, United States
To celebrate Black History Month, Off the Page is pleased to feature author Debra J. Stone and her new book, “The House on Rondo.” Debra will be in conversation with Terresa Hardaway, discussing the history of the Rondo neighborhood, what it means to be a writer, and their hopes for the future of Rondo. Following the discussion, audience members are invited to participate in a Q&A session, and have further informal conversation with the featured speakers. Copies of “The House on Rondo” will be available for purchase, and the evening will finish with a book signing.
Debra J. Stone is a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Arts Fellow in Literature, essay, poet and novel author. More of her work has been published by Blue Earth Review, Indiana Review, Green Mountains Review, Under the Gum Tree, and other literary journals. In 2021 her poem, “year-of- staying–in place,” was nominated Best of Net and Pushcart nominated. She is a board member of the Hennepin History Museum. Debra is married and resides in Minneapolis.
Terresa Hardaway, Ph.D., is an abolitionist, design researcher, author, anti-racist facilitator, creative director, organizer, and educator based in Minneapolis. She is Creative Director of Blackbird Revolt— a social justice-based design studio; an Associate Professor of Graphic Design; McKnight Presidential Fellow; the Director of Design Justice at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design; and the owner of Black Garnet Books.
This event is presented in partnership with Black Garnet Books, an independent bookstore in Saint Paul, MN, that offers a curated selection of books and art by authors and illustrators of color in an environment that encourages learning, joyful interaction, and communal care for everyone who visits. This event is part of the Minnesota Writers Off the Page series, bringing the inspirational voices of Minnesota’s authors directly to readers. This edition of Minnesota Writers Off the Page will be held at Emmet D. Williams Elementary School in Shoreview.
Registration
A light community meal will be provided at 5:30 p.m., and the event will begin at 6:00 p.m. This event is free to attend; registration is required.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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St. Paul - Objects of War: A Storytelling Circle
2026-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
The Minnesota Humanities Center invites you to join us for an engaging evening focused on stories of community, consolation, and courage. For Objects of War, participants are asked to bring an item connected to an experience of war and conflict — which could be dog tags, a service member’s good luck charm, or a family heirloom — and share the story of this item during the evening. Moderated by trained facilitators, the conversation will help participants understand why we hold on to certain objects, and how these objects help us better understand the human impacts of war.
About the Facilitators
Jovita Hernandez is a recently retired educator with 32 years of experience. Throughout her career, she approached teaching through a lens of equity, nurturing curiosity, and emphasizing the connections built through the power of story. She introduced Story Circle practice not only in her own classroom but also across the district, leaving a lasting impact on students and colleagues alike. Today, she continues to champion this practice, sharing it in both educational and community spaces as a dedicated story circle practitioner.
Pang Foua Xiong is a creative social entrepreneur, cultural conservator, and mother. She is a first-generation Hmong woman, born to refugee parents who arrived in Minnesota in 1980, and raised in the Rondo/Frogtown neighborhood on the homelands of the Dakhóta people in Mni Sóta Makoce (Saint Paul, Minnesota). Her work spans more than 25 years in grassroots advocacy and co-designing accessibility and equity opportunities in healthcare, education, and economic systems. Her identity and journey as a Hmong woman and efforts in cultural and language revitalization of her endangered native language and heritage continue to shape her sense of place and purpose. She is the founder of Community & Co Lifestyle, LLC, a cultural and creative social enterprise that facilitates and nurtures collaborative connections, leadership, community engagement, and facilitating systems of care. As a social entrepreneur, bilingual Hmong interpreter, creative and social impact consultant, and humanities facilitator, Pang Foua co-designs and leads thoughtful community-centered initiatives, creative solutions, and engagement through the lens of whole wellbeing, place-knowing, and place-based learning practices.
This event is presented in partnership with the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, an institution which seeks to strengthen public understanding of how armed conflicts and military institutions have shaped our state and national experience.
Registration
This event is free to attend, however registration is required. Dinner will be served at the event.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org
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West St. Paul - Celebrate National Poetry Month
2026-04-06 13:00 - 14:00 | Thompson Park Activity Center, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, 55118, United States
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Minnesota’s Poet Laureate, Gwen Westerman, at the Dakota Lodge in Thompson County Park! Join us for an inspiring afternoon as Gwen shares her personal story, reads from her powerful and heartfelt poems, and reflects on the creative journey behind her acclaimed book, “Songs, Blood Deep.” Gwen beautifully captures the landscape, history, and spirit of Minnesota life. Don’t miss this special opportunity to meet our state’s leading voice for poetry and be inspired by the ways language and storytelling connect us all.
About Gwen Nell Westerman
Gwen Nell Westerman is a poet, visual artist, and scholar. Her roots are deep in the landscape of the tallgrass prairie and reveal themselves in her art and writing. She is an enrolled citizen of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, and her father’s family is from the Heipa District. Her mother’s family is from the Flint District of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Neither of her parents spoke English when they were sent as small children to boarding schools in Oklahoma and South Dakota. Singing and writing for as long as she can remember, Gwen understands from experience the important ways language and the land shape who we are. She was appointed as the Poet Laureate of Minnesota by Governor Tim Walz in 2021.
This event is in partnership with Thompson Park Activity Center, serving West Saint Paul.
Registration
Registration for this event through TriDistrict Community Education.
Registration Questions: help@isd199.org
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