ONLINE – Minnesota Writers Series: What We Hunger For
2022-04-25 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Online
Join the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) for readings and a discussion around the book, “What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family.” This book is the first text featured in MHC’s new Minnesota Writers Series, which amplifies recent publications from Minnesota authors.
The book’s editor, Sun Yung Shin, and contributors V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, May Lee-Yang, and Ifrah Mansour will read excerpts from the book and participate in a discussion around food, community, and the immigrant and refugee experience in Minnesota. Panelists and audience members will also be invited to take part in an object-based storytelling circle. Please bring an object, or have one in mind, that helps tell the story of the role of food in your culture. It could be a kitchen tool, spice, photograph, or anything else that connects to your story of food, family, or community.
Although this event was designed with members of immigrant and refugee communities in mind, all are welcome. This event is held in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library’s Read Brave program. A limited number of free books are also available. Contact karen@mnhum.org to reserve a copy.
This event is free but registration is required.
신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin was born in Seoul, Korea, during 박 정 희 Park Chung-hee’s military dictatorship, and grew up in the Chicago area. She is the editor of the new collection: What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories About Food and Family and the best-selling anthology A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. She is the author of poetry collections The Wet Hex (2022), Unbearable Splendor (finalist for the 2017 PEN USA Literary Award for Poetry, winner of the 2016 Minnesota Book Award for poetry); Rough, and Savage; and Skirt Full of Black (winner of the 2007 Asian American Literary Award for poetry), co-editor of Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption, and author of bilingual illustrated book for children Cooper’s Lesson and the coauthor with John Coy, Shannon Gibney, and Diane Wilson of Where We Come From, an illustrated book for children (2022).
V.V. (Sugi) Ganeshananthan, a fiction writer and journalist, is the author of Love Marriage, a novel set in Sri Lanka and its diaspora communities. The book was longlisted for the Orange Prize and named one of Washington Post Book World’s Best of 2008. She is the cohost of Literary Hub’s Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast, which is about the intersection of literature and the news. Excerpts from her second novel, forthcoming from Random House, have appeared in Granta, Ploughshares, and Best American Nonrequired Reading.
May Lee-Yang is a Minnesota-based Hmong American writer, performance artist, and teacher. Her theater works include The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity, Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman, and Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star. Her artmaking has been supported by the Playwrights’ Center McKnight Fellowship, the Jerome Foundation, the National Performance Network, the Bush Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Loft Literary Center. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Minnesota.
Ifrah Mansour is a Somali, refugee, Muslim, multimedia artist and an educator based in Minnesota. Her artwork explores trauma through the eyes of children to uncover the resiliencies of blacks, Muslims, and refugees by interweaving poetry, puppetry, films, and installations. Her work includes the play How to Have Fun in a Civil War, the exhibition Can I Touch It, the visual poem I Am a Refugee, and the mixed-media installation My Aqal, Banned and Blessed.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

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St. Paul – Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story
2022-05-24 18:30 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Photos courtesy of Theater Mu
Theater Mu will offer insight into why it is important to see Asian American heroes represented in television, film, and on stage. Mu artists will reflect on past and current examples of Asian protagonists in mainstream media paired with live performances. Attendees will then participate in reflective breakout sessions discussing how stereotypes and misconceptions have affected their lives (personally and professionally). The event will conclude with a community conversation on how positive representation in Asian American narratives can lead to more empathy and inclusion in the fabric of America.
Learn more about Theater Mu at theatermu.org.
Registration
Members of Minnesota’s Asian community are welcome to register using promo code HERO22 to waive the fee if they wish.
To ensure that cost is not a barrier, we have a limited number of complimentary spaces available for all Minnesota residents. If you would like to receive a complimentary spot, please register with the promo code FEEWAIVER.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy
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Minneapolis – The Art of Healing and Resilience Through Permaculture
2022-05-25 15:00 - 19:00 | The SEAD Project, 1007 West Broadway Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, United States
*75 is the fee for all four sessions. Participants are expected to attend all four sessions.
In celebration of May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the beginning of Minnesota’s planting season, the Minnesota Humanities Center is collaborating with The SEAD Project (Southeast Asian Diaspora) to provide a cohort interactive learning workshop series based on permaculture, a philosophy that integrates land, resources, people, culture, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies—imitating systems in nature. This unique series was co-created by SEAD Project, Hindolo Pokawa of Midwest Farmers of Color, and Southeast Asian community healers.
Learning outcomes include:

Introduction to permaculture philosophy and Southeast Asian practices
Cross cultural shared knowledge on sustainable community building and living (individually and collectively)
Healing and connection through planting, storytelling, group reflection, and community meal sharing
Awareness of agricultural ecosystems
Gardening and nature tending skills

No prior gardening experience required.
Each session includes authentic Southeast Asian cuisine prepared from local vendors, materials and supplies.
Schedule
Each session will be in-person. The first session will be held at The SEAD Project offices in North Minneapolis; remaining sessions will be held at the MHC Event Center (987 Ivy Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55106). Space is limited to a maximum of 40 participants.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 – 3:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. – Session One (SEAD Project offices)
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 – 4:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. – Session Two (MHC Event Center)
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 – 4:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. – Session Three (MHC Event Center)
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 – 4:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. – Session Four (MHC Event Center)
Registration
Special Announcement from The SEAD Project for Southeast Asian Community Members:
Through The SEAD Project, limited stipends up to $200 per participant are available for Southeast Asian community members who attend all four sessions to help cover registration fee, childcare, transportation, or other barriers to participation. For more information regarding The SEAD Project stipends, please contact The SEAD Project program director Jessica Eckerstorfer at jessica@theseadproject.org.
For participants who don’t qualify for the stipend, MHC scholarships are available for Minnesota residents. Please contact Jessica Rust at jessica@mnhum.org.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy

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St. Paul - The Art of Healing and Resilience Through Permaculture
2022-06-01 16:00 - 19:00, 2022-06-08 16:00 - 19:00, 2022-06-15 16:00 - 19:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States

St. Paul - Lunch and Learn: Juneteenth in Historical Context
2022-06-16 11:00 - 13:00 | Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 South Macalester Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States
The Minnesota Humanities Center, in partnership with the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, welcomes the public to a boxed lunch and learn event at Macalester College’s Arts Commons on “Juneteenth in Historical Context.” Scholar Angela Tate, curator of Women’s History at Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, will provide an in-depth background on: the history and significance of Juneteenth, how celebrations differ across the Black diaspora, the holiday’s recent reemergence, and how Juneteenth fits into the long civil rights movement. Professor Duchess Harris (Macalester College) will moderate a discussion.
Registration
Registration is required. Please select whether you will be attending the in person lunch and learn or joining the virtual talk only.
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St. Paul - Juneteenth Breakfast
2022-06-17 08:30 - 10:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join the Minnesota Humanities Center for a Juneteenth breakfast. Musical guest Jevetta Steele will perform, followed by a talk by Angela Tate, curator of women’s history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, who will highlight the role of women, and in particular Black sororities, in upholding Juneteenth traditions nationwide. Professor Duchess Harris will moderate a discussion.
Registration
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Golden Valley - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story (Morning Performance)
2022-06-17 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, yet many people are unfamiliar with its meaning and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center is honored to collaborate with Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and community to bring the significance of this day to life.
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.
Performances are free to attend, but registration is required.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Golden Valley – Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story (Reception and Evening Performance)
2022-06-17 17:30 - 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, yet many people are unfamiliar with its meaning and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center is honored to collaborate with Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and community to bring the significance of this day to life.
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. A special reception with light refreshments and emphasis on the significance of voting precedes the 7:00 p.m. show from 5:30 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.
Performances are free to attend, but registration is required.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul – Minnesota Writers Series: We Are Meant to Rise
2022-06-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) for readings and an interactive round table discussion around the book, “We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World,” which was published by University of Minnesota Press with More Than a Single Story.
The book’s editors, Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura, will be joined by contributors Anika Fajardo, Samantha Sencer-Mura, Suleiman Adan, and Tess Montgomery, to discuss the heavy task of writing about the past few years as writers of color, from COVID-19 and the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes to the community’s response to the murder of George Floyd. The panel, which includes two sets of family members, will also discuss how we talk about trauma and share stories generationally. Audience members will be invited to join in on the conversation at various points in the evening.
This event is part of the MHC’s new Minnesota Writers Series, which amplifies recent publications from Minnesota authors, and is being co-sponsored by Saint Paul Almanac.
This event is free but registration is required.
Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

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Learning in Community: St. Paul's Little Africa
2022-07-14 11:00 - 14:00 | Sabrina’s Café & Deli, 518 Snelling Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55104, United States
Minnesota is home to over 150,000 Africans, including the largest Somali population outside of Africa. Yet, many people are not aware of the rich cultural traditions and assets African immigrants and refugees bring to the vibrancy of our state. Build your cultural understanding and awareness of Minnesota’s African cultures as you immerse yourself within St. Paul’s Little Africa cultural corridor. This interactive, in-person experience will include an Ethiopian coffee ceremony at Sabrina’s Cafe & Deli, a tour of several African-owned businesses, lunch at the Eritrean-owned Snelling Cafe, and a special presentation of speakers and artists.
This event is a collaboration with African Economic Development Solutions.
Space is limited to 40 participants.
K-12 educators will receive 3 clock hours.
Registration
Members of Minnesota’s African communities are welcome to register using promo code LITTLEAFRICA to waive the fee if they wish.
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

Learning in Community: Hmong St. Paul
2022-07-16 09:00 - 13:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
There are nearly 300,000 Asian Minnesotans, more than 5% of our state’s population. Hmong, Lao, Cambodian, and Vietnamese make up about 60% of the Asian population in Minnesota. Build your cultural understanding and awareness as you immerse yourself within St. Paul’s vibrant Hmong community through an interactive, in-person experience. The day will begin and end at the Minnesota Humanities Center. We will travel by bus to Hmong Cultural Center’s new storefront museum for a tour and special presentation. We will then visit the iconic HmongTown Marketplace (a market of 125 small businesses and food vendors) where we will be greeted by the owner to learn about his story and have a guided tour of the market. There will be time for independent shopping and lunch.
This is a collaboration with Hmong Cultural Center and HmongTown Marketplace.
Space is limited to 40 participants. This experience is also being offered on June 25.
K-12 educators will receive 4 clock hours.
Please note: Registration cost does not include food. Participants are encouraged to support the financial recovery of small businesses by making purchases from the businesses they learn about on the tour. We recommend bringing cash, as not all vendors accept credit cards.
Registration
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All the World’s a Stage: Shakespeare 101
2022-07-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join teaching artists from the Classical Actors Ensemble for fancy-free theater games and an introduction to Shakespeare’s world and works. The actors will guide you through family-friendly hands-on, participatory activities to tap your inner thespian. Shakespeare won’t be Greek to you any longer. No cost: advanced registration appreciated but not required.
The following night, Sunday, July 17, Classical Actors Ensemble will be staging an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s play “Love’s Labor’s Lost” in the lawn outside of the Minnesota Humanities Center. This performance will close out Classical Actors Ensemble’s Shakespeare in Our Parks 2022 season, which traveled to over 15 outdoor locations across the greater Twin Cities.
Registration
Registration is not required for this free event, but does help in planning for the program.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED
Classical Actors Ensemble
Learn more about Classical Actors Ensemble and find all upcoming performances for this season.
LEARN MORE

Directors’ Preview: Love’s Labor’s Lost, Shakespeare, and Gender
2022-07-17 17:00 - 18:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Hannah Steblay and Samantha V. Papke, directors of Classical Actors Ensemble’s performance of William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost, will be joined by Shakespeare scholar Dr. Amy Muse, associate professor of English at the University of St. Thomas, to preview some of the themes the play explores, and the complexity of gender in Shakespeare’s world. Dinner will be provided. Registration is required for this in-person event.
Following the directors’ talk, Classical Actors Ensemble will be staging an outdoor production of “Love’s Labor’s Lost” in the lawn outside of the Minnesota Humanities Center beginning at 7 p.m. This performance will close out Classical Actors Ensemble’s Shakespeare in Our Parks season, which traveled to over 15 outdoor locations across the greater Twin Cities.
Registration
Registration is required for this free event.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED
Classical Actors Ensemble
Learn more about Classical Actors Ensemble and find all upcoming performances for this season.
LEARN MORE

Shakespeare in Our Parks: Love’s Labor’s Lost
2022-07-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
The Minnesota Humanities Center is proud to host the final outdoor performance of William Shakespeare’s play, “Love’s Labor’s Lost,” put on by Classical Actors Ensemble as part of the Shakespeare in Our Parks program, which travels to over 15 locations across the greater Twin Cities every summer.
The play features the young King of Navarre and his three friends who swear off all worldly pleasures for three years in order to better themselves through study. Their plan is immediately put to the test when the Princess of France and her three ladies-in-waiting arrive on a diplomatic mission and the priorities of head and heart go to war.
Registration
Registration is not required for this free event, but does help in planning for the performance.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED
Classical Actors Ensemble
Learn more about Classical Actors Ensemble and find all upcoming performances for this season.
LEARN MORE

St. Cloud and ONLINE - Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times
2022-07-21 16:00 - 17:30, 2022-07-28 16:00 - 17:30, 2022-08-04 16:00 - 17:30, 2022-08-11 16:00 - 17:30 | Whitney Senior Center, 527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN, 56303, United States
Engage in lively thought-provoking conversations on what it means to live a virtuous life. There are numerous reasons the insights of ancient philosophers such as Epicurus, Confucius, and Aristotle have stood the test of time.

“Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul.” Epicurus
“To know what you know and what you do not know is the mark of one who knows.” Confucius
“Happiness is an activity in accordance with virtue.” Aristotle

What they have to offer continues to remain instructive today. In this four-session course, we will examine selections of text from these ancient figures, seeking not only to evaluate their claims, but also inquiring how we might apply their lessons to our lives today.
This course will be led by John Houston, longtime philosophy professor (most recently at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University) and instructor with Wisdom’s Edge, a nonprofit organization committed to bringing philosophy to all.
Schedule
July 21, 2022 – 4:00-5:30 p.m. CST
July 28, 2022 – 4:00-5:30 p.m. CST
August 4, 2022 – 4:00-5:30 p.m. CST
August 11, 2022 – 4:00-5:30 p.m. CST
*$40 is the fee for all four sessions.

Participants are expected to attend all four sessions.
Registration
While all are welcome to participate, we especially encourage participation from those 55+, as we value the rich history of life experiences to relate to the material and to other individuals in the class. For those 55+, register with promo code MHC55 for a discount of $15.
We are offering this course in collaboration with the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud. One doesn’t need to be a member of or associated with Whitney to join. Class participants have the option of joining from Zoom or in-person at the Whitney Senior Center. You will be asked your preference when registering.
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org | MHC Cancellation Policy

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Minneapolis - Celebrate the Diversity of Latinx Language, Poetry, and Culture with Palabristas
2022-09-01 18:00 - 20:30 | El Colegio High School, 4137 Bloomington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States
Minnesota is home to over 345,000 people of Latino/a/e/x descent – the fastest growing cultural community in the state. We often refer to all communities originating from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean countries as ‘Latin,’ without realizing the great diversity in culture, language, traditions and social customs in each one of these communities: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Ecuadorian, Cuban, Colombian, Chilean, and others.
Build your cultural awareness as we learn about celebrate the diversity of Latino/a/e/x language, poetry, and culture with members of Palabristas – a community spoken word Latinx-Minnesotan collective. Activities will include poetry and spoken word performances, conversation and food sharing, and a creative writing activity. This event will be hosted at El Colegio – a Chicano-Latino South Minneapolis High School.
Registration
This event is open to anyone from middle school age through adult.
While there is no cost to attend, registration is requested.
Space is limited to 50 participants.
K-12 educators will receive 2 clock hours.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Duluth - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story
2022-09-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Denfeld High School, 401 North 44th Avenue West, Duluth, MN, 55807, United States
In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance, yet many people are unfamiliar with its meaning and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center is honored to collaborate with Duluth Public Schools, Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and the greater Duluth community to bring the significance of this day to life.
Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute two-act dramatization of a traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer enslaved 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. Stay for a post-show discussion with the cast moderated by Carl Crawford from the Duluth Office of Human Rights.
Open seating will begin at 6:45 p.m. The show will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.
Registration
The performance is free to attend but registration is required in managing seating capacity.
Open seating will begin at 6:45 p.m. The show will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Learning in Community: North Minneapolis
2022-09-24 13:00 - 17:00 | Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Plymouth Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, United States
Photos courtesy of MAAHM and King Neumel
North Minneapolis is rich in history, culture, and community inspiration. Build your cultural understanding and awareness of the African American community in North Minneapolis. This interactive, in-person experience will include a private tour of the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, stories from community members on the impact of longtime Northside organizations, and samplings of food from local Black-owned restaurants. Participants are encouraged to reflect on the organizations and institutions that have nurtured and inspired them.
This event is a collaboration with the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery and the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC).
Registration
Space is limited to 40 participants.
K-12 educators will receive 4 clock hours.
If cost is a barrier, contact Jessica Rust, jessica@mnhum.org.
This event is open to all. Members of Minnesota’s African American community are welcome to register using promo code NORTHMPLS to waive the fee if they wish.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

St. Paul - Shoua and the Northern Lights Dragon: Musical Performance and Discussion
2022-09-25 13:30 - 15:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
Join us for a brand-new musical performance by Chione Quintet based on Twin Cities author Ka Vang’s Shoua and the Northern Lights Dragon. This short chapter book, published by the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) and the Minnesota Humanities Center in 2012, tells the story of Shoua, a Hmong American girl who discovers her voice as she saves an injured dragon while camping in the north woods of Minnesota. Hear this story set to beautiful and evocative music composed by fellow Minnesotan, Jocelyn Hagen, with narration by Ka Vang. Chione Quintet combines musical character themes with American Sign Language and will share the stories of each of their instruments and the ensemble they create–the wind quintet!
Hear from Sia Her, Executive Director of CAPM, about the project that led to the publication of this wonderful book and five others – The Reading Together Book Project, which addresses the importance of children’s books that speak to the rich and diverse cultural identities reflected in the U.S. You will also hear from author Ka Vang about the significance and impact the book and performance have had on her.
Children of all ages are welcome! There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Refreshments from a local Asian market will be served.
Chione [kiōn] is a Twin Cities-based woodwind quintet comprised of innovative and cross-disciplinary women. The unique and evolving medium provides an outlet to explore and create new sounds while redefining and rediscovering lesser-known music. Chione is committed to collaborating with professionals of all genres and creative outlets, with particular interests in commissioning new pieces and performing works by women artists. Throughout each endeavor, Chione aims to reach a wide range of audiences with the hopes of inspiring contemporary and aspiring artists as well as supporters of the arts.
Registration
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St. Paul - Minnesota Writers Series: After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief
2022-09-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Minnesota Humanities Event Center, 987 Ivy Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, 55106, United States
The Minnesota Humanities Center welcomes the next author in our Minnesota Writers Series, Andrea Gilats, who will be reading from her book, “After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief.” In addition to talking about her own experience with grief following the death of her husband, Gilats will also discuss how the process of writing helped with her own healing and understanding. Following the reading, the author will be joined by Dr. Ben Trappey, co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for the Art of Medicine (CFAM), for a discussion on complicated grief and the healing benefits of writing, both physical and emotional.
Registration
While this program is free and open to all with registration, part of the CFAM’s mission is to cultivate creativity, curiosity and empathy in physicians and physicians-in-training through the arts and humanities. Medical professionals in attendance will have the opportunity to discuss their own complicated relationships with grief, perhaps intensified during our pandemic-ravaged world of loss and isolation.
A reception with heavy appetizers will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the talk from 6:30-8 p.m.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

POSTPONED - Mankato - Poetry in the Parks
2022-10-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Blue Earth County Library, 100 East Main Street, Mankato, MN, 56001, United States
What does nature mean to you? Students in grades 5-8 are invited to join Minnesota’s Poet Laureate Gwen Westerman and fellow poet Michael Torres* for a daylong writing workshop at Minnesota State Parks. Alongside the poets, students will explore the beauty of nature and write their own poems. Students will receive instruction and encouragement to write in their home languages as well as English.
Each workshop will run from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and has space for 20 students in grades 5 – 8 (academic year 2022-23). Pens and notebooks will be provided, and students will be given prompts in advance. Refreshments will include morning and afternoon snacks and lunch.
Bus transportation will be provided from Blue Earth County Library to Minneopa State Park.
*At select locations

Online - Truth, Equity, & Justice: How We Make Our Way Forward (Again) Together Conference
2022-10-06 09:00 - 16:00 | MN, United States
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Truth, Justice, and Equity conference will be held virtually. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope that you will be able to join us virtually for these important conversations.
Generations of scholars have argued that America will never be whole until reparations are provided for the moral debt created by slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the vestiges of the caste system it created. The international cry for justice after the murder of Mr. George Floyd and the stark racial disparities lead bare by the pandemic have renewed the sense of urgency around reparations and truth and reconciliation commissions.
The Center for the Study of Black Life and Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Minnesota Justice and Equity Partnership invite you to join us for a day filled with song, poetry, and conversation about how we move toward justice with:

International renowned scholars and lawyers involved in securing reparations and creating Truth and Reconciliation commissions outside of the United States,
Community advocates pursuing reparations and the creation of Truth and Reconciliation commissions in Minnesota, and

Scholars and lawyers sharing insights concerning federal legislation involving reparations and the formation of truth and reconciliation commissions.

Invited guests include Virginie Ladisch, Senior Expert, Programs, at the International Center for Transitional Justice, Marcella Naidoo, former Regional Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and Executive Director of the Black Sash, and Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison. This is a beginning, not an end. The event partners are planning a series of events in 2023 to continue this focus and work to transform our collective future.
Registration
This event is free but registration is required. This event will be available to rewatch until October 30, 2022. Continuing Legal Education credits will be applied for post-conference for lawyers seeking such credits.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

Minneapolis - Learning in Community: LGBTQ+ History in Downtown Minneapolis
2022-10-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Photos courtesy of the Jean Nickolaus Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies and Hennepin County Library
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is far from being flyover country; our metro area has some of the richest and deepest LGBTQ+ history in all of North America. Grow your understanding of this history with an interactive, in-person walking tour of downtown/central Minneapolis, an area deeply entangled with LGBTQ+ people’s stories, movements, and place in the world.
Be immersed by traveling through downtown Minneapolis, interspersing history with storytelling from local LGBTQ+ activists and artists. Learn about how down-and-out drifters in the notorious Gateway District helped shape a Twin Cities gay identity, how lesbians threw parties in deserted industrial warehouses, how gay and lesbian political power was built in response to police raids, and how one of the first Pride festivals grew from a ragtag group marching up Nicollet Mall.
We hope you’ll come along!
This event is a collaboration with Telling Queer History.
Registration
Space is limited to 40 participants.
K-12 educators will receive 3 clock hours.
This experience involves approximately 2.5 miles of walking and standing, starting and ending at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Audio headsets will be provided for amplification of the tour guide and storytellers.
This event is open to all. Members of Minnesota’s LGBTQ+ community are welcome to register using promo code LGBTQ-HISTORY to waive the fee if they wish.
To ensure that cost is not a barrier, we have a limited number of complimentary spaces available for all Minnesota residents. If you would like to receive a complimentary spot, please register with the promo code FEEWAIVER.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED

POSTPONED - Austin - Poetry in the Parks
2022-10-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Austin Public Library, 323 4th Avenue Northeast, Austin, MN, 55912, United States
What does nature mean to you? Students in grades 5-8 are invited to join Minnesota’s Poet Laureate Gwen Westerman and fellow poet Michael Torres* for a daylong writing workshop at Minnesota State Parks. Alongside the poets, students will explore the beauty of nature and write their own poems. Students will receive instruction and encouragement to write in their home languages as well as English.
Each workshop will run from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and has space for 20 students in grades 5 – 8 (academic year 2022-23). Pens and notebooks will be provided, and students will be given prompts in advance. Refreshments will include morning and afternoon snacks and lunch.
Bus transportation will be provided from Austin Public Library to Myre Big Island State Park.
*At select locations

St. Paul - Armed With Language: Film Talk
2022-10-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Plank Museum and Visitors Center at Historic Fort Snelling, 200 Tower Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55111, United States
In the height of WWII, Historic Ft. Snelling was home to a little-known Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS). Thousands of Nisei men and women (second generation Japanese Americans) were trained as linguists and translators and played a crucial role in helping the U.S. to end the war. They served in the U.S. military despite the fact that tens of thousands of Americans of Japanese descent were being imprisoned in concentration camps for the supposed security risk they posed to the country.
Their story is shared in the 2021 TPT documentary, Armed With Language. Join producer Katie O’Rourke as she engages the film’s writer David Mura, and Karen Tanaka Lucas who is featured in the film, in a reflective conversation, a year on from its debut. Along with viewing some of the film footage, Katie, David and Karen will explore why this history has remained so hidden from public knowledge, their personal stories and connections with MISLS, and the complicated histories that intertwine at the site of Historic Ft. Snelling. The conversation will end with a Q&A session with audience members.
Hosted by Historic Ft. Snelling, in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, TPT Twin Cities, and the Twin Cities Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). This is a free event.
Registration
Doors of the Plank Museum and Visitors Center at Historic Fort Snelling will open at 5:15 p.m.; the event will begin at 6:00 p.m.in the Event Space on the second floor; audience members are invited to bring their curiosity and questions to share with the speakers.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED
