Author Martin Kihn featured at Friends of Northeast Library talk

Martin Kihn writes about the world he knows – with a twist.  This includes his recent novel, Bad Dog: A Love Story, a touching tale that marks a true departure in Kihn’s  writing style.  Bad Dog follows the trials and triumphs  of Hola, the “most beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog in the world” who clearly lacks the niceties of training, and her “supposed master” who has some troubles of his own.

Kihn will share his unique take on the world on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, 6:30 p.m. at the Northeast Library, 2200 Central Avenue Northeast.

After twenty years of living and working in fast-paced New York City  Kihn moved from NYC to Northeast Minneapolis in October with his wife singer-songwriter Julia Douglass and, of course, Hola  – When asked why the move, Kihn says that his wife is from this area and Hola is taken with walks along the Mississippi and the Stone Arch Bridge area.

Though he is first-and-foremost a writer, Kihn adds that he is also “a digital marketer, dog lover, balletomane and spiritual athlete.”  Born in Zambia, Kihn grew up in suburban Michigan, earned a BA in Theater Studies from Yale and an MBA from Columbia Business School.  In Minneapolis he pursues his writing profession while managing his business career at Fallon.

A prolific writer, Kihn has published in a host of publications including the New York Times, GQ, Us and others.  He was on the staff of several publications and, in the late 1990’s, was head writer for the MTV show Pop-Up Video for which he was an Emmy nominee.

The self-deprecating Kihn admits that most of his earlier writing “could be called satirical or snarky, meticulously researched and office-based.” One of his early publications, affectionately entitled House of Lies: How management consultants steal your watch and then tell you the time (Grand Central 2005) reflects his three years working for a large consultant agency.  Though praised by the press, the book was not well received by professional colleagues who spammed Amazon.com with one-star reviews intended to sabotage the criticism of their trade.

Kihn moved on to produce his most popular book of that “snarky” period,  a  satirical stunt-memoir the premise of which is that a person who is too nice to get ahead in business decides systematically to turn himself into a jerk and reap the rewards.  It was a rage round the globe.

Bad Dog reflects an entirely different side of the writer.  Bad Dog: A Love Story, is the warm story of a troubled man and his badly behaved mountain dog.  It’s described as a “journey of redemption, as together man and dog reclaim their lives by working toward a common goal.”  Much more about Marty Kihn on his website on which Hola even appears in a new video on Kihn’s website.

Martin Kihn’s talk is presented by Friends of the Northeast Library.  Contact the Friends at northeast@friendsofhclib.org

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Legendary Paul Metsa at Northeast Library in Minneapolis

 

 

Reading the words of Paul Metsa as recorded in his memoir, Blue Guitar Highways, is a walk through the several decades of the local music scene with all of his and its connections with the ages and stages of American music writ large.

 

An Iron Ranger by birth Metsa, now a Northeast Minneapolis resident, will be sharing his stories with his neighbors and fans on Saturday, December 10, 1:00 p.m. at the Northeast Library, 2200 Central Avenue NE.  The special chance to meet and hear the legendary Metsa is sponsored by Hennepin County Library in conjunction with the Friends of the Northeast Library.

 

Metsa is not only known by just about everybody – he knows just about everybody.  No less an authority than Minnesota Law and Politics reports that “Metsa is a hodge-podge of people, a melting pot of different characters and performers.  He’s a songwriter, a folk singer, a blues singer, a guitarist, a social activist, a Finn, a storyteller, a comedian, a philosopher, and a conspiracy theorist.”

 

Describing an interview with Metsa Strib reporter Jon Bream writes that “he has booked bars (Famous Dave’s, Mayslack’s), organized festivals and put together almost as many benefit concerts as he’s played at.”  Metsa embraces a performing opportunity when and wherever the opportunity presents itself.  “Whether it’s the David Letterman show or the Gunflint Tavern in Grand Marais,” he told Jon Bream in that same interview.

 

Blue Guitar Highway, published recently by the University of Minnesota Press, tells the story of Metsa’s youth on the Range, his coming of age in the Seventies, and his involvement with the Minneapolis music scene in the Eighties – Husker Du, Prince, the Replacements and their ilk.  It covers, too, Metsa’s life as a professional musician working with the superstars of the American music scene.

 

Today he is busy promoting other artists, especially those whose music must be recorded and shared now, or lost.  My personal favorite is a recording featuring Willie West and Willie Walker, appropriately titled Paul Metsa Gives You the Willies.

 

And Saturday, December 10, he will be sharing his life, his philosophy, and his remarkable stories with those who are fortunate enough to be in the audience at Northeast Library for this unique close-to-home presentation.

 

Northeast Minnesota Book Awards Nominations Open

Hard to believe but nominations are now open for the 24^th Annual Northeastern Minnesota Book Award (NEMBA)!  First, congratulations to the committed folks at the UMD Library and the Duluth Public Library who have kept this significant initiative strong and growing for nearly a quarter century.

 

The award is open to books that are substantially representative of northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage or lifestyle.  For this competition the area is defined as Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis counties.

 

Deadline for nominations is February 1, 2012.  Authors will be honored on May 17, 2012 at a reception on the UMD campus.

 

All of the details are spelled out on the NEMBA website or available from UMD Library, Library Administration Office, 416 Library Drive, Duluth, MN 55812, libnemba@d.umn.edu or 218 726 6843.

 

 

Ka Vang Discusses Her Work at Hmong Writers Fireside Chat

For Ka Vang, promoting her creative work and chatting with  her readers does not come easily.  Some time ago she wrote “as Asians we are taught to be modest…humble…not to brag, and I try to adhere to this philosophy.”

 

Vang, a Minnesota writer with Hmong roots, is a versatile artist whose stories, essays, plays and poetry have been widely published in anthologies and as independent works.  She is the featured writer at the Hmong Writers Fireside Chat Series, presented by Hmong Arts Connection and Hnub Tshiab, Hmong Women Achieving Together.  The program includes a conversation with the Artist, Friday, November 11, 6:30 p.m. and a workshop on Magic Realism set for Saturday, November 12, 9:30-Noon.

 

Both conversations with Vang are at Dreamland Arts, 677 Hamline Avenue, St Paul.  On Friday there will be a reception following the program; on Saturday a continental breakfast will be provided.

 

Daughter of a major in the Royal Lao Army and a shaman, Vang was born in Long Cheng, Laos, in 1975.  After spending most of her early years in Thai refugee camps, she and her family settled in St. Paul’s Frogtown.

 

For Vang, as with her family and friends, bi-culturalism was a major influence on her young life.  Her interest in bi-culturalism and travel are evident in her academic life. After earning a degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota she attended Xavier University in New Orleans where she studied African American history and literature.  In the late 1990’s she studied at King’s College in London where she delved into literature and theater, with a focus on the work of William Shakespeare.

 

One way that Vang dealt with her issues of bi-culturalism was through her intense interest in international travel that is manifest in her life and her writing today. Reflecting her passion to understand Hmong culture in various environments, Hmong stories, folklore and customs she often writes about identity and heritage themes while interweaving magic realism throughout her work.

 

A highlight of Vang’s professional life was her recognition as recipient of the Jerome Study and Travel grant that allowed her to travel extensively in France and Germany to study the lives and folklore of the Hmong people who settled in Europe.  She has also researched the lives and folklore of the Hmong in Australia, Laos, and China.  Among her many honors are the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Grant and the Bush Artist Grant

 

Vang’s first stab at writing was as a journalist where she was one of the first Hmong reporters at several newspapers including the Minnesota Daily, the St Paul Pioneer Press and the Chicago Tribune.

 

Early in her writing life Vang turned her   creative interests  to playwriting when she was a fellow at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis.  Her one-act play Disconnect, was performed there and later at Theater Mu during the New Eyes Festival.  Disconnect continues to be performed and is published in the Hmong American literary anthology Bamboo Among the Oaks.  Other plays written by Yang have been published and performed; among her best known works is From Shadows to Light, which mixed contemporary international women’s issues with traditional art forms from Asia.

 

Vang reached out to new audiences with her short stories, poetry and essays that continue to be published in a host of anthologies.  Consistent themes and characteristics of her work include her frank confrontation of sex and sexuality, race, culture and racism as well as for her sometimes elaborate constructions and dark humor.  ( An example of this last – When asked by a reporter from the Asian American Press “Do you see yourself as a pioneer?” Vang replied “Please, give me a break.  Weren’t those the people who landed on Plymouth Rock?  Well, in the words of Malcolm X, I didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, it landed on me….”

 

Though most of her work is hers alone, Vang has also collaborated with numerous Hmong writers who live in Minnesota.  She has worked with Bao Phi, Ed Bok Lee, Juliana Pegues, Mai Neng Moua and others.

 

For ten years Vang was a regular contributor to Minnesota Women’s Press.  Though she is no longer writing for MWP Vang expresses her gratitude for “the opportunity to have written for so long for the Women’s Press.  Her writing now is focused on a work-in-progress.  Vang says “I am trying to find a publisher for my short story collection, tentatively titled Tou Tongue Tiger and the Infinite Story.  Vang says eaders should expect a collection with “elements of magical realism and old fashioned Hmong stories.”

Vang is also completing her first novel that tells the story of three generation sof Hmong women.

 

Vang’s literary life is an ongoing priority in a very busy life.  For the past six years Vang has been employed with the Minnesota State College and University system in the Office of the Chancellor where she is the Director of Diversity Programs.  In that role she provides training, technical assistance and other support for MnSCU colleges and universities.  She also finds time to be an active member of the community and a sometime political activist.

 

Still her priority is to be in communication with Hmong women who she feels are underrepresented in the decision-making process in their communities.  For example, in that same interview with the reporter from Asian American Press, Vang  responded to a question about “the explosion of Hmong writers from playwrights to slam poets” with this quick thought:  “I think it is a great thing….It is truly a Hmong renaissance happening to our people in America.  We have an explosion not only in arts, but also politics, and commerce, so I encourage all Hmong writers to get their work out to the community.  Every voice makes a difference.”

 

Though an exhaustive listing of Ka Vang’s published works is overwhelming, those who have not experienced her unique voice may wish to start with some of the following:

 

• Her essays and short stories appear in How do I begin? A Hmong American Literary Anthology, published by Heyday Books
• Riding Shotgun: Women Write about their Mothers, published by Borealis Press
• Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories, published by Lethe Press
• Bamboo Among the Oaks, published by Borealis Press
• Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home in the World, published by Penguin Books
• Disconnect, performed by Theatre Mu
• Dead Calling, performed at Intermedia Arts
• Shadows in Light, performed by Theater Mu at Mixed Blood

 

Questions?  email may@hmongartsconnection.org

 

Note:  The Fireside Chat series is funded in part by the Minnesota State Arts Board through the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

 

Northern Lights Videos Reflect Minnesota’s Literary Landscape

Every day in libraries, bookstores and living rooms throughout the state Minnesotans gather to pore over books by local authors, books about the state’s history, studies of the land itself, idiosyncrasies of Minnesotans and stories of their unique approach to life. Bibliophiles venture forth on lush summer days and blustery wintry evenings for readings and talks by Minnesota writers and illustrators, those who review Minnesota press, publishers and reviewers. In a word, Minnesota is a state of lifelong readers.

What many folks don’t know is that there is a rich heritage of interviews with Minnesotans who have left their words or continue to write for Minnesota readers. Northern Lights and Insights is a little known collection of videotapes that record interviews with well over 500 Minnesotans with ties to the written world. The videos were produced over a period of thirteen years, first by Hennepin County Library and subsequently by the Minnesota Center for the Book which, during the late 1980’s and 1990’s, was housed at Metronet. As Director of Metronet at that time I was and remain inordinately proud of having had a hand in the production.

Production of the series has ceased, though the need has not. Many of the interviewees have achieved great literary success in the intervening years; sadly, many have died. Over time I have developed an absolute compulsion to assure that those incredible interviews are known by Minnesotans who love the books and who may want to the authors, illustrators and publishers.

This post is a preliminary but determined step aimed at preserving and sharing one of the state’s literary treasures through the best means possible.

All of the Northern Lights videos, in a mix of formats including VHS and Beta, are available at the Minnesota Historical Society Library. With funding from the state Legislature we were able to make videos available through interested regional public library systems in 1999-2000. Many schools include Northern Lights videos in their collections. All of the videos are cataloged in elegant detail and posted on the Web. My fervent hope is that some day, if an appropriate agency or collaborative will take responsibility, this video legacy of Minnesota literature may be streamed on the Web.

Because the project was low key and low budget emphasis was on content, matching interviewees with the right interviewer, assuring that local cable, including the Metro Cable Network, carried the half-hour shows as they were produced. The low tech production involved the writer and willing interviewer (who had read the book) sitting down in a working office. Dave Carlson, a producer who could work video magic without a studio, top of the line technology, or fanfare captured the conversation, then edited the tape for distribution on cable.

In some ways this 20th century effort was a precursor of today’s quick and easy on-site video. Promotion of Northern Lights was far from a realistic possibility for our bootstrap system; having no resources for promotion freed us to focus all of our efforts on seizing the moment and preserving it for posterity.

Some samples of the Northern Lights and Insights offers the a taste of the richness of the video collection. To wit: The series includes interviews with Bill Holm, Robert Bly, Meridel LeSuer, Kate DiCamillo, Eugene McCarthy, John Sandford, Gary Paulsen, Patricia Hampl, Elmer L. Andersen, James Shannon, and some 700 others. Program episode lists can be found on the Minnesota Historical Society website and on the online catalogs of participating public, academic and school libraries through MnLINK . (Search “Northern Lights” and look for video recordings – you will find some entries that include the term but refer to books; just move on to the videos.) Many of the videos are available in several libraries around the state – or patrons may request interlibrary loan at any local library.

An Ardent Archives Advocate Is Born

Regular readers of this blog may wonder why so many recent pieces about archives and archivists. The truth is that American Archives Month has presented an opportunity to think about a topic I’ve wanted to ponder for a relatively short while. Though folks may think it’s in the librarian DNA to think about archives, the fact is my interest is fueled not by training or long years of working in the library world but by my more recent dip into writing, particularly writing about the history of my neighborhood.

As a patron of Special Collections at Minneapolis Central Library I have had the opportunity, the time and the incentive to dig deep into those archives. It’s in handling the documents and photos, reading the notes left by past archivists and librarians, noting the care with which the records are physically preserved, that I have come to appreciate the commitment of the individuals and of the institution itself to preserving the stories of our community.

Clearly, this is the same attitude and support that have created community library collections, county and local historical societies, the records of state agencies, nonprofits, the papers of individuals and institutions that have been shared, even digitized – and the records that have yet to be discovered.

Though it is my good fortune to be able to explore the archives in the serenity of the James Hosmer Special Collections – and with the generous assistance of extraordinary staff, I have become a ardent advocate for digitization that brings the content, if not the ambiance, to the learner. Whether that learner wants to know about his or her family, town, college, church, business, environment, house or neighborhood, the armchair searcher has exponentially expanding digital access. That means that archivists have not only turned paper photos into machine readable digits; they have cataloged the information so that the finding tools guide the searcher to the range of options or to the precise goal of the information quest.

It is of increasing concern that today’s extreme focus on today blinds the public and the Deciders to the importance – and the delight — of knowing from whence we came – and the beautiful human inclination to share with our descendents the stories of what we were thinking and doing “in the day.”

Something to think about as legislators, lobbyists and football franchise owners covet those Legacy funds that have opened the doors to many of the state’s archives.

Twin Cities Book Festival Bursts Forth Brighter and Wordier Than Ever October 15

It is not a moment too soon to lay in supplies for the impending Winter of 2011-12 – not fire logs or food but reading supplies.  The Rain Taxi: Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, October 15, 10:00-5:00 p.m., offers just the right opportunity to get started.  This truly sensational event is sponsored by Rain Taxi Review of Books which has created this grand gathering of the reading and books community for the past eleven years.

It’s a free and open celebration of books and reading that features an Exhibit and Book Fair showcase that represents a wide range of writers, publishers, literary organizations, booksellers and a host of bibliophiles of every stripe.  As in the past the Book Festival is at the Metropolitan Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Avenue, just off Loring Park.

The Twin Cities Book Festival website expands each day as planners add authors, panels, exhibits and more.  Those confirmed to date include this broad spectrum of writers who will be speaking, reading and signing at the Festival:

Ø     Diana Abu-Jaber

Ø     Tess Gallagher

Ø     Jaime Gordon

Ø     Ben Katchor

Ø     N.M. Kelby

Ø     Steven Pinker

Ø     Kevin Sorbo

Ø     Gary Tillery

Ø     Lawrence Weschler, and

Ø     Daniel Woodress

There are also panel discussions featuring Minnesota writers in a panel discussing “Telling Our Stories: Minnesota Memories”

Ø     Martin Kihn

Ø     Paul Metsa

Ø     Nancy Paddock

Ø     Theresa Weir, and

Ø     Mary Rondeau

And five Minnesota writers and creators will discuss :This Must Be the Place: Representing Minnesota”

Ø     Kevin Cannon

Ø     Wing Young Huie

Ø     Steve Healey

Ø     Susan Niz, and

Ø     Mary Rockcastle

Never to be left in the dark, members of the Mystery Writers of America Midwest Chapter, will discuss their craft.  Explore the creative minds of these mystery writers:

Ø     Raymond Benson

Ø     Erin Hart

Ø     Sujata Massey

Ø     Julie Kramer

Ø     Michael Allan Mallory, and

Ø     Carl Brookins

Check the Twin Cities Book Festival website for excellent bios of these writers and descriptions of their works.

Don’t stop with the readings and panels either.  There are exhibits, a children’s pavilion, a used book sale and a literary  magazine fair.

Everything free and open thanks to support from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council – with the collaboration of the sponsors and a host of volunteers who make the day run like clockwork.

If you can’t wait for the Saturday blast off, try the Friday evening kick-off, an exclusive screening of the documentary Shelf Life, the story of a day in the life of Powell’s City of Books.  Screening at 7:45 p.m. with a pre-film reception.  The kick-off is at the Whitney Fine Arts Theater at MCTC.  Tickets are $20 and seating is limited.  Proceeds support Rain Taxi Review of Books.

This and infinitely more on the Twin Cities Book Festival website.

Write On Radio! Is Right On.

A mix of events and connections have got me back to thinking more about Minnesota writers and the rich literary environment in which we are privileged to live and read.  It’s not the sort of thing one should forget, but it takes replenishment at times.

One of the supports I had let lapse is Write on Radio!  This is KFAI’s timely and eclectic weekly interview with Minnesota writers of every persuasion.  I was delighted to learn that this evening’s interviewee is Peter Smith, known to many of us as an MPR contributor whose wry humor gives a jump start to the morning.  From Write On Radio’s helpful notes I learned that Smith is a 30-year veteran of Twin Cities advertising and author of a newly released book A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors.

Smith will be interviewed on Write on Radio! this very evening, September 20, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  If, like me, you’re at a neighborhood meeting this evening, know that the interview is archived by KFAI for two weeks.  A review of the archived programs, including a special tribute to Roy McBride, makes a great read.

On the same show Penny Noyce, author of the children’s book Lost in Lexicon and Desiree Bussiere, marketing director for Scarletta Press will be talking about the Midwest Booksellers Association Conference, September 22-23 in St. Paul.

I learned all this by reading the latest weekly email from Write On Radio!  Anyone who has an interest in good reads and interesting writers may subscribe by simply sending an email address to producers.  The email updates offer scheduling information and background on gusts and weekly events.

Focus on Minnesota Presses Series Opens at Minneapolis Central Library

Though Minnesota readers know local writers and their works, we often know less about the publishers that nurture the authors, edit, design, publish  and promote their written words.  Friends of Hennepin County Library’s  Spotlight on Local Presses, a series of three evenings of literary events that feature presses that  have collectively published a wealth of fine literature known around the globe

Ø     Ed Bok Lee and Bao begin the series on Saturday, September 24, 8:00 p.m. with the launch of their most recent books of poetry, published by Coffeehouse Press.  Both authors are well known in the Twin Cities and on the national Asian American literary and spoken word scene.

Ø     The second program, Thursday, November 3, 7:00 p.m., focuses on Graywolf Press.  It’s a sneak preview of the new publishing series featuring authors Mary Rockcastle and Jeffrey Yang and Editors Fiona McCrae and Jeffrey Shotts.

Ø     Travel literature is big in December – enjoy armchair travel with an evening of travel, politics and prose with award-winning poet, journalist, translator and essayist Christopher Merrill who will discuss his new book The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War.  Merrill will be introduced and joined on stage by Daniel Slager, Publisher and CEO of Milkweed Editions.

All of the programs are free and open to the public, held in Pohlad Hall at Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall.    Times change so note with care.  There will be a book sale and wine to sip before the program with book sale, signings and dessert after each presentation.

More on the Friends website or call 612 543 8197