This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, August 11,–Sunday 17, 2014

The most important thing you do this week is something that is happening on Tuesday, August 12, all over Saint Paul at a place close to you. In fact, it is happening all over Minnesota. It is primary election day. In spite of the many efforts to encroach on voting rights, Minnesota still remains one of the less problematic places to exercise that legal and moral entitlement.

This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, August 4,–Sunday 10, 2014

We have about a month of summer left. Folks who bring us all the State Fair fun have been breaking in the fairgrounds and getting ready for the great get-together. The summer has not been lazy for a lot of us, especially the young people who have been pedaling around Storymobile, which has been a great way for us to meet even more neighbors than we’ve collected through the years of publishing the Saint Paul Almanac.

The Welcoming Energy of Lowertown

  The final stop on the new Green line light rail in Saint Paul is historic lowertown: easy to get to, very walkable, and connected by the Morgan, Bruce Vento,

August 21, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic with Jeremiah Bey

Jeremiah Bey is a visual artist and writer/storyteller. He currently works as both an independent artist, and a Juxtaposition Arts roster artist. Jeremiah was born and raised in North Minneapolis as one of four children. He credits growing up in a full house with teaching him the value of multiple perspectives, and the importance of other voices in the creative thought process.

August 14, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic with Michelle Be

A native of south Minneapolis, Michelle Be is a spoken word poet, visual artist, theater artist, and musician. She uses her work to dive into many levels of introspection in order to reconfigure, heal, and progress. With a background in Psychology, Michelle aims to bridge science and spirituality through her art: “I am most interested in connecting with audiences on a cerebral level. This allows me to remain authentic in expressing that which forms in my creative state of mind.”

July 31, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic – Odes

Tonight is all about Odes. A form that allows you to show your appreciation for someone, some thing or some place that moves you. It will be a night of humor, laughter, love and light. Hope to see you here!

This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, July 28–Sunday, August 3, 2014

We are marking the days until the second Thursday of September, the same Thursday each year on which we hold one of the best parties in Lowertown. It is the Release Party for the 2015 Saint Paul Almanac, and it will, again, be a very fun night at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar

This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, July 21–Sunday, July 27, 2014

It’s Lowertown Reading Jam time again. This is the last in this year’s series, which has been among the strongest since the inception of the LRJ. This week, Mankwe Ndosi is the curator of the Jam. Mankwe describes herself as a “musicmaker, performer, educator, and culture weaver focused on sound, story, and expanding the vocabulary of singing.”

This Week in Saint Paul: Monday, July 14–Sunday, July 20, 2014

Storymobile continues to roll through town and people continue to flock to it—not quite like the ice cream truck, but with more focus and sincerity… and you don’t have to ask Mom or Dad for money before Storymobile rolls by. We have young people pedalling hard to keep up with all of your stories. And Saint Paul’s arts community is giving us a lot to keep us busy, making new stories as we remember the old ones.

Saint Paul Almanac Book Release Party

The Saint Paul Almanac is a literary organization that creates opportunities for understanding, learning, and building relationships through sharing people’s stories. For Immediate Release July 10, 2014 – Join us

July 24, 2014 – Soul Sounds Open Mic with Rebecca Song

Rebecca Song has parts made in China and Canada and assembled in the United States. In writings that could be considered poetry or spoken word, she explores her reality as a 1.5-generation immigrant, Asian/Asian American, and woman of color. She is the recipient of the Inroads Mentorship Award in 2013, is a Community Editor for the Saint Paul Almanac, and currently sits on the organizing committee for the Twin Cities World Refugee Day. She also loves reading and performing her pieces, but only time will tell if she’s any good at it (although the critics have decided that she is very good at it).