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Friends have noticed that the days are getting longer. Maybe the days are getting warmer, too, but I dare not speak too soon, in case the polar vortex makes me eat my words. Instead, I’ll follow the sun and write a letter or two because St. Valentine was known as a great letter writer. However you want to celebrate, or not celebrate, now, in the hope of longer days and maybe warmer weather, it is time to write and connect with the creative energies we love in Saint Paul.

On Tuesday, Minnesota holds its precinct caucuses. I know that we have spent a good deal of time cultivating a hefty measure of cynicism about politics. It’s been stewing for a long time, and out of that big pot, more beef is served every day. Caucuses are a place where you can trade that tired dish for a potluck with your neighbors. Pick your party, ideas, and thoughts to share. I could give you a couple dozen reasons to go, but a big one we should remember is the fact that communities need both artists and art, and need people who recognize how important art is to communities. That’s you—and your friends and family.

Hans Weyandt—who has co-owned Micawber’s with Tom Bielenberg since 2003— is quitting the book business to stay home and care for his three sons as his wife, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics, takes on a new position. The father of boys ages 6, soon-to-be-4 and 16 months, Weyandt said he’s had many men—especially older men—say they wish they would have done what he is about to do. And despite the prospect of spending more time with dad, Weyandt’s eldest, Elliott, isn’t happy that he will no longer be allowed to roam the stacks at Micawber’s—a place that’s been a part of his life from the beginning—and take a book home with him at whim.

The Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam Series, presented by TruArtSpeaks, is a series of poetry slams held throughout the Twin Cities from February 7th to March 29th, 2013. The series will identify six young people between the ages of 13-19 to represent MN in the international BRAVE NEW VOICES Youth Poetry Slam Festival (BNV) summer 2014!

A little more than a week ago, I attended a press conference on the Central Corridor in Frogtown that announced the Victoria Theater Arts Initiative, a new project that will launch an array of arts events and programs for Saint Paul. It was great to be out, amongst friends, even though most of the people there were folks I’d never seen before. It made me realize that getting out, even during a winter that has already been too long, makes the short days and low temperatures much easier to bear.

In the summer of 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till took the bus from Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives. He never returned and his murder became a focal point that highlighted the culture of terror under which African Americans had lived for four centuries. The awareness that followed this event made clear that the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. was about much more than getting a preferred seat on a bus. This is not just history: these experiences are recounted in the stories of our neighbors—both those who lived in the previous century and those who still live with racism today. The theatrical visions presented for four decades by Saint Paul’s Penumbra Theatre can be seen as ripples that still spread outward from the original splash of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

Now that the frigid winds of the polar vortex have retreated back to the habitat of fluffy killer bears and—like most Minnesotans—you’re back to wearing shorts and sending outdoor T-shirt selfies to Facebook friends in Florida, there’s no excuse to stay inside. This week, let Saint Paul provide a post-chill sensory explosion.

This is the time of year when things are quiet on the literary front. Booksellers are bundling up in front of the fire with their publisher catalogs and dreaming of which authors will stock their shelves and visit their stores, hopefully before winter leaves us. Meanwhile, around town, there is still more than enough happening to tempt us out of our hibernation and keep us connected to the pulse of the city.

One holiday is over, but the kids are still out of school. Maybe you were able to take in “History Center Holidays” at the Minnesota History Center. If not, the festivities continue through the last day of the year. Whether you already checked that one off your list, or if your family is moving at a slightly different speed, there are several other ways to ring in the new year.

Chances are, your neighborhood is now filled with young people who are starting an extended winter break from school. It is a hard time for grown-ups and near grown-ups to find a real break in this season, whether we have to go to a job or not, but maybe some of you are still lucky enough to be able to grab a little bit of a break. “Break” might not be the correct term, but we are here to suggest a few things that might “break” the stress of your holiday week.