Art by Maya Rose
Mears Park
By Martin Devaney ● 2016
Where I first put my arm around you. Clad in red coats and autumn hats, we walked from the Farmers’ Market, bags of basil in hand, then arm in arm. The dog waited.
The Sweet Potato Lady (Deborah Torraine)
2016
When I see sweet potatoes, I often think of Deborah Torraine. Deb was a community organizer in the Twin Cities. She always referred to herself as a cultural worker; she was a mentor to new and emerging artists, and the Director of Community Engagement for the Saint Paul Almanac.
Wokiksuye
2016
Driving back from the reservation, I cross a small bridge into Saint Paul. I feel the troubled waters. I think of my grandfather’s people,the Dakota. I think of how they lived by the water, how they made fire by the water.
Contribute to the Saint Paul Almanac
2015
Dear Almanac Reader, I need you to do something right now, before the end of the year. Take a moment and make a contribution to the work of the Almanac.
TWISP | This Week In Saint Paul: Monday, December 28th, 2015 – Sunday, January 3rd, 2016
2015
I want to share a few of those important things with you this week, as well as an important note to our faithful readers over the past two years. We are changing more than just our calendars. We are going through some changes here at TWISP, and we want to keep you with us as we transform the new year and ourselves.
TWISP | This Week In Saint Paul: Monday, December 21st – Sunday, December 27th, 2015
2015
A brief taste of winter was scooped into our season’s palate for a moment last week. It was good to feel this check of reality in today’s atmosphere where reality is such an easy casualty of insane ambition and a pervasive willingness to accept entertainment as fact. It is no irony that the past month’s weather reminds us of the discourse of the airwaves.
“Makato Wokiksuye” Dakota Writers Speak to Presence
2015
On the 153rd anniversary of the largest mass execution in the history of the United States, the hanging of thirty-eight Dakota men in Mankato for their role in the U.S. Dakota War, contemporary Dakota writers speak to Presence.
Christmas Unplugged
2015
Jenna already has her lights up, of course. I would have mine up, too, except ever since Sam fell into the Grand Canyon, I have been a little behind on things.
Dancing at the Crossroads
2015
Saint Paul is my chosen home, the place where I feel most deeply that I belong. Now. It has not always been so.
TWISP | This Week In Saint Paul: Monday, December 14th – Sunday, December 20th, 2015
2015
In Saint Paul, our sisters and brothers invest sweat and tears in freedoms, artistic and otherwise. Sometimes we offer a welcome hat, and other times we try our best to offer refuge against the protestations of neighbors who have forgotten how and why their great grandparents came here.
Letter to the Lady Who Fell
2015
I'm sorry you fell Tuesday night, a little after 8 p.m. I hope you're okay. Your husband looked mighty upset when you fell.
TWISP | This Week In Saint Paul: Monday, December 7th – Sunday, December 13th, 2015
2015
Almost a month late, a thin version of the winter blanket has come to the landscape. Shifting landscapes meet changing climates that days later gave me the opportunity to be outside in a strange December balm.