Artists of all stripes have turned the MIA’s gallery devoted to Minnesota artists into a ground zero for political propaganda. Sweeping, populist, and endearingly shaggy, the exhibit has more in common with the bulletin boards on college campuses or at community centers than with the remote atmosphere of your average art gallery. Through an ongoing … Read more
Hard to believe it’s been five years since Franklin Art Works, the little art gallery that could, added a new chapter to the life of a vaudeville theater-turned-porn multiplex. Now, of course, it’s a sleek yet simple space exhibiting work from both local and national artists, many of whom probably wouldn’t otherwise be shown in … Read more
Our good friend Webster defines the book primarily as “a set of written sheets of skin or paper, bound together in a volume” or “a long written or printed literary composition.” Its secondary (and, we feel, more progressive) definition is “something that yields knowledge or understanding.” The selections from Walker Art Center’s library on display … Read more
Chang acquired quite an illustrious reputation with Hunger, her first collection of stories. Now she’s exceeded the expectations generated by that book with her first novel, Inheritance, a multi-generational saga that follows the Wang family through the twentieth century, from imperial China to modern America. At one point, Chanyi, “old” at thirty-four and part of … Read more
In a world without Paul Wellstone, Gilb is that much more of a treasure. Having written two acclaimed story collections and a novel, he is back with a potent series of thirty-six essays, Gritos. A quote from one, a brief tribute titled Steinbeck, tells you where he’s coming from: “The literary world is a powerful … Read more
At last, a biography of the man whom many call the greatest guitarist ever. Django Reinhardt was born in Belgium in 1910 to gypsy parents, and began playing music when he was twelve. At eighteen, he was almost killed in a fire that left him the use of only two fingers on his left hand. … Read more
Bonnie and Clyde didn’t act alone—actually, their crime spree became the ultimate double date when Clyde’s brother Buck and his wife Blanche joined in the reindeer games. Of the four, Blanche is the only one who lived to tell the whole sordid tale, which she put down on paper while serving time in the thirties. … Read more
A few years back, A.J. Jacobs was feeling like a bit of a nincompoop. At the age of thirty-five, he had long ago forgotten everything from his Nietzsche seminar at Brown University. His work life, writing for the likes of Entertainment Weekly and Esquire, inspired a concern for all things superficial: movie stars, boy bands, … Read more
Tucked into a cute side street in Linden Hills, Café 28 is a secret we’d rather not reveal—but we’ll think of it as long-term security. Remember the D’Amico joint in the old fire station next to Wild Rumpus books? That’s the place. Unlike the previous tenant, this restaurant is an upscale sit-down affair, with a … Read more
You might have heard about this new “coffee shop” in the heart of Northeast, but trust us: Wilde Roast is so much more than lattes and scones and free publications and concert notices strewn about. We might even go so far as to say that it strives to be all things to all people. They’re … Read more