My mother is a gifted caretaker. She’s nursed me through three births and two surgeries. I’ve watched her sit with dozens of friends and relatives who were sick or grieving. When I was very young, she volunteered at a hospital and I remember the things she told me when I would go with her: people … Read more
Looking for a great Fringe Festival show to see this weekend? Go see Ben Kreilkamp’s The Book of Pops. Here are a few video previews of some of my favorite scenes. The Book of Pops will be performed Friday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m., at the Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake … Read more
Soooooo my sister is coming to town. With my natural hospitality tinged by a pinch of sibling rivalry, it means that I need to bring my A-game … without it seeming like I’m bringing my A-game. I have to pull off flavorful and different, while exuding simplicity and ease. Spain may be the key. I’ve … Read more
…if people who expect nothing come away empty-handed, then there really is no hope. —William Maxwell, Time Will Darken It The dead flicker like candles around you. They are burning their memories for warmth. —Kelly Link, “Flying Lessons” This world is full of war criminals, many of whom have never fired a weapon in their … Read more
It all started a couple years ago with Bob. Bob started video taping his 60-second rant and posting them online. These were your typical daily rants, rants about the news, rants about the world, rants about Tyra Bank’s dolphin phobia — Drinking with Bob — rants that you could hear at any bar on a … Read more
Notice: There is actually a respectable fashion event going down tonight. However, in my dual roles as theater and fashion writer (and a triple as a full-time employee), I’m afraid I’ll be missing Commingle in favor of catching one, maybe two Fringe Festival shows this evening. Nevertheless, my fashionable friends, this Commingle show was a … Read more
lucky boozers… Am I becoming disenchanted with my favorite show? I’m ok with cross-marketing when it highlights chefs and their restaurants, or maybe a high quality name brand ingredient or sweet blender or something. But I’m a little worried when Cold Stone asks the kids to come up with a Mix-In for ice cream as … Read more
BOOKS Writing the Unwritten With Burning Down the House (1997), a collection of essays on writing, Charles Baxter became a fixture, by proxy, in fiction workshops everywhere. In his new book, The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot (Graywolf Press), Baxter goes on to explore the unwritten aspects of writing. He sets out to prove that, … Read more
This photo was passed along to me without any idea who the photographer was. If anyone knows, I’ll happily credit them for what I think captures an iconic moment in Minnesota government, namely Gov. Pawlenty and his, uh, anti-government, “No New Taxes,” transportation advisers, (note Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau beaming at left), vetoing last year’s … Read more