The Man in the Housing Bubble Did he die? Or just abandon his house to the “Ugly” people? Ug bought my next-door neighbor’s house. I didn’t think it was dilapidated enough to be purchased by the “We Buy Ugly Houses” people, but apparently it was. When I moved in, my landlady warned me that the … Read more
Nick Hook never envisioned himself as an editor. When he was thrust behind the helm of the Whittier Globe in April of last year, he had virtually no writing experience. Nick had been shuffling between gigs as a rocker with Vinnie and the Stardusters and a lackey in the corporate world when he decided to … Read more
Has “bird flu” already arrived in one of the world’s most crowded cities? The other morning an old man spent several minutes mumbling angry Shanghainese phrases at the two parakeets that hang in cages in front of my apartment building. A few of the old women who regularly congregate in front of the gate watched … Read more
Since we do listen to our voice mail, it’s a valid way to communicate with us. This month, we had a number of calls about April’s cover subject, Tom Friedman [“A Man of His Times”]. Friedman’s old friends, colleagues, and even rivals phoned us. Tom M. said his mother and Mrs. Friedman were old card-playing … Read more
I’m sure Santino Fontana will be great as Hamlet. But you’re wrong to suggest that casting him is somehow authentic, rescuing the part from inappropriately “fat, bearded, balding guys.” “The Prince of Denmark is twenty or so years old” says Straight Talk [March]. No, Hamlet is thirty. The gravedigger in Act Five, when asked how … Read more
What a lovely article Jennifer Vogel wrote about walking in dear old Minneapolis. I’m a complete walking geek myself–walking to work and many other places because I choose to. It grows from a love of the city (whatever that city may be–Seattle now, or Shanghai, Hanoi, and or wherever I’ve lived) and what I can … Read more
I crave depth. Sometimes I read the McNews but always thirst for more. Your magazine is a deep drink of cool water in an ADD-media world. I can hardly wait for each issue to come out, and I devour every article (and yes, even the advertisements). Kudos especially for “The Long Walk” [April]. When I … Read more
The Calhoun Beach Club’s on-site restaurant wins Facelift of the Year. The rejuvenated space (pictured here), once home to Dixie’s, is now a restaurant worthy of the club’s luxe membership. The warm, orangey colors; clean, modern lines; and cushy pod furniture are invitingly swank, but this place isn’t all about show. View’s sesame-encrusted salmon with … Read more
In 1949, Jerome Liebling left the established New York art scene for the academe, taking up an influential post as professor of film and photography in the University of Minnesota’s fledgling fine arts program. As he set down roots here, his outsider’s perspective drew him toward people and places–scenes from St. Paul’s slaughterhouses, work-worn faces … Read more
That old Thomas Edison saw about inspiration and perspiration? It came to mind when we received Alison McGhee’s response to our question about which five things she’d take with her to a deserted island. McGhee, a Minneapolis-based writer who has won two Minnesota Book Awards, didn’t just answer the question–first she wrote an entire essay … Read more