David Beard
The Third Day of FinnFest
Every day at FinnFest the Saami Cultural Center is presenting “The Story of Akanidi, Daughter of the Sun.” I’m super-proud of my colleagues at UMD and around the region who work with the center.
Unrelated to this exhibit, this YouTube video tells the story — consider it my attempt to whet your appetite.
Preparing for FinnFest
Tomorrow, FinnFest starts in Duluth. It is an annual event that has been held all over the United States. According to the website, “FinnFest USA creates a broad national community involving all Finnish Americans, Finnish citizens living in America, and all Americans interested in Finland and/or Finnish America.” (more…)
Proving I am who I say I am
While I often avoid politics in my public writings, I want to take a few minutes to explain the life of someone different from most people, in a small way, that may reveal the complexities of some recent legislation proposed at the federal level. (more…)
The Will and the Way
Judy Gibbs introduced me to The Will and the Way series of books about the creation of a number of Duluth institutions. (more…)
Duluth authors Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence return to UMD to share insights with students
University of Minnesota Duluth alumni Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence spoke to students in the Writing Studies major in April. Hafdahl and Florence offered tips, tricks and profound insights into the publishing process. (more…)
Welcome to the Thirteenth Floor
Local and worldwide authors attended the celebration of the Nemadji Review. The 13th issue is titled “The 13th Floor.”
Tina Higgins Wussow, one of many local luminaries, read during the event. (more…)
Figure Painting at DPL
Saturday, the owner of Rogue Robot Games & Comics led a free class in figure painting at the Duluth Public Library. (more…)
Train Day at the Depot
Saturday was National Train Day. The Depot was hopping, and I loved it. Picture of a very cool train set below. (more…)
The Peoples Temple: A Unique Duluth Resource
My friend and colleague Elizabeth Nelson has donated some remarkable materials to the archives at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
The Elizabeth Nelson Peoples Temple Collection contains items relevant to the alternative religious organization founded by Jim Jones, best known for a mass suicide/murder in 1978 at its “Jonestown” settlement in Guyana. (more…)
Arrowhead Regional Arts Council 2024 Grant Recipients
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced its most recent grant recipients. (more…)
Duluth playwright to celebrate world premiere of ‘Two of Us’
Congratulations to my colleague, Mark Stanfield, on the forthcoming world premiere of his play, Two of Us. It will be performed Sept. 13-21 at the Watford Palace Theatre in England, with a transfer to Home Manchester, and then a national tour in 2025. The play dramatizes a last conversation between Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
More information about the play can be found at the Watford Palace Theatre site.
Adas Israel: A Talk and a Book
During the Twin Ports Festival of History, my friend Phil Sher gave a speech about the history of the Lithuanian Jewish community in Duluth. Phil is the author of a recent book, Adas Israel, available on Amazon, that was a product of a unique partnership between the University of Minnesota Duluth and the community. (more…)
Radio (A Reflection and an Event)
Before I start to talk about Luke Moravec and Bill Siemering, who visited the University of Minnesota Duluth on Zoom Wednesday afternoon, I want to talk a little bit about why I love radio so much. (more…)
“Stalked by My Stepsister” shot in Duluth
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Local author Phil Sher sent me a note asking me to share that the Lifetime cable channel original movie Stalked by My Stepsister was shot in Duluth. It was released in October.
I think I can see the Lakewalk and Leif Erikson Park. I think I can see the interior of Glensheen. IMDB confirms the Duluth shooting sites.
Has anyone watched it, or know anyone involved in the shooting?
Do I own this star now?
I picked this up in a thrift store. The frame is worth as much as I paid for it — the certificate is a bonus. (more…)
Saturday in Canal Park
Some kids appeared to be having fun in Canal Park Saturday.
The Nerd Habit of Collecting Signatures
As I mentioned in a previous post, at MarsCon in Bloomington last weekend the son of a nerd who had died was selling his father’s collection of media, books, games and ephemera.
I picked up the Doctor Who cookbook from the previous century, some trading cards, all for pennies on the dollar. Perhaps the best find, or at least the one I can’t ever imagine finding again, was the single by the actor who played the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, “Who is the Doctor?” (more…)
Signatures for a Nerd
At MarsCon in Bloomington last weekend, the son of a recently passed nerd was selling his father’s collection of media, books, games and ephemera. I picked up the Doctor Who cookbook from the previous century, some trading cards, all for pennies on the dollar. (more…)
Riley Grace Brett at Gabriel’s Book Store
I met a new local author in the wild over the weekend at Gabriel’s Book Store in Lakeside. Riley Grace Brett volunteers there; she has also released a new novel. (more…)
Pączki Day (and Ash Wednesday) in Duluth
Hello from a former Catholic who misses life in Milwaukee, where Pączki Day was a thing. Ash Wednesday was a day when you could walk the streets and see your tribe, and Duluth seems to have none of that. Maybe I walk the wrong streets. (more…)
Seeking migration stories to teach, publish
This semester, I will be teaching a class focusing on migration stories. If you have a favorite such story (about human migration, bird migration, software migration), especially one with a Duluth connection, please send it my way: dbeard @ d.umn.edu, or comment below. (more…)