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My debut poetry collection Fierce Delight: Poems of Early Motherhood is forthcoming from the lovely North Star Press in May of 2025!
How am I going to wait a whole year to share this with the world?
Well, I’m not really. I’ve got two readings coming up:
Midstream Reading Series at Unity Church in St Paul March 11th at 7 pm
at ArtStart with the theme “visioning of a new world” May 18 at 7 pm
I always think it’s kind of funny when authors have photos that are a decade or two old. That was easy to laugh at when I was 20, but now that I’m a bit older it occurs to me that, with all the things to do in life, getting one’s picture taken just might not be top priority.
But I finally did it. Many thanks to the wonderful Christine Nguyen for lovely new author photos on a beautiful day in the park!
Two years ago, I did a story about a rock musical about a rock—about a runestone whose veracity has sparked debated for decades. Turns out, it was the last in-person interview I did before COVID. The show got delayed, but its world premiere was this past weekend, and it runs through May 29th at the History Theatre in St Paul. Have a listen:
My thanks to Frances James of the Minneapolis Poetry Sanctuary for putting together this virtual poetry reading with some talented ladies. It’s such a pleasure to listen to and give poetry readings. Oh, how I’d missed it! I’m the third poet here.
Remember April and early May, when we thought it was a matter of just toughing out another week or two of quarantine, then things would go back to normal?
That’s the moment we wanted to document in this podcast episode from MinneCulture. I produced the audio diary from Ed Bok Lee, which delves into the creation that comes from chaos…while fielding knock-knock jokes from his 4 year-old. Also, an effervescent interview with hiphop artist NUR-D about producing his new EP “Trapped in my Room.” If you’ve heard him perform, you know how lovely his personality is. If you haven’t, you may love him by the end.
So here's the story behind this one...we were just about to launch it when George Floyd was killed, so we set this one aside and charged into producing an artist response to his death. Subscribe to the MinneCulture podcast or scroll down my feed to hear that one, too.
And please help us share. The artists all live in Minnesota, but the stories are wide-ranging and relatable to all.
We’re still social distancing and we’re still making stuff. Some artists have changed what they make. Others have changed how they make it. KFAI’s Barb Abney hosts from home and shares an uplifting interview with Twin Cities hip-hop artist Nur-D, who just dropped an EP recorded entirely from his bedroom. We also hear a tender, slightly gloomy audio diary from Minneapolis poet Ed Bok Lee, who discusses skeletons and shares knock-knock jokes with his young daughter. It’s adorable and, you guessed it, poetic. Support for MinneCulture comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
I am proud to share the latest episode of the MinneCulture Podcast: What do we do now? Minnesota Artists respond to the Killing of George Floyd.
This episode will take you on a tour of Minneapolis, from the memorial where folks gather for a healing jingle dress dance...to the American Indian Cultural Corridor, where rapper Tall Paul describes catching some teens from Wisconsin allegedly trying to rob a liquor store and making them call their parents....to the area of the scorched 3rd precinct, where we get a tour from a graffiti artist who will absolutely change the way you think about graffiti art and community conversation.
Listen here:
When George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day, pain and anger blasted like a shock wave across the Twin Cities and the world. Floyd’s death was followed by a week of protests, marches and sometimes violent unrest. In this episode, KFAI’s Melissa Olson takes us to the intersection of 38th and Chicago Ave, where Native jingle dress dancers offered a ceremony of healing. We also hear from Twin Cities hip-hop artist Tall Paul, who recounts his experience patrolling south Minneapolis and protecting local businesses during the uprising. Then we take a gritty walking tour of unsanctioned artwork, hosted by graffiti artist Peyton Scott Russell.
Proof that Scandinavians arrived in this country in the 1300s? Total hoax? I recently learned about the Kensington Runestone--a story that is very devisive locally. And now, it's a musical! A rock musical! (rimshot)
The World Premiere was supposed to take place next month, but it’s been postponed until the fall, so consider this a sneak preview:
In the late 1800s, a farmer discovered a large stone carved with Viking runes in Kensington, Minnesota. It’s been the subject of debate ever since. The Runestone was either proof that a Scandinavian expedition reached Minnesota in the 1300s—or it was a hoax. Scholars and locals alike were split. And now it’s the subject of a new musical. Runestone: the Rock Musical, was set to make its world premiere in Minneapolis in May. With the coronavirus, it’s been postponed until next season, but it’s worth hearing about now. KFAI's Emily Bright has the story. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Image used with permission from the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minn.
Ever since I learned how to produce radio stories, I've wanted to produce a non-narrated story--one without my voice in it. These are deceptively hard to do. You need great background audio, and you need an interview subject who speaks clearly and succinctly. Lots of people don’t do that.
Finally, mission accomplished! Hear how St. Paul hiphop artist Tou SaiK connected this American style with his Hmong roots: by free styling with his grandma.
When Tou Saik Lee started out as a hip-hop and spoken word artist, he thought he was forging something new as a Hmong-American artist. Soon he realized his spoken word in English had a lot in common with his grandmother Youa Chang’s traditional song poetry in Hmong. They performed together, grandmother and grandson, for 10 years. Producer Emily Bright has the story. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Composer in Residence. It’s not a common job. But that was the title Kashimana Ahua held for a year in the central Minnesota town of Willmar. The goal was to help the town's increasingly diverse community of residents get to know each other--by writing songs together.
Composer in Residence. It’s not a common job. But that was the title Kashimana Ahua held for a year in the central Minnesota town of Willmar. The goal was to help the town's increasingly diverse community of residents get to know each other--by writing songs together. Emily Bright reports. [Photo credit: James Maranda]
When Juxtaposition Arts in North Minneapolis had to demolish a building, they knew they would have a vacant corner lot on their hands. And they weren’t about to let a great opportunity like that go to waste. What stands there now is a vibrant community space and skate-able art part—and teenagers were involved in every step of the way. It’s only there for a limited time…Listen in.
On a busy street corner in North Minneapolis, there once stood a fenced-off, vacant lot. It was the site of a building Juxtaposition Arts had to tear down. While they worked to fund a new building, they weren’t about to let that space go to waste. What stands there now is a community gathering spot complete with some very cool artwork—and teenagers were a key part of the design process. Producer Emily Bright has the story. Photo: Bird Coulter (arms spread) with architect/instructor Samuel Babatunde Ero-Phillips (left), Qadiym Washington (middle), and Juxta director Kristin Murray (right).
They call it the Twin Cities, but relationships between Minneapolis and St Paul were not always so sisterly. During the 1890 census, the battle over which city would prove to be bigger turned into a scene from a crime novel. Ever heard of the phrase “Padding the numbers?” Yeah, you’re welcome world…here’s the origin story from a time when people weren’t so Minnesota-nice.
Minneapolis and St. Paul are known as the Twin Cities, but relationships weren’t always so sisterly. During the summer of the 1890 census, both cities worked themselves into a frenzy over which one would prove bigger. The resulting tale of trickery feels worthy of a crime novel. Producer Emily Bright has this story of a Twin Cities throw-down.
Recently I attended a neat concert…the launch of the first album in a generation written for (and partly by) Somali youth…and it came from the heart of Minneapolis!
The kids teamed up with London-based Somali musician Aar Mantha. Even the educational songs (updated, with modern twists) have a groovy beat. Listen in here on the making-of.
Somali-American kids and a London musician are making music together. Minneapolis teens recently teamed up with Aar Maanta to produce the first album for Somali youth in decades. Titled "Children Have The Priority," the album includes classic educational songs and spoken word poems. KFAI's Emily Bright reports. (Photo by Emily Bright.)
You might not imagine abstract poetry and folk songs could come from the same brain, but why not? For Brian Laidlaw, these two are endlessly interconnected and inspiring…
Lacking rhyme and complete sentences, Brian Laidlaw's experimental poems are just plain hard for many people. But he's also a songwriter. And when Laidlaw does that, his words reach a wider audience. KFAI's Emily Bright reports. (Photo by Ali Rogers of Prana Lens.)
Treating the words as artfully as the pictures…on the same page! Thank you, Wanda Gag, for your picture book legacy, 90 years ago this year!
Decades before "Cat in the Hat," another children’s book surprised readers with its inventiveness. "Millions of Cats," by Minnesota's Wanda Gag, combined illustration and text on the same page in a way people hadn't seen before. KFAI's Emily Bright reports.(Photo: Wanda Gag and her cat, Snoopy. Photo courtesy of Children's Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries.)
The 35W bridge collapsed 11 years ago today. Do you remember where you were? Kimberly J. Brown was on the bridge, and she became obsessed with finding out what went wrong--and how to avoid such tragedies in the future. She has a new memoir out on just that subject.
When the I-35W bridge collapsed in 2007, Kimberly J. Brown was inside a car on the bridge. She survived. While recovering from spinal injuries and trauma, she became obsessed with finding the cause of the collapse. KFAI's Emily Bright reports. (CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the distance Brown and others fell. PHOTO: Courtesy of Brown's book.) Book info: http://bit.ly/2LPztp0
Abdi Nor Iftin was on tour for his new memoir Call Me American; he was in Minneapolis for just one day, and he kindly agreed to meet up with me to chat about his dreams of America, growing up in war-torn Mogadishu, and the way the reality has lined up with those dreams. The day he landed in America, Michael Brown was shot in Ferguson, MO. Imagine what that must've felt like?
His memoir is fantastic. If I were still teaching Human Rights Lit, I would assign it and be thrilled it existed.
Behind the scenes: I had to watch Terminator for the first time in order to find the perfect sound for this piece.
Growing up in Mogadishu, Abdi Nor Iftin's friends called him "Abdi American." After all, he loved U.S. movies. He spoke English. And now, he's a newly published American author. KFAI's Emily Bright reports he's got things to say about his new home. (Photo by Todd Melby.) More on Iftin's book here: http://bit.ly/2zA2fFb
When you watch a show, do you notice the sound? Katharine Horowitz does. On the eve of the Tonys reintroducing sound design awards (after four years of silence), Katharine Horowitz gives the behind-the-scene scoop on creating an invisible world of sound.
A compelling play is more than just a script, actors and sets. Sound designers like Katharine Horowitz also help create a mood and sense of place for theatergoers. KFAI's Emily Bright spoke to Horowitz about creating imaginary worlds out of sound. (Photo by Chris Roethler.)
Sambusa is the Somali version of a meat pie. Fragrantly spiced meat wrapped in a pastry that's crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside. Turns out, they're as time-consuming as they are tasty. One Minnesota start-up is aiming to empower Somali moms by making this Somali comfort food and distributing it to the masses. They almost didn't get off the ground...
Check it out.
A tiny Minnesota company tried to make a business out of selling spicy, beef pastries to local Somalis. But folks in that community wanted to make their own sambusas. KFAI's Emily Bright reports on how the firm made a cultural U-Turn to stay afloat. (Photo by Emily Bright.)
Forget downward dog. I'm signing up for laughter yoga. It's the goofiest exercise I've ever done, and you leave feeling GREAT.
Laughter is a practice, just like anything. As the participants of this class show, you don't need to be going through happy times to laugh. Quite the reverse: laughing gets you through the hard times.
I laughed every time I listened to this tape as I was editing. I hope it has the same effect for you!
Forget downward dog. The new yoga is laughter yoga. KFAI's Emily Bright took her microphone to a class to listen in on the yucks, guffaws and yes, whoopee cushion impersonations.
When my editor asked me to interview Graywolf's publisher and editor Fiona McCrae, I did a little happy dance. Because what writer doesn't want a chance for a sit-down with the head of a fantastic literary press? It was great to hear McCrae and editor Steve Woodward go deep into what they LOVE about books and how hard they work to give each manuscript its fair shake.
Graywolf publishes poetry, short stories, essay collections, novel and memoir. Want to hear the most competitive spot of them all?
Debut poetry. Wah-wah
Want to get your book published? Get in line. Graywolf Press' Fiona McCrae has to sift through thousands of manuscripts to get to the good stuff. KFAI’s Emily Bright talked with McCrae about what it takes to get to “yes.” (Photo by Erin Smith Photography)