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Make Art, Not War

Sunday, May 26, 2013

This is why I love Minneapolis



So, one of the coolest things about winning this grant is that I get to interact with, and learn from the six other VERVE grant winners for 2012. We are all part of this cohort that meets every couple of months for master classes at Intermedia Arts that are facilitated by other spoken word artists from the Twin cities. It has so far been a lot of fun, and really good for me to be able to workshop with other artists like myself (although, it is also kind of funny to me- a bunch of poets getting together to practice being observant and intentional in our choice of words. I mean, good stuff.) I also get to learn about their projects as they go along, and share with them the progress of mine.

Anyway, I wanted to talk briefly about one project because I get to be a part of it! My friend Cole Sarar is doing this thing called Ring-Ring poetry that involves different locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul where you can call this number and listen to poetry on your phone. The idea is that the poetry is linked to a real physical place (and while listening to a poem, you get the sense that the poet who wrote it might have just been there earlier that day, or is there now, somewhere near by). But I wont speak for the project, you should yourself check it out here: ringringpoetry.com

So, I wrote a poem called "My Block" that is being featured this week at the corner of 24th st. and Dupont ave in Uptown. It's about first moving to Minneapolis and learning to call this place home (I remember the ad that I answered on craigslist was titled "In the heart of Uptown" and it really is.) I wrote it when that street corner was my stomping grounds, but actually, I have moved a couple of times since then. Not too far away though, Uptown is still my home. You might even catch me walking by still (ask my friends-I walk a lot).

So call (612) 223-POEM to hear this piece. You can do it from anywhere, but I encourage you to take the adventure over there and stand on the corner and be part of the experience. One of my favorite things about Minneapolis is that there is so much art going on here that is spills into the streets! Just last week I went on a little art tour down Chicago ave, where our guides shared stories with us about the homes and businesses, and the trees in the fronts yards, and the parks. Everything in Minneapolis is an art installation, everything is interactive, some of the poems of Ring-Ring are even "choose your own adventure". We have such a vibrant city!

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Also,
Perhaps you found your way to my blog because of this poem, or the poster you saw on the street? If that's the case, Welcome! I encourage you to check out my thing here, but also to check out the other poems of Ring-Ring. (If you are already at the corner of 24th and Dupont, then you are not far from Lake of the Isles, my favorite lake in Minnesota, and the location of another poem that I highly recommend). Happy listening!