By our wonderful contributors!
Dave Moore, cartoonist (with Linnea Hadaway), Dave’s Dumpster, Spirit of Phillips
1. Tradition. I’ve been in the alley almost monthly since the mid-80s.
2. Wendell Phillips. Our neighborhood is named after this freedom fighter. Linnea Hadaway & I are proud to illustrate quotations from his speeches.
3. I like sharing art with my neighbors. I wish some would say “I can do better than that” and send in their own.
Dwight Hobbes, writer, Something I Said
Because it is the only community newspaper I’ve written for that doesn’t serve a publisher’s propagandist agenda first and the community as an afterthought.
Marti Maltby, writer, Peace House Community
I started writing for the alley because they asked me to contribute a column each month from PHC, which seemed like an easy way to contribute to the neighborhood. As I’ve gotten more used to writing the columns, I’ve grown more comfortable being a voice for PHC’s community members and trying to find positives in trying circumstances. It’s a chance for me to help others understand important issues and to recognize a lot of special people.
Peter Molenaar, writer, Raise Your Voice
This person of northern European descent opposes all manner of terroristic threats. In its essence, the alley is the opposite of White-Nationalism.
Patrick Cabello Hansel, writer, Returning
I contribute to the Alley because it’s a constant presence in the midst of an ever changing world. (And because you print my stuff!)
Sue Hunter Weir, writer, Tales from the Cemetery
Tales from the Cemetery is intended to be a reminder that the Phillips community has a long, interesting history. It was the first, and for many years, the only cemetery in Minnesota listed in the National Register. It is the home of thousands of immigrants, many members of the City’s early African-American community, and thousands of children who would have survived if they were born today. I write for the alley to keep their stories alive.
Ben Heath, Business Manager, photographer
The Phillips community. Without which there would be no alley newspaper. The purpose of the paper is to provide a voice for the people who call our streets home. It’s the people who bring their views, histories, experiences, wishes, fears, sorrows, and share them from I-94 to E Lake St, Hiawatha to 35W (and beyond). It’s the people who make our neighborhood a community, and that makes the alley worth working for.
Laura Hulscher, Editorial Leadership Committee, copyeditor, contributor
I volunteer for the alley because I appreciate community news… and for the adventure. Papers like the alley shine a light on issues local to global in a way that big media can not. They have been a lifeline for many in the Twin Cities, especially in recent times. As for adventure, how could I pass up the opportunity to help operate a collaboratively-run neighborhood newspaper!
Vivi Grieco, Copyeditor
I volunteer with the alley because I am continually inspired by the authenticity and integrity put forth in every issue. I love working for a publication that is written by the people it is written for. That the issues and happenings of one neighborhood can fill an entire publication reminds us to recenter, ground ourselves, and pour our energy into our immediate community. The alley is a display of abundance, and I treasure my involvement.
John Charles Wilson, writer, Transit News
My name is John Charles Wilson and I am a transit enthusiast. I started collecting bus schedules as a hobby when I was a child, and now I like to write about public transit, its history, and ways it can be made better in the future. That is why I write the Metro Transit column for the alley.
Jessie Merriam, designer and contributor
I work for and volunteer for the alley because it is thoughtful, heartfelt, and useful! And collaborative. Eyes on development, cemeteries, library hours, growing food, health issues, poetry, movies… The people who make this paper happen are inspiring to me. And they let me make silly doodles and play with colors. I have only lived in Minneapolis since 2018 but the alley makes it feel more like home.
Howard McQuitter II, writer, Movie Corner
Writing for the alley, (especially During COVID-19,) is fun and challenging. Yes, people have a lot to say and are terrific writers in the alley at a time when the Internet and other digital age weigh against newspapers in general- and small newspapers even more so. So many of the city’s neighborhood newspapers have demised in recent years. Thank God for the alley! Thank God for all the writers!
