Author Archive
They’re Back!: The Return of the Uncles
All images by Carz Nelson By CARZ NELSON “I’m happy to be open,” says Don Blyly, owner of twin bookstores Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore and Uncle Edgar’s Mystery Bookstore - known collectively as “the Uncles”. When the bookstores were destroyed by looters during the George Floyd Uprising, many people assumed that Blyly would go into retirement and that would be the end of the Uncles. He smashed those expectations, relocating and rebuilding the stores in little more than two years. Blyly isn’t the only one glad to see the stores reopen. Naturally, the Uncles’ return is welcomed by their many fans in the city, the state, and around the world. Perhaps the most excited, however, is Echo - the store’s canine mascot. She has enthusiastically resumed her duties as store greeter. She’s sure to give you a wag of the tail if you stop by. The 5000 square foot building at 2716 East 31st Street is rich with character. Built in 1932, it features a WPA [...]
Two exhibits at Hennepin History Museum focus on South Minneapolis
left side of image courtesy Hennepin County Public Library; right side of image courtesy Rita Reed, Star Tribune By Heidi Adelsman Human Toll: A Public History of 35W On view now through the end of 2022, Human Toll explores the community resistance and resilience to the construction of 35 W and illustrates how freeway construction destroyed and divided Black communities across the United States, amplifying the effects of systemic racism still felt today. With photographs, maps, oral histories and archival documents, Human Toll foregrounds the experiences of Black residents of South Minneapolis by exploring stories about displacement, housing discrimination, neighborhood division and environmental justice. Human Toll was researched and developed by a diverse team of South Minneapolis community members and advisors working in collaboration with students and faculty of the University of Minnesota Heritage Studies and Public History program. Retired MnDOT employee Dr. [...]
Spooky Greetings from Women’s Environmental Institute
By Shelia Bland, Women’s Environmental Institute Bugs, bees, bites, and bears And oh, the blackest of nights No chatter, or laughter or arguments outside but silences, hoots, creaks, and scares. If the moon is out the darkness abates, but the full moon sky casts an eerie glow It bears no semblance to streetlights! Things glow in the dark, And move across the black void Then suddenly float away. Crickets, frogs, wolves, and winds Some sounds never heard before And when there is no sound at all, the silence threatens to swallow you whole. Lost inside an emptiness you cannot see but also, cannot escape. So profound is this silence It dissolves all random thoughts That filled your between-the-ears space. You give in to perpetual wonder… Welcome to the countryside— A Back to the Future style trip Back to Nature! A trip to Women’s Environmental Institute Classes are available Free, For those who live, [...]
