‘Something I Said’ Archives
Something I Said- Dec. ’23
Victimizing Incarcerated Women By DWIGHT HOBBES Dwight Hobbes On a whim, I signed up at a pen pal service for women in prison. And caught wind of something that stinks to high hell. These gals have done the crime and, accordingly are doing the time. Fine. That’s one thing. It’s altogether another, now that they’re hemmed up, for prisons to exploit them for what little money (it’s chump change) they earn inside and, into the bargain, arbitrarily abuse and abridge whatever liberties these women have left. For obvious reasons – one being to protect individuals from retaliation, the other being to protect the paper from liability – I’m not naming names or particular prisons. But complaints have reached me and you can look it up that every word here is researched.For instance, at the pen pal site for a person locked up in California, it is listed what she can and cannot receive: stamps – (no), gifts – (yes, stationery, etc., but must be shipped from the store), [...]
An Author’s Author
Something I Said By DWIGHT HOBBES Dwight Hobbes Marcie Rendon is an author’s author. Among her accomplishments: Murder on the Red River, Girl Gone Missing, Sinister Graves (crime novels), SongCatcher (Minnesota History Theater), Pow Wow Summer, Farmer’s Market: Families Working Together (non-fiction) and Dreaming Into Being (poetry). She’s won a slew of awards, including McKnight Foundation’s Distinguished Artist Award, Pinckley Prize for Debut Crime Fiction and WLA Children’s Book Award. Marcie Rendon gave the following interview to the alley. Q: You’re producer/director/creator of ‘Free FryBread’ (Raving Native Productions) a mock telethon mercilessly satirizing America’s prison system and its treatment of Indigenous people. How’d that happen?A: came about as a result of me receiving the LIN (Leadership in Neighborhoods Award) back in the early 90s. The goal for me, for the award, was to create a viable Native American presence in the Twin Cities [...]
Something I Said: Oct ’23
Black Books Matter By DWIGHT HOBBES Dwight Hobbes I remember 20, 30 years ago a cheerful proprietor, Pat, owning and operating a black book shop over by the old Dome stadium in the industrial section. Not the best location for foot traffic, but the shelves held some beauties. Books by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight, Chester Himes, Maya Angelou who came through for a signing, and the rewarding opportunity to discover authors you hadn’t known about. And there were culturally specific knick-knacks, greeting cards, that sort of thing. It was a little treasure tucked away. One that didn’t see a lot of appreciation as a rule. Except, of course, that Angelou signing which saw a line clear down the block and, if memory serves, across the street. Eventually, Pat couldn’t keep the doors open.Imaginably, Strive Bookstore (www.strivepublishing.com) will see much support since it’s smack dab in the middle of downtown, on Nicollet Avenue right across from Target Store and, for [...]
