Episode #7: Donna Isaac

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Poet Donna Isaac is a teaching artist who organizes community readings in the Twin Cities. Published work includes a poetry book, Footfalls (Pocahontas Press), a paean to American folk music and her formative years in the Appalachians; two chapbooks, Tommy (Red Dragonfly Press); Holy Comforter (Red Bird Chapbooks); and work in journals such as the Saint Paul Almanac, the Penn Review, and AvantAppal(achia).  Persistence of Vision, a chapbook focused on Donna’s love for movies, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press, November 2019.

donnaisaacpoet.com

Events

Poets Dore Kesselbach, Sharon Chmielarz, Donna Isaac, and Ethna McKiernan will read work at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN, November 5, 2019, 7:00 p.m. All poets have new books for sale.

Clapping Waters’ Reading Series will feature Donna Isaac, Nov. 13, 6:00-6:30 (open mic: until 8:00) at River Falls Public Library (lower level) in River Falls, WI.

Donna Isaac will read at Tillie’s Farmhouse, 232 Cleveland Ave., St. Paul, MN, November 20, 2019, 7:00 p.m. with poet Margaret Hasse. Books for sale. Come early for dinner and music by John Wenstrom and co.

Donna’s Readings

  • Unravelling – 10:12
  • Bloodlines – 27:45
  • For the Love of Dance – 45:20

Michael’s Beers

  • Oberon, Bell’s Brewery (paired to Unravelling) – 7:56
  • Rubaeus, Founders Brewing Co. (paired to Bloodlines) – 24:30
  • Let’s Dance, Urban Growler Brewing Co. (paired to For the Love of Dance) – 42:23

Interview Highlights

  • Childhood then & now – 12:11
  • Tommy Chapbook: Poems for Donna’s Brother – 17:47
  • Donna’s Background – 19:32
  • Donna’s Influences – 22:21
  • Influences of Growing Up in Appalachia – 31.26
  • Imagery of Ireland – 38:16
  • Interest in Family Research – 40:53
  • Writing About Joy and Beauty – 48:30
  • Themes of Donna’s Chapbooks Holy Comforter and Persistence of Vision – 55:09
  • The Value of Poetry – 56:37

NEXT MONTH: Author Sarah Stonich.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #6: Guest Author Anya Johanna DeNiro

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Anya Johanna DeNiro lives in St. Paul. Her fiction has appeared in Catapult, One Story, Minnesota Monthly, and elsewhere. She’s currently at work on a young adult novel entitled My Heart Is an Unslain Dragon. Her novella City of a Thousand Feelings is forthcoming from Aqueduct Press in the winter of 2019.

@adeniro on Twitter
AqueductPress.com

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Upcoming Events:

Laura will be reading at the Startled By JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th, 2019. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Michael is teaching a class on barrel-aged beer on November 19th at Zymurgy Brewing on Main Street in Menomonie, Wisconsin

Anya’s Readings:

  • Take Pills and Wait for Hips – 10:40
  • City of a Thousand Feelings – 36:56
  • Faint Voices Increasingly Desperate – 47:14

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • J.W. Lee’s Harvest Ale 2002 Vintage, J.W. Lee’s & Company, UK (paired to Take Pills and Wait for Hips) – 15:26
  • Wittekerke, De Brabandere, Belgium (paired to City of a Thousand Feelings) – 34:07
  • Firebrick, August Schell Brewing Company, MN (paired to Faint Voices Increasingly Desperate) – 45:07

Interview Highlights:

  • What is an Interactive Fiction game? – 25:44
  • Imagery, Allegory, Writer’s Intention – 27:51
  • How does the Glass-Bottom Boat Image in Take Pills and Wait for Hips relate to theme of transition as a transgender woman? – 31:09
  • What goes into getting an MFA? – 41:15
  • Writing in second person – 43:11
  • Writing in third person present tense – 51:32
  • Writing transgender protagonists – 54:45

COMING NEXT MONTH: Poet Donna Isaac.

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #5: Guest Author Barry MacDonald (Tekkan)

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Tekkan is the Dharma name for Barry MacDonald. He has lived in England, Japan, and Minnesota, all of which have influenced him. The themes of his life revolve around his Buddhist practice and his recovery from addiction. His books, “Everyday Mind,” look for the extraordinary hidden within everyday events. He uses the sonnet form without the rhyme scheme followed by a Japanese tanka.

LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/barry.macdonald.1293

Upcoming Events:

Barry and Laura will be reading at the Startled By JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th, 2019. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Barry’s Readings:

  • Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics – 12:20
  • The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple – 27:44
  • Like a Basset Hound – 42:39

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • All Out Non-alcoholic Extra Dark, Athletic Brewing Company (paired to Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics) – 9:16
  • Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj (paired to The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple) – 25:31
  • Heavenly Body Golden Wheat, Wellbeing Brewing Company (paired to Like a Basset Hound) – 41:30

Interview Highlights:

  • Sonnets and the sonnet form – 13:32
  • Meeting Shakespeare in Amsterdam – 15:40
  • The influence of a well-read father – 16:42
  • Writing routine and meditation – 20:25
  • What brought you to Japan? – 31:18
  • The impact of travel on an artist’s work – 33:49
  • Zen and dharma, Barry’s dharma name – 35:09
  • Does image lead to idea or does an idea seek an image? – 45:11
  • The Everyday Mind series – 47:36

COMING NEXT MONTH: Novelist, short story writer and interactive fiction creator Anya Johanna DeNiro

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #4: Guest Author Kathryn Kysar

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Kathryn Kysar is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and she edited Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers. She has received fellowships from Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. Kysar recently served on the board of directors for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and teaches at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Loft Literary Center and lives with her family in St. Paul

LINKS

http://www.kathrynkysar.com/

Tweets by Dark Lake

https://sonoglyphcollective.com/

Upcoming Events:

  • Kathryn is reading at the St. Paul Irish Fair of Minnesota on August 10th. Time: 12:00 pm. Address: Eóin McKiernan Speaker’s Tent, Harriet Island.
  • Kathryn is performing as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival at 5:30 pm on August 10th at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She will be joined by Marie Cooney and musician Kevin Kern among others.
  • Laura is appearing at the Startled by JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on August 11th. The event goes from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Eggroll Queen Café, 1579 Hamline Avenue North, Falcon Heights, Minnesota
  • Laura is appearing at the Startled by JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th. The event goes from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kathryn’s Readings:

  • Escape from Paradise, Iowa – 10:09
  • Things I Learned from my Grandmother – 20:05
  • German – 22:16
  • Returning to Lake Superior – 42:11

Michael’s Beer Pairings

  • Hamm’s, Hamm’s Brewing Company (paired to Escape from Paradise, Iowa) – 8:48
  • Fort Road Helles, August Schell Brewing Company (paired to Things I Learned from my Grandmother and German) – 18:13
  • Ring of Fire, Bad Weather Brewing (paired to Returning to Lake Superior) – 39:00

Interview Highlights:

  • Kathryn’s Background – 13:11
  • Kathryn’s Craft; Finding Inspiration and Writing Process – 14:42
  • Why Poetry? – 16:21
  • Title and Cover of book, Pretend the World – 25:09
  • Organizing a Book of Poetry; Finding the Themes – 30:29
  • Kathryn speaks on her grandmother and the advice of yesterday and today – 33:20
  • Mixing music and poetry – 45:31
  • The future of poetry in the era of self-publishing – 51:02

COMING NEXT MONTH: Tekkan, local poet of the Everyday Mind series

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #3: Guest Author Bob Miller

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Bob Miller has been a professional magician for twenty years, performing on stage and table-side magic. He has also created several of his own tricks which he sells on his website. ​

In addition to magic, Bob works as a programmer. He has created software for magicians to track customers and shows, and software for writers based on K.M. Weiland’s workbook, Outlining Your Novel.​

As if that’s not enough, Bob is now writing a five book thriller series, Chrysalis Chronology. The series is about genetically-altered humans with special powers. The first two books – The Smart Kid and The Time Leaper – are currently available, with others to follow.​

LINKS ​

http://bobmillermagic.com/blog/​

http://bobmillerauthor.com

http://chrysalischronology.com

https://www.facebook.com/BobMillerAuthor/​

Upcoming Events:​

  • Bob performs table side magic and balloon animals every Friday night at EL TORO, 10901 Douglas Drive, Champlin, MN, 6 to 8 pm. ​Free to all customers!​
  • Launch of Startled by JOY 2019, new poetry in classical forms, edited by Laura Vosika.​
  • Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 South Snelling Drive, 2 to 3:30 pm​. Music, free wine and hors d’oeuvres.

​Bob’s Readings: ​

  • The Trap at Lincoln from The Smart Kid, Book One​ – 13:08
  • The Falls from The Time Leaper, Book Two​ – 33:00
  • Date Night from The Proxy Agent, Book Three​- 45:55

Michael’s Beer Pairings: ​

  • Black Ops, Brooklyn Brewery​ (paired to The Trap at Lincoln) – 11:02
  • Sea Quench, Dogfish Head Brewery​ (paired to The Falls) – 30:33
  • Siracusa Nera, Dogfish Head​ Brewery (paired to Date Night) – 43:35

Interview Highlights: ​

  • Bob’s life as a magician​ – 20:25
  • The Pre-Date Calendar trick​ – 22:40
  • The Chrysalis Chronology novel series – 26:38
  • Why does it matter for characters to change throughout a story?​ – 40:33
  • The plots in magic, the plots in writing​ – 52:25

COMING NEXT MONTH: Kathryn Kysar, Twin Cities poet

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

Episode #2: Guest Author Toussaint Morrison

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This month Michael and Laura welcome Toussaint Morrison – writer, poet, musician, lyricist, actor…and more – about his multiple artistic endeavors. Toussaint writes and produces scripts for YouTube, has toured with multiple bands, has written lyrics and music for nearly 200 songs, and participates in slam poetry—among other things. Stop by and hear Toussaint reading and performing some of his work!

Toussaint Morrison is an avid mentor for youth, working as a paraprofessional in special education classrooms and leading spoken word workshops primarily in middle schools. He is also an Emmy award winning host of PBS’s civic engagement web series, America From Scratch. Graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Theater, Morrison now spends his time writing & producing film for majority casts of color.

www.toussaintmorrison.blogspot.com

Youtube.com/toussaintmorrison

Youtube.com/urbanhomecinema

Patreon.com/toussaintmorrison

Toussaint is performing a live spoken word show at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis on Saturday, June 22nd.

Toussaint’s Readings:

  • The Fight that Never Was – 12:35
  • Escaping Nina’s – 28:15
  • Baby Gots Venom – 44:40

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Company – 9:50
  • Ninja vs. Unicorn, Pipeworks Brewing Co. – 26:40
  • The Abyss, Deschutes Brewery – 41:38

Interview Highlights:

  • The impact of New Orleans on Toussaint’s writing. – 19:25
  • Managing time—how does one person do so much? – 22:25
  • Urban Home Companion and Toussaint’s beef with Garrison Keillor! – 32:10
  • Influence of Charles Bukowski and elevating the mundane moments – 36:35
  • How different styles of writing lend themselves to different stories or messages – 50:45

COMING NEXT MONTH: Bob Miller, Author and Magician

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

  • Michael, Laura and Toussaint

Episode #1: Guest Author Loren Niemi

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This month Michael and Laura spoke with Loren Niemi. Loren is a storyteller with 40 years of creating, performing and teaching stories that matter. His work has been called “post-modern,” pushing the boundaries of narrative form “with a dark beauty of language that is not ashamed of poetry.”

Loren is also an author. His books include the award winning The New Book of Plots, an examination of oral and written narratives, and the critically acclaimed Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories, which he co-authored with Elizabeth Ellis. In 2016 he received the National Storytelling Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His collection of original and collected ghost stories What Haunts Us came out in February 2019.

www.lorenniemistories.com

Loren’s stories:

  • Remodeling the Kitchen – 10:59
  • Barbecue Bus – 26:53
  • The Hungry Carpet – 47:23

Michael’s beer pairings:

  • Oh Fudge!, Prairie Artisan Ales – 9:02
  • Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen, Brauerei Heller-Trum – 24:14
  • Kriek Boon, Brouwerij Boon  – 44:45

Interview highlights:

  • The impact of growing up moving on storytellers – 15:54
  • Becoming a storyteller – 17:33
  • Storytelling…on the Great Wall of China – 21:05
  • Why we tell stories – 22:55
  • Why we’re drawn to ghost stories and other dark tales – 36:53
  • Telling stories vs. writing stories – 51:00

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.