Side by Side

While Ellen steps away this week to vote, revisit her conversation with Tane Danger and Tryg Throntveit, originally released on August 20, 2025. Tane and Tryg, and an incredibly talented improv cast, visited communities across Minnesota to gather local stories and transform them into live comedy shows. Tane and Tryg share how "Sketches of Minnesota" celebrates the culture, history, and individuali...

In an excerpt from an upcoming episode, Ellen talks with Ryan Allen, University of Virginia urban planning professor; Jose Pacas, Director of Data Leadership and Investment at the Constellation Fund; and Allison Liuzzi, Project Director at Minnesota Compass, about the U.S. Decennial Census and its role in providing essential population counts for representation, funding, research, and redistrictin...

The Side by Side podcast has been named a 2026 Anthem Awards Finalist for Best Education, Art, and Culture Podcast! Hosted by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, The Anthem Awards recognize purpose- and mission-driven work that creates a positive social impact. See all 2026 Anthem Awards Finalists here . We are honored to be among these amazing finalists, doing incredible work...

Ellen talks with SUNY Oneonta sociologist Dr. Greg Fulkerson whose work explores how rural and urban places are not distinct places, but actually a complex adaptive system. He describes how trade has connected rural producers and urban consumers for thousands of years, fueling urban growth while often placing unequal demands on rural communities over tie. He challenges the idea that cities can thr...

Ellen talks with Freya Thurmer, Extension Educator and Zeke Berg, owner of Fresh Acres Farm about agritourism. They discuss agritourism's role in building agricultural literacy and respect for healthy farmland, soil, and water, while also providing family farms with supplemental income. Zeke shares how Fresh Acres Farm's contributions to the local community and Freya shares about Extension's resou...

While Ellen takes a mid-season break this week, revisit one of our favorite conversations from Season 2 with john a. powell, author of The Power of Bridging . In this episode, john explains the harmful practices of breaking and othering and explores the bridging necessary for rural, urban, and suburban communities. john also shares ways individuals and leaders can foster a bridging mindset. This e...

Ellen talks with Savannah Barrett, co-founder of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX), which brings together people from rural and urban communities to build relationships, deepen understanding, and strengthen civic life. Through storytelling, shared experiences, and immersive gatherings, RUX creates space for participants to explore differences, hold complexity, and imagine shared futures. Sav...

In the second part of Ellen’s conversation with Hiroshima University professors Simona Zolett and Meng “Mo” Qu, they explore Japan’s Local Revitalization Cooperator Program, an initiative that brings urban residents to live and work in Japan’s depopulating rural communities. Episode Highlights: 04:05 How The Program Works 10:08 Mismatches And Pitfalls 17:57 Entrepreneur Funding And Risks 22:23 Sta...

In the first part of their conversation, Ellen talks with Hiroshima University professors Simona Zollet and Meng "Mo" Qu about community revitalization in rural Japan amid rapid aging, depopulation, and urbanization, and the relational dynamics between Japan's rural and urban areas. Simona and Mo describe Japan’s rural depopulation, strict immigration policy, and demographic imbalance in which nea...

Ellen talks with Minneapolis-based documentary photographer Drew Arrieta and Springboard for the Arts rural director Michele Anderson about the Art of Rural-Urban Solidarity project which used arts-based approaches to hold space for complexity and to foster dialogue, curiosity, and relationships across geographic and cultural differences.  Episode Highlights: 03:28 Rural and Urban Identities 08:07...

Ellen talks with Ann Eisenberg, a law professor at West Virginia University, about her book Reviving Rural America. Ann examines how urban places depend on often invisible rural resource extraction. Drawing on her experiences studying land use and energy in Appalachia, Ann challenges myths about rural decline, political power, and unsustainability. She offers ideas on the stewarding of rural resou...

Ellen talks with Houston White, founder of Houston White Ventures based in North Minneapolis; Pablo Obregon, Director of Community Growth for the City of Willmar; and Glen and Emily Swanson, owners of The Oldenburg House in Carlton County. Together, they share how their community development efforts in North Minneapolis, Willmar, and Carlton County are rooted in local culture, relationships, and a...

While we’re working on new episodes for Season 3, revisit one of our favorite conversations, originally released on June 18, 2025.  Ellen talks with Camden Blatchley, a data analyst with the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Camden discusses the complexities of defining rural and urban areas in the United States, and describes the differences between the two most commonly used definitions: one de...

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In final episode of season two, Ellen talks with Civic Bridgers founder Libby Stegger and students Angelina Rueda and Sumaya Yassin about bridging across rural, urban, and suburban spaces in Minnesota. Angelina and Sumaya discuss their experience in the Rural-Urban Campus Bridging Initiative and Libby shares how the Civic Bridgers organization builds connections across the state. Episode Highlight...

“Bridging is a practice where members of different social groups are not only brought into contact, but build social connections and rapport.” -john powell “It's not perfect. It's not hypothetical. It's not something you can do all the time. But I think in terms of the kind of world that we are trying to bring into existence, bridging, until we fully realize that we are connected, bridging is nece...

Ellen talks with john a. powell about his book, The Power of Bridging , and the concept of bridging and the importance of recognizing our interconnectedness. john explains the harmful practices of breaking and othering and explores the bridging necessary for rural, urban, and suburban communities. john also shares ways individuals and leaders can foster a bridging mindset. Please Note: The Bush Fo...

While Ellen takes a break for Labor Day, revisit this episode originally released on September 4, 2024 during Season 1. In this episode, Ellen interviews Nick Jacobs, co-author of The Rural Voter , about the nuances of rural America and how they are often overlooked when we consider the complex relationship between rural and urban spaces. They discuss the methodology behind Nick’s research and the...

Drs. Jill Amsberry and Chris Fallert explain how the University of Minnesota Medical School and CentraCare's new St. Cloud campus is a rural-urban partnership that will transform rural health care and strengthen the region Ellen talks with Drs. Jill Amsberry and Chris Fallert to discuss the launch of the new University of Minnesota Medical School Regional CentraCare St. Cloud campus in St. Cloud,...

In this episode, Ellen talks with Tane Danger and Tryg Throntveit to discuss their collaborative project, "Sketches of Minnesota" which launched last year. Tane and Dane (along with an incredibly talented improv comedy cast) visited communities across Minnesota to gather local stories and transform them into live improv comedy shows. Tane and Tryg share how "Sketches of Minnesota" celebrates the c...

Ellen talks with brothers Brad and Rod Anderson about growing up on their sesquicentennial family farm in Goodhue County, Minnesota, during the 1950s and 60s. Brad and Rod share about changes in agriculture and rural life over the last 50 years. While Brad remained on the family farm to run it, Rod moved to Eden Prairie in the 1970s, and describes its evolution from a small village to one of Minne...

While Ellen takes a mid-season break to enjoy Minnesota's beautiful summer, revisit this episode originally released on October 9, 2024, during Season 1. In this episode, Ellen talks with Nadine Bill, Executive Director of Red Lake Nation College's new site in downtown Minneapolis. Nadine shares the college's history, its commitment to language and cultural preservation, and the new Minneapolis si...

Ellen talks with Dr. Tom Horan about his research on industry clusters in Minnesota and the economic and community benefits that they bring to both rural and urban areas. He also discusses Granite Partners, a company that embodies the cluster approach, supporting local economies by acquiring and retaining businesses in central Minnesota. Tom highlights the importance of recognizing and fostering r...

In this episode, Ellen talks with Lucas Grindley from Next City and Richard Young from Civic Lex. Lucas and Richard discuss their respective organizations and their dedication to strengthening urban and rural areas through solutions journalism and transforming civic engagement. They also share about their collaboration on the 2024 Next City Vanguard Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, which explore...

Ellen talks with Extension foresters, Eli Sagor and Angie Gupta, about the significant impact forests have on rural and urban communities. Eli and Angie discuss the importance of collaboration and mutual understanding between urban and rural areas in maintaining healthy and productive forests, which are crucial for both economies and ecological balance. They also share their participatory science...