Friends Forum: A Series for Curious Minds

Lacie McMillin and Lisa Von Drasek discuss the Sonali Dev “Raje Series” on this installment of Read This Book! The Rajes are an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty, who have built their lives in San Francisco. About Lisa Von Drasek and Lacie McMillin Lisa Von Drasek is the Curator of the  Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Lacie McMillin...

Poet Freya Manfred read from her latest book, “When I was Young and Old” during a June 15, 2023 event at the University of Minnesota’s Elmer L. Andersen Library. Manfred is a longtime Midwest­erner who has lived on both coasts. She attended Macalester College and Stan­ford University, and has received a Radcliffe Grant and a National Endowment for the Arts Grant. Her seventh collec­tion, “Sw...

“Thank you to Marcia Pankake. This is incredible, to dedicate space and time and resources to poetry in our culture.” —Sun Yung Shin The 14th Annual Pankake Poetry reading, named for librarian Marcia Pankake, took place on April 4, 2023. Poet and cultural worker Sun Yung Shin read from her latest book of poetry, “The Wet Hex,” a finalist for the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for poetry. She described...

By Allison Campbell-Jensen While working for the U.S. Forest Service, Michael Dockry taught colleagues, one at a time, about the benefits of building relationships with indigenous people — that it makes sense to take advantage of the wisdom of those who have lived on these lands for generations. At the annual “A Feast of Words” event, held Jan. 26 at the Campus Club, Dockry — wearing a...

Giving speech to the spirit of formerly enslaved person Eliza Winston, poet and dancer Mary Moore Easter offered a captivating presentation on Dec. 6. With her co-presenters — Joan Hepburn, a retired Professor of English, with a concentration of West African theater, from St. Olaf College, and Siddeeqah Shabazz, actor at Pillsbury House Theater and the Guthrie Theater, as well as Executive Directo...

David Mura was the featured poet at the 13th Annual Pankake Poetry on April 7, 2022 at the University of Minnesota’s Elmer L. Andersen Library. reading featuring Mura has written four books of poetry, has won numerous awards for his writing, and has taught at several colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota. Following the reading, poet Ed Bok Lee and Mura engaged in c...

“Humanities on the Front Lines: Public Partnerships and Transforming the University” was the title of the Jan. 27, 2022 presentation for A Feast of Words, an annual event presented by the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Campus Club. Professor Jigna Desai and Associate Professor Tracey Deutsch discussed the important work of Minnesota Transform, a higher education initiativ...

By Allison Campbell-Jensen “You can’t be what you can’t see,” said Larry McKenzie , award-winning coach, speaker, and author, during the Nov. 18 Friends of the Libraries event Amplifying Black Narratives: The Creation of Black Narratives. Among the important resources for creating Black narratives are people who serve as “mirrors” that reflect possibilities yet may be scarce in the community. When...

The Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries hosted an online panel discussion on Oct. 28, 2021, which featured Mélina Mangal, Rekhet Si-Asar, Dionne Sims, and panel moderator Kate McCready. The panel discussed the challenges faced by black authors, librarians, independent publishers, and bookstore owners in getting books by black authors on the shelves and ultimately in the hands of reade...

Jokeda (JoJo) Bell, Tia-Simone Gardner, and Catherine Squires joined moderator Cecily Marcus for a conversation about the preservation of Black art and culture in community-based archives and the University collections. Please watch this lively conversation with experts who share a passion for keeping historical archives not only accessible, but alive. The post Amplifying Black Narratives: Past, P...

The 12th annual Pankake Poetry reading features poet Deborah Keenan, the author of 10 collections of poetry. Her book, “Willow Room, Green Door: New and Selected Poems,” received the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry. Following the reading, there will be a discussion with Keenan led by James Lenfestey. The post Pankake Poetry featuring Deborah Keenan appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events...

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, the Mapping Prejudice project has attracted media attention from across the globe. What began here has exploded into the largest protest in American history. The whole world was watching as our community was ripped apart, partly as a consequence of decades of unjust and discriminatory housing practices. Learn how community researchers are mapping the hidde...

Please join the University of Minnesota Libraries for an international virtual book launch for “The Selected Letters of John Berryman,” edited by Philip Coleman (Trinity College Dublin) and Calista McRae (New Jersey Institute of Technology). The editors and invited guests — including Eve Cobain, Henri Cole, Ray Gonzalez, Patricia Hampl, and Richard J. Kelly — will read from Berryman’s letters and...

Emeritus Professor Dr. John S. Wright discusses his intellectual forebearers and the African American renaissance men and women who inspire his work. Dr. Wright will be joined by Cecily Marcus , Curator of the University Libraries’ Givens Collection of African American Literature, the Performing Art Archives, and the Upper Midwest Literary Archives. The post A Feast of Words: John Wright — the Una...

At a time when immigration is at the forefront of national news, we hear the singular voice of Wang Ping, a poet, writer, photographer, multimedia artist, and activist reading from her new book “My Name Is Immigrant.” Drawing from her own experiences and those of the immigrants she has met along the way, her poignant renderings are both moving and inspiring. Following the reading, there was a disc...

The Secret Life of Libraries was a smash hit to a crowded room of Libraries friends on Monday, December 9 at Coffman Memorial Union Theater. It truly was an evening of radio antics with A Prairie Home Companion veterans, Sue Scott, Tim Russell, and Richard Dworsky, who wrote the radio play based on the collections and the intrigue at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Want to keep up on fun an...

Watch or listen to Truth, Tweets, and Tomorrows — featuring Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero in conversation with journalist Tom Weber. Ferriero, the 10th Archivist of the United States, is responsible for the vast holdings of the National Archives which contains both the treasures of democracy and the everyday correspondence of presidents and public servants — the momentous and th...

Writing a Life: The Poetry of Jim Moore Jim Moore Photo by JoAnn Verburg Teaching poetry while in prison, being present at an airport bomb explosion, and traveling internationally have shaped Jim Moore as a writer and pivotal figure on Minnesota’s poetry scene for more than four decades. Moore read from his works at the 2019 Pankake Poetry event on April 3 at the University of Minnesota. [powerpre...

Sara Evans, Regents Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota, led a panel of powerful women that considered the rise of the #MeToo movement in historical context: What is its breadth and depth? Will it result in lasting cultural change? The December 5, 2018 “Friends Forum” event was sponsored by the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries and held at Coffman Memorial U...

Chef Sean Sherman presented at the 2018-2019 kickoff of the Friends Forum on October 16 at the Bell Museum. His topic:  Reclaiming the Culture of Indigenous American Cuisine. Sherman, Oglala Lakota, and founder of the company, The Sioux Chef, shared insights about Native American farming, harvesting, and cooking techniques, land stewardship, and cultural history. The Friends Forum is sponsored by...

Joseph Haj, the Guthrie’s eighth artistic director and his Associate Artistic Director, Jeffrey Meanza, discussed the value of the western canon, its continuing relevance, and its agency for social change May 2 at the University of Minnesota Friends of the Libraries’ annual celebration. Haj also talked about the history of the Guthrie and its longstanding importance to Minnesotans. &#8...

Margaret Hasse read from her most recent publication,  Between Us , as well as other works at the Pankake Poetry Reading on April 11, 2018 at the University of Minnesota’s Andersen Library. [powerpress_playlist category=”friends-forum”] The post Pankake Poetry Reading with Margaret Hasse appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events .

Alan Page has had an extraordinary career trajectory. Discover his motivations and passions in this conversation with Gary Eichten, known and revered for his many years as an MPR host and news editor. The discussion took place May 9, 2017 at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center as part of the Friends of the University of Minnesota Libraries annual celebration. The post Alan P...

J. Ryan Stradal and food writer Beth Dooley embarked on a delightful excursion through today’s food scene with stories of farmers, cheese makers, butchers, home cooks, chefs, sommeliers, and restaurateurs at the 3rd Kirschner Lecture December 1, 2016 at Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. The post 3rd Kirschner Lecture with Beth Dooley and J. Ryan Stradal appeared first on UMN Librar...

Joseph Ellis presented ‘The Second Founding: Four Men Who Created a Country’ on September 28, 2016 at the University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Hall. Ellis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783–1789, discussed one of the most crucial periods in American history — the years between the end of the Re...