Upcoming Events in the Twin Ports Scene and a Few Remarks About Today's Twitter

"Hey, you. Don't feint on me."

A lot of people made fun of Twitter when it first emerged on the scene. They couldn't grasp how 144 character postings could possibly have any social power. And yet, since that time there are whole countries that have been turned upside down by Twitter. The 2008 Thanksgiving weekend Mumbai Hotel massacre was possibly when the world first took notice of Twitter's potential. I myself first checked into it much earlier after reading about journalists who were using it to follow trends, attitudes and the like.

My first artist interviews were all derived from people I met through Twitter. It wasn't till much later I began to dive into the rich local arts terrain. But Twitter was how that channel first got started as I "met" and interacted with people from around the world.

The "new thing" that just came out on Twitter appeared in my inbox this week. Stats on my Twitter activity. More specifically a precise snapshot of how many people read my tweets, how many re-tweeted them and how many clicked on the links. It's pretty exciting. As the saying goes, you can't manage what you don't measure.

In the meantime, here are some events worth marking on your calendar. Maybe I will see you at one or more of these.

Events

Tonight:  POET SEAN HILL reading tonight at THE UNDERGROUND

The Spirit Lake Poetry Series will present Sean Hill, 7:30 p.m., in The Underground Theater at the Duluth Depot. Music by Professor Hoodoo. Admission is free.

Born and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia, Sean Hill has an MFA from the University of Houston. He has received fellowships and grants from Cave Canem, the Bush Foundation, The MacDowell Colony, the University of Wisconsin, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Jerome Foundation, and Stanford University where he was a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Poetry. Hill's poems have appeared in multiple literary journals and in the anthologies “Blues Poems,” “Gathering Ground,” “The Ringing Ear,” and “Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry”. His first book, “Blood Ties & Brown Liquor,” was published by the University of Georgia Press in 2008. In 2009 Hill became an editor at Broadsided Press. His second collection of poetry, “Dangerous Goods,” is forthcoming from Milkweed Editions. He makes his home in Bemidji, Minnesota, but he has moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, to join the creative writing faculty at UA-Fairbanks as a visiting professor.

Thursday: Usher in the Spring Equinox with a Spoken Word Open Mic at Beaners Central 
This is an ongoing event on the third Thursday of every month. I was able to attend last month on one of those well-below-zero days in February, and the atmosphere was just right. Looks like something good brewing here. Come and share.

Friday: Artist reception for KAREN SAVAGE-BLUE who will be showing her Landscapes of Northern Minnesota at Trepanier Hall, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
There are some really interesting events happening at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO). I am increasingly impressed at what a special place this has become. Sometime soon it's my hope to write more about the unique manner in which the Native arts culture is blended with the arts community here. There is much to be said on this topic. This exhibit will run through April 4.

At 6:00 Friday AQUEOUS is celebrating its Volume Four Release Party which is simultaneously its Duluth premiere. The event is taking places at Adeline's which has become a hub of arts activity since moving to their new location on 8th Street. Think Paris. Aqueous is a new literary publication from the South Shore region of Northern Wisconsin. When I read their most recent edition I was impressed.

Coming Soon

BatDon... coming soon to an Atrium near you.

There are really too many events to list all. You need to reader the Reader, the DNT Wave, the Transistor and the bulletin boards at Beaners and Pizza Luce to stay current with things and even then you won't get everything. I'm just highlighting a few items I myself would hope not to miss.

March 29 is the Diorama-Rama at Sacred Heart, a community-centered spectacle of art and music. This is a very big deal. I was impressed last time I went.

Tuesday April 1 Broc Allen will be presenting at the Tweed's monthly Tweevenings event, an informative talk and discussion regarding various works in the Tweed collection. Allen will be presenting the work of Peter Voulkos.

Because April is National Poetry Month, the PlayList is kicking off the month with an evening of Fresh Films by Poets + Filmmakers. Details here.

Thursday April 10 is the art opening for Duluth Art Institute's Hero/Villain/Savior/Scoundrel: Portraits of Jim Carlson & Don Ness. Local artists interpret these two local men who have figured so prominently in the news these past few years. I have at least two and maybe three pieces in this show, and i can't wait to see them shared. Join me and a host of other local artists 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Zeitgeist Atrium.

Let's give them something to Tweet about.