One River Many Stories Project: What It Meant For Me

Ol' man river,
Dat ol' man river
He mus' know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin',
He jes' keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.
~Lyrics by Oscar hammerstien

This spring a project was announced regarding the 192-mile waterway that pours itself into Lake Superior here beneath the hills of Duluth, the St. Louis River. Strangely enough, when I got transplanted here 30 years ago, I somehow thought this river was related to city of St. Louis, which didn't make sense. It flows north into Lake Superior, and how could it flow south at the same time? I eventually figured it out.

The project's aim was to have writers and journalists tell stories about the river during a one month period, and to share those stories via social media. The stated purpose, as I understood it, was to get our regional writers working together on a single theme. Too often all the news media, print and television, compete to scoop one another rather than share information.

The project actually began the year before, though it as yet did not have a name. Again, this was how I then perceive the efforts to pull local writers together in an experiment in networked journalism. My commentary on that first meeting ended with the observation, "It waits to be seen how the seeds from this hour-long program will take root in the minds of our various local journalists."

Like all things that emerge into public view there is always a backstory. Here at Perfect Day Duluth is a good summary of how the One River, Many Stories project was given birth.

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There were indeed many contributors to the project. As it turns out, to my surprise I was one of the most prolific. So I was sent an email that included the following:

“One River, Many Stories” is a journalism, media and storytelling project and resource hub for journalists, educators, and citizens to foster deeper conversations about our community. This University of Minnesota Duluth Journalism program project is funded in part by the Knight Foundation Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

Any thoughts you have on the project, your writing and contributions, etc. would be welcome.

* * * *
So... Here are some of my thoughts...

Once you begin to notice, you'll find rivers in all sorts of places you maybe didn't expect. They've been a part of my life from early memories to the present. And they've played a significant role in all facets of human history from the river that watered the Garden of Eden to the river of the water of life that flows in Revelations 22. And then there are the multitude of stories in between about rivers in history books, literature, science and the arts.

Great books that feature rivers include Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Nobel Pize-winning author V.S.Naipaul's A Bend in the River,  Thomas Wolfe's Of Time and the River, Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. This past year I began an interesting book called River of Doubt about Teddy Roosevelt's journey up the Amazon. Hollywood films featuring rivers include Deliverance, The African Queen, Apocalypse Now and The Man from Snowy River, among a host of others.

Rivers used to be the highways of commerce, until trains, planes and automobiles got involved. When Abe Lincoln was a young attorney in Illinois he represented a case which involved the construction of a railroad bridge across the Mississippi in which steamboat interests were pitted against the emerging railroad industry. The case involved the building of a bridge and had commercial ramifications that are echoed in our own river's story to some extent.

What was this river project all about? And what did I really gain from being part of it?

I have since learned that the stories would be accumulated to become a documentary. (Noted in the Paul Lundren PDD link above.)

Some of what I learned included a strong awareness that there is a fairly substantial herd of talented writers in this region, not that I was surprised. The event in which journalists discussed the impact of the Polymet project showed me that our local journalists have some pretty challenging roles to play that are vital to the community.

The DAI event at the Depot showed me how art and the arts community could draw the public into the project in ways I could not have imagined. (Kudos to Ann Dugan and Ivy Vainio, among others.)

Even though my personal memories of the St. Louis River are limited (though probably many more than I shared) I myself connected to the project because rivers in general have been a part of my life in many ways.

This ol’ river keeps on rollin’, though
No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow
And as long as it does I’ll just sit here
And watch the river flow
~Bob Dylan, Watching the River Flow   

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My impressions of the project? It gave me an opportunity to reflect on things I may not have taken time to reflect on otherwise, being immersed in so many other projects. In this case I began as an observer, like fans in the stands who watch to see what the players on the field will do. Somehow I ended up in the game.

It also gave me a chance to see why that Native American community is so woven into this community, in contrast to the East Coast community where I grew up. There the pre-history of European settlers was hundred of years ago, and the native influence has been subsumed. Here, a rich native culture existed a mere hundred-fifty years ago, and has not been subsumed. Many in the arts scene especially appreciate this rich contribution of heritage. So it was that the project One River, Many Stories had two hashtags for accumulating the social media expressions related to this project: #OneRiverMN and #ChiGamiiziibi.

* * * *
For personal reasons I can't help but comment on the unusual disposition of the river as a connector between Duluth and the Iron Range. Bob Dylan began his life in Duluth and in his sixth year the Zimmerman family (his birth name) moved to Hibbing on the Iron Range. The headwaters of this river are on the Iron Range. The river follows a circuitous route to Duluth where it runs into the vast expanse of "the open sea." One wonders if maybe this is one of the rivers where Bob watched the river flow.

Meantime, life goes on.... flowing like the great river that it is, sometimes gentle and comforting, sometimes turbulent, always inspiring, never the same.

Thank you to the One River, Many Stories project developers for sharing your idea with our writers and region. 

Documenting History at One River, Many Stories

Tom Hollenhurst and Sharon Rogers examine a section of the waterfront.

Last night was the opening reception for this week's One River, Many Stories exhibition at the Depot and my expectations were nicely exceeded. This week the Great Hall is filled with an expanse of maps depicting the snakelike channel of the St. Louis River as it wends its way to Lake Superior. One is immediately aware that a great deal of effort was made to produce these visually expansive depictions, but the real wonder occurs when you draw near and discover all the interaction that is taking place. These are not maps that you simply look at. Rather, they are participatory, jogging memories and giving viewers an opportunity to contribute as they interact with the visual depictions.

Contributions include stories, photos, and even samples of school science projects and other moments that occurred along these waters. One person affixed a photo with the legend, "I spent my Birthday on the Point." Other affixed Post-It Notes with small statements regarding places they caught fish or shared other memories. If I knew precisely where it was I may have told about the scenic railroad ride my family took and the swampy area where we saw dozens of bald eagles gathered.

The large close-ups of the river included the many inlets and points which are usually lost on a map one finds in a book. This amplification permitted event-goers to get a true sense of the river's contours, crags and hideaways. The only thing that would make this more special would be to have Duluth's original settlers here telling their stories, both the early white settlers and the generations of native peoples who preceded them. The river has outlasted all.

Dana Mattice, DAI Dev & Comm Director (R) discusses the exhibit with a guest.

On one panel there was a sheet of paper crammed with a list of endangered species from our region. On another panel I saw the Thompson Dam and the place near Carlton where we used to bring our kids to walk a trail overlooking whitewater kayakers there adjacent to Jay Cook State Park. Despite having grown somewhere else I realized that I had more memories stimulated than I originally would have imagined.

One aspect of the One River, Many Stories project was the encouragement to submit stories for potential selection to be read on KUWS. The deadline for submissions was Monday evening, but there is no deadline for telling your story. The selected stories will be read on the air later this month, April 27 from 7-9 p.m.

The more I've thought about it, the more stories that have come to mind. One of the first was this notion that Bob Dylan was born here in Duluth and moved to Hibbing. In contrast, the headwaters of the St. Louis River is birthed up on the Iron Range and flows down to Duluth. When I think of rivers, Dylan's song "Watching the River Flow" is seldom far away.

I have a handful of river stories to share myself, and a few of my past blog posts have danced around this theme. In 2011 I wrote about the blues song "Old Man River" and in 2008 my blog post Of Time and the River was stimulated by Norman Maclean's rewarding A River Runs Through It. (For what it's worth my blog post about the artist Larry Rivers is not about rivers.)

If there were just one takeaway from visiting this event, it's that there a lot of people here who care about this river. For more information about the project, visit OneRiverMN.com.

EdNote: Though the photography of Ivy Vainio was an important part of this event, it was not the centerpiece. Vainio's mood-drenched images had been integrated into the larger purpose of this exhibition, and seemed content to be woven into its fabric rather than stand in the spotlight.  

One Evening, Many Insights @ #OneRiverMN

Last night we gathered for the second of several meetings in March for the One River, Many Stories project. The discussion topic for this week's panelists was Polymet: How Journalists Report On Tough Topics. I anticipated an excellent dialogue and was not disappointed. Special thanks to panelists Stephanie Hemphill, Aaron Brown and Marshall Helberger of the Timberjay Newspapers, and John Hatcher for serving as moderator for this week's discussion.

For those unfamiliar with the project, the overarching aim is to "See what happens when all the storytellers in one region turn their attention to one topic, the St. Louis River." Rivers are everywhere, and this is ours. What's intriguing is how this river connects the people of St. Louis County, which on a map consists of a vast region with seemingly disparate populations and demographics, yet runs through from its Iron Range headwaters to the shoulder of West Duluth.

UMD's John Hatcher introduces the panel.

On the table, front in center, the panelists had the task of answering this question: How do journalists navigate these kinds of polarizing issues, topics and themes?

For most of her career Stephanie Hemphill has served as news director at KUMD, and journalist for Minnesota Public Radio. She is now a freelancer. Aaron Brown is best known for his blog Minnesota Brown. And Marshall Helberger, along with wife Jody, runs three small newspapers serving the Iron Range communities of Tower-Soudan, Ely and Cook-Orr. We could not have had a better panel. (This last statement was opinion, not journalism.)

The timing for this discussion coincided with fresh news that cleared the way for the Polymet mining project to move a step forward and enter the next phase toward happening. The DNR yesterday ruled that the environmental review was adequate. The panel noted that Polymet supporters saw a victory and opponents saw it as a bump in the road. All agreed that journalism around hot topics like the Polymet mine has many challenges. "Accuracy is essential," Helberger said, noting that "misinformation spreads fast." He also stressed the importance of fairness and the importance of seeking common ground.

Though best known for his blog, Aaron makes his living teaching at a community college. He's grateful for his schooling and background in journalism which helped him to become a better blogger. One of Brown's credos is "seek to understand before trying to be understood."

The room was full as anticipated. Don't arrive late!

Stephanie Hemphill cited her three journalistic ruling principles as follows: fairness, seeking to understand and balance. She noted that sometimes presenting the fair and balanced perspective is difficult when one side refuses to return phone calls. "Companies that don't reply will look bad."

Hatcher's next question: How do you handle the polarization of views on an issue like this?

Hemphill said, "I try to maintain balance, not advocacy."

Helberger said they try to write for a general audience. They're aware that issues have diverse viewpoints. On a controversial issue like this one which has been so ongoing for so long, they know it is important to write about other things. This is not the only news story in the region. They also take pains to keep their opinions on the opinion page and out of the news.

Brown said, "It's different, but not that different, being a blogger. He emphasized the importance of being a person of good will. "When you mix news and opinion too much you will not perceived as a person of good will." It also gives more impact if he keeps opinions and reporting separate.

Hatcher zeroed in on some of Aaron Brown's recently expressed exasperation with the adversarial nature of the discussion on Polyment.

"It's frustrating because it's time to move on, to talk about other topics. This story has become an obsession for the whole region. [There's a] disproportionate amount of time spent discussing something that may or may not happen. There are many other issues that need to be talked about."

Ms. Hemphill, being Duluth-based, has not done many stories on Polymet, and added that "here in Duluth there are [currently] no issues that generate heat like Polymet does on the Range."

Mr. Helberger shared how getting people to sit around a table face-to-face in dialogue is useful. It's much easier to hate people you don't have to look straight in the eye.

When Aaron Brown writes he's aware that some of his readers are people he will be running into at the deli or grocery store. The Iron Range is a tight knit community. Families have been connected for generations. People don't like to disagree because they don't want to be disagreeable. "Polymet is portrayed as a political story, but I believe it is a cultural story. It's a set of communities that have strong identities with mining contrasted with people who perceive Northern Minnesota as a pristine getaway. There are two different [opposing] worldviews."

There were many additional comments and insights gained by the question and answer period afterwards. One gentleman from St. Louis shared how his brother had been a journalist in Viet Nam and missed one of the major stories even as it happened under his nose. Front row seats don't always give us the best view.

Personally, I am looking forward to seeing where this leads, and learning more about this river that feeds the largest freshwater lake in the world. 

Local Art Scene: Events Tonight from Youth Innocence to Visions of a Dystopian Fulture

Tonight the Duluth Art Institute hosts its Opening Reception for Youth Art Month in the Depot's Great Hall, from 5-7 p.m. In addition to K-12 art displayed throughout the hall, there will be "art stations" where local artists work with kids on projects using various materials that artists work with.

"One River, Many Stories" continues its series of events for writers, meeting at 5:30 tonight at the new Ecolibrium3 Building in Duluth's West End. Tonight's topic to be addressed by a panel of journalists is "PolyMet: Reporting on Tough Community Issues." Based on last week's event and the guest panel slated for this week, this will be an invaluable experience for young journalists to attend. Details here.

From 7-9 p.m. there will be an opening reception for Artist Kamikaze VII at Pizza Luce. All three events are free, but if you wish to vote for the winner in this "paired art showdown" then it will cost you $2 per vote. (Does that mean it is an election someone can buy?)

The theme is Dystopian. Details here.

For a list of books in this category check out Wikipedia's Dystopian Literature page. You will readily recognize a number of familiar names including Franz Kafka's The Trial and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. C.S. Lewis's space trilogy ending with That Hideous Strength is another favorite of mine, written in the same period as these and Orwell's 1984. These writers all wrote with great clarity about the dehumanizing effects of unchecked technology and utopian idealism run amok.
More current authors who have written in this genre include Philip K. Dick, William Gibson and Ursula Le Guinn, cloaking dark visions of the future in a sci-fi literary package.

When you look through the lens of the dystopians, you'll come to one conclusion: a hard rain's a-gonna fall. Not a matter of if, but of when.

Meantime, the weather tonight should make it easy to navigate to and fro from wherever you are to wherever you wish to be. Enjoy the shows.

Writers Share Their Passions at One River, Many Stories

Thursday evening I attended an unusual event, the first of a series of such called One River, Many Stories. The concept, as I understand it, is to generate stories by area writers about one theme, in this case the St. Louis River, a major feature of our Northland watershed. To prime the pump, a series of events have been created to make area writers aware of the project. And what better way to attract writers than to have other writers talk about writing?

The gathering was held in the new Ecolibrium3 building in Duluth's West End, constructed (or rehabilitated) using funds from the flood disaster that produced so much devastation a few years back. The working theme for the event was Storytelling Across Platforms.

Thursday's event consisted of a panel discussion about writing, featuring Duluth News Tribune outdoors writer Sam Cook, MPR's Dan Kraker and the enthusiastic Lucie Amundson of Locally Laid. Karen Sunderman of The Playlist served as moderator.

The 90 minute event was efficient and rich with insights about the platforms, processes and problems of being a writer in the 21st century. What a lively batch of thoughtful people spilling it out! The room felt electric. You'd never believe that just talking about writing could be so entertaining. But then again, writers are passionate people. They don't just sacrifice big chunks of their time to edit, revise and re-edit their prose unless it matters to them at some profoundly deeper level. Certainly this was evident in Thursday's gathering.

I myself took an ample quantity of notes and noticed a few others in the room with pads open, pens a-scribblin'. There was plenty of takeaway from what was shared and even as a standalone event it would have had value, but as kickoff for a series it was quite effective.

Here are some of my own notes from last Thursday...

L to R: Karen Sunderman, Sam Cook, Dan Kraker and Lucie Amundson.

After a brief introduction, Karen Sunderman asked what platforms the three writers use.

Sam Cook said his platforms were print, online, blog, Twitter, video. He began his career with the Ely Echo and the chief types of writing he does are news features and columns.

Dan Kraker has been with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) in Northeast Minnesota for the past five years. His primary platforms are radio, web, photography and -- reluctantly -- social media. His writing career began as an intern with the Utne Reader. He discovered public radio after college.

Lucie Amundson shared that her basic platform is creative non-fiction. She has been a writer for The Family Handyman among other things, and he book Locally Laid is just coming off the presses.

Sunderman: What makes a good story?

Amundson said, "Something has to happen." Kraker shared he likes action, but likes to include a little reflection at the end. Also there needs to be something at stake. He always asks himself, "Why should people care?" Interesting characters are also a part of it. Cook added that news stories "still need to be the inverted funnel." He elaborated on how he as a writer always considers his audience.

The 90-minute program was dense with great advice for young writers and reminders for veterans. Kraker mentioned the classic Hemingway observation that "you have to be willing to throw away your babies." But Amundson added that those babies can be put in a file and saved for later. She has a whole file of them.

Radio is a different medium and one thing Kraker noted was how well it can capture emotion.

Sunderman's next question pertained to interviewing.

Dan Kraker structures his interview in the straightforward who, what, when, where, why approach, but then drills down to emotion questions. Sam Cook said he consciously strives to establish rapport with a beginning set of questions, but the best questions come in response to things the subject says.

Lucie Amundson made the excellent observation that it's good to swallow your pride and be dumb People open up. Dan agreed and affirmed, "Silence is powerful."

Sunderman underscored this. "When you stop yourself and listen, amazing things happen." She's also made a career of interviewing.

Sam Cook shared that because he's written about fishing all his life people think he's an expert fisherman when in reality he's really too busy with deadlines and his writing objectives. "I don't care if I'm good at fishing. I want to be good at catching a story."

The next topic was humor. The author of Locally Laid exudes it, and explained how this aspect of her personality was formed while growing up with in a French Canadian home where the parents' English was not that good. Kraker said humor isn't his thing, but he tries to find joy in what he is doing. Sam Cook explained that he's not looking for humor but if it's there he might use it.

Sunderman next asked, "How much do you think about your audience."
Amundson says she just writes, but does think about tone. She writes for "someone who is curious. Someone who wants a good story." Kraker explained, "I think if it is surprising and interesting to me, it will be interesting to a wider audience." Cook said he very consciously thinks about a specific reader and not the masses. "I trust my gut." He said he pictures different individuals from the person who is walking out of McDonald's to the woman in the nursing home.

The last segments covered their processes, dealing with deadlines and early inspiration. For writers present it was a rewarding 90 minutes that flew by fast. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this last section.

"Deadlines are tough, but without deadlines I wouldn't get anything done." ~Dan Kraker

"We're hardwired to respond to story." So true. But I failed to note which panelist said this. My apologies here. If you took better notes than I, send me an email and I will give proper atttirbution.

* * * *

The next meeting will undoubtedly be interesting as journalists discuss the challenges of writing about tough issues in the community. The controversial topic selected deals with the mining industry. The working title is PolyMet: How journalists report on tough issues in their community

The proposal for PolyMet Mining Corporation’s sulfide mine in northern Minnesota is only the most recent example of an issue that generates strong feelings and clear divisions in a community. When a controversial, local topic creates strong divides in a community, the job of the journalist gets precarious:
* How do journalists negotiate these kinds of stories?
* Do they take sides? Do they weigh in with their own opinion?
* Is it possible to be objective in a situation where choosing a side is sure to alienate someone?

One River, Many Voices has asked three veteran journalists — two of whom based in communities with deep roots in mining — to come talk about the role they see for journalism and how they are covering the PolyMet story.

The event is next Thursday, March 3, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. It will again be at Ecolibrium3. I recommend coming early because the room will undoubtedly be packed.

You can learn more about the speakers and the One River, Many Voices project here.

Special thanks to Karen Sunderman who always does such a great job in moderating these kinds of things. Thank you to everyone involved in assembling this program. You've whet our appetite for more.