It's a Horatio Alger Story

I've never read a Horatio Alger story, but I've heard the expression all my life. The expression refers to a classic rags-to-riches narrative, where someone overcomes poverty, hardship, or adversity through hard work, determination, and moral virtue to achieve success. 

The author of this series of books was Horatio Alger Jr., a 19th-century American author who wrote over 100 popular novels, mostly for young boys, featuring protagonists who rise from humble beginnings to middle-class respectability. As you can see from the titles here, the stories tend to emphasize self-reliance, perseverance, and luck—like being in the right place at the right time or meeting a benefactor. The reason Alger is not included in lists of "Great American Authors" is that all his books followed the same formula. Though he never tired of producing them, sales tapered off as the stories grew stale and predictable. 

What's funny is how well-known the expression is, whereas I doubt that I have ever actually met anyone who has read a Horatio Alger story. The phrase is commonly used to describe real-life success stories that mirror the archetype. Nowadays some would say the idealism expressed in these stories is dated, as Alger’s tales reflect a simpler, more moralistic view of success that doesn’t always align with modern complexities or cynicism. (Again, I admit to not having read any of the stories and base what I do know on personal speculation and a lecture I heard several years back about American bestsellers.)

For what it's worth, if your interest is piqued by this brief intro, you can find some of the originals, pictured above, at Chester Creek Books & Antiques here in Duluth.

* * * 

Here are some quotes attributed to this 19th century author.

--Success does not mean the absence of failure; it means the attainment of ultimate objectives.

--To err is human, to forgive divine.

--So long as there is life, hope is never absent.

--There is nothing more powerful than honesty, and nothing more valuable than integrity.

--The surest way to achieve success is to act as if it was already within your grasp.

--There is no royal road to learning; it comes only through persevering effort, hard work, and constant self-improvement.

--Opportunities don't happen. You create them.

--The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

--Your destiny is not determined by your circumstances, but by your choices.

* * *

 

Is the Rise of Social Media Really a Reprise?

Last week I began reading Is the Internet Changing the Way We Think?, a collection of essays by various thinkers, assembled and edited by John Brockman. The subtitle is The Net's Impact on Our Minds and Future. The list of contributors is impressive and the topics explored quite vast.

This blog post was stimulated by June Cohen, director of media, TED Conference, TED Talks. As you might expect, Cohen introduces an idea I had never considered but which so thoroughly resonated with my own observations that it's a wonder I'd never considered it this way before.

When I read the text of June Cohen's TED Talk, it not only struck me as original but also seemed profoundly astute. The title above was taken from the title of her TED Talk: The Rise of Social Media Is Really a Reprise.

In the early days of the Web, when I worked at HotWired, I thought mainly about the new. We were of the future, those of us in that San Francisco loft-champions of new media, new tools, new thinking. But lately I've been thinking more about the old--about those aspects of human character and cognition that remain unchanged by time and technology. Over the past two decades, I've watched as the Internet changed the way we think and changed the way we live. But it hasn't changed us fundamentally. In fact, it may be returning us to the intensely social animals we evolved to be. (EdNote: emphases mine)

Every day, hundreds of millions of people use the Internet to blog, tweet, IM, and Facebook, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it is. The tools are new, but the behaviors come naturally. Because the rise of social media is a reprise, a return to the natural order.

When you take the long view-when you look at the Internet on an evolutionary timeline-everything we consider "old media" is actually very new. Books and newspapers became common only in the last two hundred years, radio and film in the last hundred, TV in the last fifty. If all of human history were compressed into a single twenty-four-hour day, media as we now know them emerged in the last two minutes before midnight.

Before that, for the vast majority of human history, all media were social media. Media were what happened between people. Whether you think of the proverbial campfire, around which group rituals were performed and mythologies passed on, or of simple everyday interactions (teaching, gossiping, making music, making each other laugh), media were participatory. 

The point, she concludes, is that what we’re witnessing now isn’t a fresh phenomenon. It’s not a groundbreaking surge in human potential, nor the collapse of thoughtful discussion, but instead a return to a more typical historical state. For a short time in the twentieth century, "media" was seen as content crafted by professionals for passive consumption by the masses. Together, we’ve been moving away from that concept.  

Is this part of the reason I've generally found television so off-putting since my junior year in high school?

Humans are innate storytellers, she says, and media have long served as the connective tissue binding our communities. However, in the twentieth century, mass media became so overwhelmingly one-sided that they crowded out other forms of engagement. The allure of television was so captivating, immersive, and isolating that it eroded older, interactive traditions like storytelling, music creation, and even family meals. While TV built a global audience, it dismantled the sense of village life in the process.

  

Then came the Internet. As soon as this technology emerged, we instinctively started rebuilding the types of content and communities we’re naturally drawn to. Content creation no longer required a multi-million dollar studio. YouTube video was a snap to produce and upload for sharing. 

Our ancestors thrived in tight-knit tribes, staying close to friends and keeping their children even closer. They rapidly shared critical, sometimes life-saving information and gathered around fires for rituals and storytelling that strengthened their bonds. Today, we see these same instincts at play. The first thing many of us do with new communication tools is reconnect with our tribe—sending photo emails to our parents or watching our grandchildren via private photo and video catalogs as they grow from infants to maturity.

The upside to social media is that it's accessible and (mostly) easy as pie. 

* * * Cue the ominous background transition music * * *

While I was preparing my thoughts for this blog post a few days ago I noticed the following post from a Facebook friend reminding me that not all is hunky dory in social media paradise, especially in those places where it intersects with the real world we physically live in. I asked for permission to share her experience and observations.

I went to a Tate Lecture at McFarlin at SMU featuring journalist Soledad O'Brien. I really like her and watched her on NBC and CNN many years ago. Anyhow, I was sitting in the 3rd balcony because I bought a General Admission ticket. It was terrible up there. I had a nice seat picked out and a few seconds before it started, a lady with a high hairdo sat in front of me so I moved. But I didn't know the lady down from her and now to the side of me on the lower row was going to be playing a game on her phone the whole night. Well, I shut her down by asking her to dim her phone or turn it off thank you. She did. Then a man in front of her had his going but he was reading about Soledad and turned it off pretty quickly. Then another lady kept checking her phone the whole lecture, but at least she had dimmed hers and was just quickly checking. Then when the lecture was over but the question and answer session was beginning, many people got up and left. I guess that's ok but I think it is in poor taste. During the questions (the lights were up), that first lady had dimmed her phone but was scrolling FB. LOL. I enjoyed the lecture but will pay for a decent ticket on the floor next time. My take is that people are addicted to their phones and are rude. But we all knew that. I just am surprised time and time again for some reason. --Denise Costello*

*Denise Costello is a connoisseur of the arts and literature, and an authority in all things Hemingway  

The Art Dock Hosts “From Norway to the North Shore”-- Paintings by Sue Pavlatos.

Sea Smoke at the Aerial Lift Bridge--
Canal Park, by Sue Pavlatos

Last week I wrote about the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace 40th Anniversary Celebration taking place the first weekend in May. Here's a follow-up announcement about events taking place at the Art Dock.

Sue Pavlatos will be the highlighted artist. Her show “From Norway to the North Shore” will open on Monday, April 29 featuring a collection of new paintings done with watercolor, pen, collage and acrylic paint. Sue is inspired by the moment and colors.

Pavlatos says “Painting is a way to capture the moment.  I enjoy connecting my life to the landscape before me. My paintings reflect nature‘s impact on my life.”  

Sue traveled to Norway in May 2024 to capture its beauty. The trip involved US cousins visiting Norwegian cousins and traveling the country. “I wanted to paint the beautiful vistas, and importantly, capture the moment with family," she said. "It was a pleasure to visit and revisit the farms, forest and rocky coast of Norway.  The connection to family on both sides of the ocean was poignant. Our four grandmothers, and their letters over the years, have connected us. Our love of nature's beauty keeps us connected. An added bonus was the similarity to our beautiful North Shore, and a show was born."  

From 1:00 to 3:00 on Saturday, May 3rd Sue will be giving a painting demonstration followed by an Artist Reception from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the Art Dock. Her show will be on display through Sunday, May 18th.

There's a lot planned for DeWitt Seitz Marketplace 40th Anniversary Celebration. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place May 2 at 5:00 pm. Throughout the day on May 3 the 10 retail shops and restaurants will present special demonstrations/events, food specials and tasting, bagful sale, music, store drawings, and a grand prize drawing worth $500.00.

The Art Dock is located on the first floor of the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace, 

in Canal Park, Duluth, MN and is open daily.            

More Free Concerts in the Park Courtesy Rocky Wall Entertainment: The Silver Bay Music Scene Continues to Dazzle

I saw the people gather
I heard the music start
The song that they were singing
Is ringing in my heart
--Joan Baez, No Man Is An Island

There's nothing like music to turn a barren field into a happening. This summer Silver Bay is again hosting a series of free "Happenings" courtesy Rocky Wall Entertainment, a Minnesota nonprofit corporation established for the purpose of producing high quality live Americana Music events in the City of Silver Bay on Lake Superior's North Shore.   

It started like this. In 2015, neighbors on Rocky Wall Road began hosting private house concerts. Over five years, they welcomed talented musicians into their homes, sharing music with friends and neighbors, and organizing intimate concerts. In the summer of 2021, they discussed expanding their passion for music to the broader community. They decided to establish Rocky Wall Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to achieve this goal.

They next combined this vision with the revitalization of downtown Silver Bay, aligning with the community’s long-standing idea of creating a “City Center Park and Amphitheater” in the central green space. This led to the creation of the Silver Bay Music in the Park Concert Series at City Center Park near City Hall. Mindful of the popular Bay Days celebration, they chose to staer  the free Friday night outdoor music series the Friday after the annual Bay Days celebration, continuing for eight late-summer Friday nights.

Many residents of Silver Bay are actively involved in community improvement efforts. The City Center location, nestled in a valley with scenic views of Lake Superior, is an especially appealing venue and the concerts have begun to build a serious following. This year, Rocky Wall Productions will spearhead efforts to develop a plan for establishing a City Center Park with an amphitheater.

The caliber of the talent dropping in to this remote Lake County location is impressive. According to Rocky Wall co-founder and passionate concert promoter Nelson French, "In 2025, we enter our fifth summer season of eight free Friday night live Silver Bay Music in the Park concerts along with six Rocky Wall Benefit House Concerts an two indoor 'Reunion Hall Winter Concert' events. Additionally, we continue to work with our community to realize the vision of establishing a City Center Park and Amphitheater."

And don't be afraid of the weather. Summers and fall are beautiful here, though in the event of a hard rain, they have a backup venue. Bring a chair and a carload of friends. You will undobtedly be rewarded. 

FREE MUSIC IN THE PARK

• Charlie Parr
• Jeff Slate & Friends
• New Primitives
• Martin Zellar and the Hardways
• Chase and Ovation
• Sherwin Linton & The Cotton Kings
• Tina and the B-Sides
• Scarlet Rivera and the Chris Mulkey Band

• BENEFIT HOUSE CONCERTS 
• Jeff Slate & Friends
• New Primitives
• Martin Zellar
• Sherwin Linton & The Cotton Kings
• Tina and the B-Sides
• Scarlet Rivera and Chris Mulkey

"Please join us in welcoming these artists to our community." --Charlie Parr

Related Links

Rocky Wall Entertainment - YouTube
The Jayhawks at Silver Bay Music in the Park

For more information: 
https://www.rockywallentertainment.org/

Life Is Not A Spectator Sport: A Weekend Reflection

It's Jay Gatsby Month. 100 years ago, April 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was published by Charles Scribner's and Sons, so you may see his story pop up a few times in the next couple weeks.

[Spoiler Alert: All of these Gatsby references assume you already know the story.]

They say that cats have nine lives; we only have one. This singular chance at existence demands that we be more than passive observers. We can choose to sit and watch from the audience, or choose deliberate engagement with the world. The theme “Life is not a spectator sport”--a theme I've reiterated many times over the course of a lifetime--captures this urgency to step beyond the sidelines and shape our own stories through action and courage. 

Whether we're chasing dreams like Jay Gatsby, or standing against injustice as history’s rebels did, the essence of living lies in participation, not detachment. In one sense, this call to action is a plea for purpose, reminding us that life--fleeting and finite--gains meaning only when we dare to act, risk, and truly live.

This idea resonates deeply in literature and life, emphasizing courage, agency, and the pursuit of meaning through action.

In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is an embodiment of this theme. He's refused to remain a bystander in his own story. Born into poverty, he rejects the sidelines, reinventing himself as a wealthy man to win Daisy’s love. His relentless pursuit shows a life lived boldly, even if flawed. By way of contrast, Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator, is the lingering spectator, observing Gatsby’s world with detachment. His passivity contrasts with Gatsby’s drive, suggesting that true vitality lies in taking risks, not just witnessing others’ dreams.

The story is more nuanced than that though. The picture Fitzgerald paints is more grim. The American Dream isn't all that it's cracked up to be. There's a power hierarchy in life. The lower classes believe in upward mobility. This is America, where anything is possible. What many don't see is that when you rise above your place,  you become a target. You're a clay pigeon thrust skyward and the uber-rich delight in taking potshots at you, shattering your illusions, putting you back in your place.

Even so, we're not advocating that you abandon your dreams. Quite the contrary. This is an appeal to take action, despite a possibility of frustration, futility and failure. The battle is not always to the strong nor the race to the swift, time and chance happen to them all.

In his song "Father and Son" Cat Stevens wrote this terribly sad line: "You may still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not." When we've abandoned our dreams, what is left? 

For all sad words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these, 'It might have been.'

--John Greenleaf Whittier

DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace To Celebrate 40th Anniversary Milestone

View from the parking lot across the street.

Susie and I moved to Duluth in the spring of 1986. At the time, I don't believe there were any hotels in Canal Park. There were a few restaurants--most notably Grandma's--a block-long half-empty office building and an emptied warehouse transformed into a bar unimaginatively called "The Warehouse Bar." Smack dab in the middle of this promontory was the DeWitt-Seitz Building.

Having come to town from elsewhere I was under the impression that the collection of retail businesses assembled in the DeWitt Seitz had been there for ages. Little did I know the Art Dock, Blue Heron Trading Company, J-Skylark and Sandra Dee’s Minnesota Gifts had taken residence here as recently as 1985, only one year previous. Each continues to operate in the building to this day. Little by little these businesses would be joined by an assortment of retailers and popular eating spaces and the first weekend in May they will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary. 

SPECIAL EVENTS – MAY 2 & 3

On May 2 & 3, DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace will celebrate four decades of shopping and community as the 10 retailers mark their 40^th anniversary with a series of special events and drawings. Located in the heart of Duluth’s Canal Park, everyone is invited to join in the festivities. From exclusive sales to unique in-store experiences, here's what each store has planned for this milestone celebration.  

 

Friday, May 2: Ribbon Cutting, 5:00 p.m.      

 

Saturday, May 3:

 

Art Dock

1-3 pm            Artist Sue Pavlatos      Demo

3-5 pm            Reception, May 3        “From Norway to the North Shore”

Drawing: “Evening in Canal Park”       (Matted print by Sue Pavlatos)           $125 value
                        “Winter Silence”         (Matted print by Sue Pavlatos)           $75 value

An exhibit of Pavlatos’ paintings titled “From Norway to the North Shore” will be on display April 28 - May 26.

 

Blue Heron

Anniversary Bag Sale and Food Shelf Drive

**Bring Food Shelf Donation and receive 20% off one Blue Heron Bagful of in-stock merchandise **

Drawings: For an assortment of some of our Favorite Products grouped together for Lucky Winners, valued at more than $1,000!

 

Hepzibah’s

Guess the number of Jelly Belly jellybeans in the Asst’o Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Jar. The closest number wins the works! Yummm.

 

J. Skylark 

Chalk Board House

Drawing: Of our favorite items

 

Lake Avenue Café

Gift Card Special: Buy $50.00 get $10.00 or buy $100.00 to receive $25.00

Drawing: Dinner for Two, 3 Course Meal with Wine Pairing

 

Minnesota Gifts by Sandra Dee 
Storewide sale!

Drawing: Your choice of a Sweatshirt

 

Naturalight Candles & Coffee  
Special Coffee Bar Anniversary Beverage!

Drawing: $50.00 Gift Card

 

Northern Waters

Live Music                   

 

Pholicious  
10% OFF Vietnamese or Chinese Dinner over $20.00

Drawing: Dinner for Two value $40.00.              

 

Two & Co.
20% off Bag with Donation for Second Harvest Foodbank

Drawing: $50.00 Gift Card and Goodie Basket

 

DEWITT-SEITZ MARKETPLACE

Drawing for ten $50.00 Marketplace gift certificates.

 

How to Get There

The DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace is located in the heart of Canal Park at 394 S. Lake Avenue and Buchanan Street. Public parking is available both in front and in back. 

 

DeWitt Seitz Building, 1952

For what it's worth, we're just over three weeks from a pretty big day for a batch of local business who took advantage of an opportunity when success was not a sure thing. Mark your calendars, Duluth. Congratulations, DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace group.