TPAA Announces the North X North Music and Arts Experience

The March 12 meeting of the Twin Ports Arts Align (TPAA) began with much anticipation as Crystal Pelkey introduced Mike Malone of Swim Creative who was on hand to present a logo and a name for a newly designated arts month. The well-attended meeting filled the DAI board room.

Malone began by stating that he had been contacted by Mayor Ness and asked to consider helping this group, the Twin Ports Arts Align. After several weeks of brainstorming and deliberations involving key players with the TPAA and staff from Swim Creative, Malone was able to announce, “Tonight, we have a name and a logo.”

The young agency exec explained that there are two different audiences we are seeking to communicate to, the folks in the arts community and the folks who are outside the community. The name that ultimately emerged was:

NORTH X NORTH
MUSIC & ARTS EXPERIENCE

Next, Malone unveiled the logo. I'd managed to get a sneak preview of the name (by promising not to blog it here) but had not yet seen the logo. It seemed to be an immediate hit and was presented to the general public by means of a press conference in the Zeitgeist Arts Atrium Wednesday, the first day of spring here in Duluth. For the most part this announcement was the result of a prolonged period of sustained enthusiasm and another step toward fertilizing (organically) our local arts culture that it might flourish.

What is North x North?
North x North is a music & arts experience that takes place throughout Duluth and Superior, the end of April through early June 2013, and is a project of Twin Ports Arts Align. The North x North experience begins with the Homegrown Music Festival, followed by Gallery Week, then theater/ballet/symphony week, Dylan Days, and ultimately ending with the Duluth/Superior Film Festival. The NXN brings together more than four dozen arts organizations from the Twin Ports community along with hundreds of individual artists of all genres and mediums from music and theater to poetry, publishing, sculpture and other visual arts.

The Homegrown Music Festival has blossomed to involve close to 200 bands, and that doesn't include everyone yet. The visual arts week will feature 20 galleries on both sides of the bridge, and every theater will have something going on.

The beauty of the region and downtown development has turned Duluth-Superior into a major tourist destination, but much of that activity takes place between Memorial Day and mid-September when autumn splendor is at its peak. North x North aims to lengthen and strengthen the tourist season. The kickoff celebration will be April 23, a scant five weeks away.

What is Twin Ports Arts Align?
In January, as TPAA entered its second year, they developed the following statement of purpose:

Twin Ports Arts Align is a network of art administrators and artists in all disciplines that serve as a catalyst to incubate and stimulate a vibrant, sustainable arts culture in the Twin Ports. Through our synergy we aim to educate, inspire and support the spirit and economy of our region.

This group is a result of the Arts Align seminar at the Sheraton/Zeitgeist on February 4, 2012. Sponsored by UMD's School of Fine Arts, they currently meet the second Tuesday of every month. Social media has also played a role in this renewed surge of interest in building an arts culture in the Twin Ports with a dedicated Facebook page serving as a hub for the ongoing conversation.

For more about this announcement check out Christa Lawler's The Twin Ports' answer to South by Southwest? published online noon yesterday in the Duluth News Tribune. The piece begins, "You call it May, but if art supporters have their way, the fifth month will get a new identity: the North By North Music & Arts Experience."

Though questions remain, I for one am eager to see where it all goes. If nothing else it's a good excuse to keep us all talking about how the arts can enrich our community.

In the meantime, art goes on all around you. Open your eyes.

Wordless Wednesday: American Capitalism

7 Things We Learned About ePublishing

On April 12, just over three weeks from now, there will be a publishing conference at UMD. The event has been dubbed “21st-Century Publishing: Industry, Media, and the Future of Print." Having dipped my toe into the shallow end of the ePublishing pool, I'm looking forward to catching a close up peek at where publishing is today and where it's headed tomorrow. 

My first foray into ePublishing was in 2011. I'd determined that year to publish some of my stories and The Red Scorpion, a novel I'd labored over for the course of many years and failed to find a home for. Enter TJ Lind, a high school sophomore who became jazzed at the notion of starting a ePublishing business. By November four books were now available on Kindle, Nook and in the Apple store. 

Here are some of the lessons we learned from that experience.  

1. Conversion software can be frustrating.
Writing a book using your favorite word processing program is only the beginning. You still need to convert the manuscript into a specialized form for eBook readers, and it isn't quite as easy as it looks. For a couple of the books we launched, over-hurriedly, the final day involved numerous iterations which TJ would format, email to me and I would review. Sometimes the revisions he made would "take" and sometimes they would not. It can be a tedious process but you have to review every single line every single time if you care about the quality of the final product.

2. Learning time management is essential. 
Both TJ and I are very busy. In addition to being a full-time high school student, he has the same full life of most teens his age, which includes a job, friends, and other interests. One of his interests is the Proctor DECA program, which is how our paths crossed. Currently he is planning a run for International DECA President, which is simply one more thing he's added to his plate for the year. And with my own host of activities, including a full time career in advertising, my free time outside the office is fairly chewed up as well. The key for every collaborating team is to learn the others' rhythms.

3. Fast communication is easy, but accuracy is also needful. 
It's so easy to send a lot of quick snippets and messages these days. But a book needs the same patient attention as ever before, and you just can't ignore this.

4. eBooks can be corrected after they are in print.
The Red Scorpion was a major undertaking. And I'm embarrassed by how many errors slipped through the cracks. At one point I asked TJ to change Mr. Harris to Mr. Henley near the end of the book. For some reason the software inserted Mr.HenleyMr.HenleyMr.Henley in the place of Mr. Harris. Fortunately, an early reader caught this and we corrected the online version of the book. Unfortunately, for the sake of the September book launch party we had fifty copies printed, all of which had this funny Mr. Henley in triplicate. Maybe this erratum will make these original 50 books more collectible some day, though I doubt it. It's just embarrassing.

5. Market research helps. 
While preparing for the novel's launch we had designed two different versions of the cover. When we produced the 50 printed versions we weren't sure which book cover to use. I liked TJ's version with the haunted house, and he liked the original with the red scorpion that I painted. We printed 25 of each to see which one the public would prefer at our launch. The scorpion covers were favored 3 to 1.

6 The economics of printed material is a problem. 
Even with today's print-on-demand options, it's still going to require an outlay of capital to print books. Then there's shipping, storage, and marketing. If you go the traditional route of printing a total run, you have to print a large volume to get your cost per book down to something reasonable. And then there's distribution. It's not as simple as putting up a book stand at the bagel shop.

7. It's gratifying.
It's gratifying to see your eBook on Amazon.com. That's the amazing part. Your book or books can be listed, purchased and reviewed in the same way as George Plimpton's or Hemingway's, Conrad's and Ogilvy's. There is a perceived legitimacy right off. This doesn't mean your books will automatically sell. You still have to get the word out.

Currently TJ and I have several books in the docket for 2013. I'll keep you posted here as things develop.

In the meantime, if you're a writer interested in publishing, check out the April 12 conference at UMD.

Laura Gapske, Minerva and the Roller Dames

Laura Gapske is co-founder of the local feminist zine titled Minerva. Minerva is striking for its in-your-face approach and creative imagery, hence my interest in learning more about its creators. Gapske shared openly and without reservation.

EN: What’s the story behind Minerva? How did it begin? How long has it been in publication?
Laura Gapske: I researched zines for months via ordering independent publications from a Chicago comic store distributor. I also had an author/ professor from UWS share with me her collection of local feminist zines which were printed in the late 90’s. I realized the majority of fringe publishers were exiguous which gave them a laudable quality. This generated motivation to start my own after being inspired by stories and the heroine-like quality writing I consumed.

In 2007, I proposed an independent study course to create Minerva zine, to publish, curate, and organize student submissions for content. We published almost monthly the spring and fall semesters of 2008. I had more than ten student contributors and anonymous writers. Minerva had an academic focus from 2007-2008 with a university calendar of events and student polling on feminist issues.

After college, my friend and local artist, Lindsey Graskey and I decided to continue publishing Minerva. We printed two zines independently with three contributors. Unfortunately, I became preoccupied with life events and my career. I diverged as a single mother and it became a frivolous expense for my household. The zine was a project we both had a veneration to continue but lacked resources.

Lindsey and I were moxie to find the time and financial support to print Minerva again. Last year, with the help of Andy Perfetti at Goin’ Postal, we were able to afford to print small quantities of the zine again. We have consistently produced a zine every two or three months since establishing this relationship. Minerva had its first annual Minerva Zine Party with music by Christine Hoberg at Ochre Ghost Gallery in December. The party turned out a huge success and brought eminence to the zine. The show displayed a range of constituent art by new and old zine contributors. Last month, I published our fourteenth zine which is a manifestation of the longevity and triumph of Minerva.

EN: What is the mission of Minerva?
LG: The mission of Minerva is to empower women, educate others, and encourage consciousness-raising on issues relevant to us by the use of art, collage, images and words. If anyone is interested in more information about the zine or want to submit their work for publication, please check out www.minervazine.com.

EN: Do you consider yourself a writer first or an activist?
LG: I consider myself a writer and an activist due to the nature of works I publish. Typically, I write articles focused on social injustice against women and the criminal justice system or other feminist academic topics. I have contributed prose/collage pieces about relationships and my childhood experience with violence. This is where I find the zine the most advantageous in my personal life; it’s an open and accepting forum to tell one’s story. Numerous times throughout printing Minerva, I’ve been approached by readers who share they relate to the contributor’s writings. It’s a way to create a kinship with readers especially for women in our community. The zine material provokes empowering perspectives. I strongly believe our contributors mutually benefit from hearing readers are encouraged by them to speak up and become involved.

In her role as Killah Cletah

EN: How did you get involved in Roller Derby? That’s not a typical avocation.
LG: I found out about our local roller derby league through a mutual friend. She encouraged me to attend a Wednesday practice at the World of Wheels. I did. I used rental skates and borrowed equipment to do laps around the rink while I watched fierce women duke it out playing Queen of the Rink. I was instantly infused by their feminine wiles and tenacious personalities so I knew I had to come back. The next week, I had already purchased my own gear and had ordered skates. I figured out quickly I’m quite fast on roller skates. I have been roistered as a jammer and blocker for the Harbor City Roller Dames (HCRD) since that time. It’s been an incredible journey playing roller derby. I boldly claim that the women on our team are the most beautiful, talented, and intelligent group of women in town.

EN: Do the Derby girls receive any payment for the entertainment they bring?
LG: The Harbor City Roller Dames do not receive payment for playing roller derby. We pay out of pocket to play which includes skater’s dues for rental fees, equipment, jerseys, WFTDA insurance, and travel expenses. The league’s major expense is bout production at the DECC, where we host our visiting teams from around the Mid-West. HCRD’s have a Board of Directors which vote on business decisions and includes a sponsorship chair who actively seeks local sponsors to assist us with the expenses of operating a small business. I have served on the board for two years and am proud of the financial decisions we have made to augment our league’s financial situation. Our league’s mission is not only about playing roller derby, we also organize skater’s to volunteer their time at local charity events and donate proceeds from our bouts to local charities such as the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse, Habitat for Humanity, Polar Bear Plunge, Damiano Center’s Kid’s Café, and other agencies which benefit women and children. For more information about the Harbor City Roller Dames go to www.harborcityrollerdames.com 

Hard Rain In Duluth: After The Flood Benefit Concert

Armory post card, courtesy Nelson French

During last May's Duluth Dylan Fest an exciting announcement was made. The Duluth Arts and Music Center took another step forward toward becoming a reality when it purchased the property adjacent to the Armory on London Road. Nelson French, newest member of the board, made the announcement at UMD's Weber Hall at the kickoff event for the week of Dylan-related festivities, a concert featuring Scarlet Rivera along with Gene LaFond and the Wild Unknown.

The group's playlist concluded with an encore involving all of the musicians of that evening singing "Watching the River Flow." Little did they know the irony of ending with such a song, because less than two months later the Northland would be hit with a superstorm bringing nine inches of water overnight, and at one point four inches of rain in an hour. Being a city comprised of one long hillside, the damage produced by all that runoff was momentous. All the streams in town, and there are many, became torrents. One of these flows right beneath the Armory, a damaging blow.

A lot of people watched the rising area rivers flow that night, right through their houses. Mayor Ness succeeded in obtaining federal disaster relief but as is nearly always the case, it's never enough.

In May Scarlet Rivera will return again, accompanied by Gene Lafond and his band, for Hard Rain In Duluth - After The Flood Benefit Concert. Scarlet wrote the Armory Arts & Music Center board to say, "It is an honor and my pleasure to return to Duluth, in support of the full restoration of the historic Duluth Armory... rest assured it will be a memorable musical event not to be missed.... and the community's opportunity to participate in the return of a major historic treasure."

The concert, like last year's event, is the kickoff for another week of Dylan-themed events. Here's an outline of the week:

5.17  7 pm: "Hard Rain In Duluth--After the Flood" Concert @Weber Hall
5.18  10 pm: Duluth Does Dylan @ Tycoons
5.19  8 pm: Dylan Trivia @ Carmody's Irish Pub
5.20  7 pm: Open Mic Night @ Beaners Central
5.21  7 pm: Dylan Movie and Music Night @ RedStar Lounge
5.22  7 pm: Dylan's 72nd Birthday Bash @ RedStar Lounge
5.23  6 pm: Blood on the Tracks Express  (Meet @ Fitgers Complex)
5.24  1 pm: Creative Writing Workshop and Literary Showcase @ Hibbing Memorial Building
         7 pm: Dylan Days Singer/Songwriter Contest, Day 1 @ Zimmy's
5.25  Bus Tour and U.S. Postal Cancellation Day // Hibbing
         5 pm: Dylan Days Singer/Songwriter Contest, Day 2 @ Zimmy's
         7 pm: The Adjustments, Live Music @ Zimmy's
5.26  10 am: Dylan Days Farewell Brunch @ Zimmy's

It's never too soon to start making plans. May will be chock full of arts and happenings, so it's time to begin writing things in, getting tickets, organizing your time. Homegrown Music Fest will kick off the month followed by numerous visual arts happenings, theater, poetry and the fourth annual film festival.

As regards the concert, Gene LaFond sent this note: "Can't wait to head for the north country and play with Scarlet & my band at the Weber. River songs, flood songs, recovery songs, songs of renewal and songs of hope! All for a great cause - the restoration of the historic Armory. Soon we may be able to do a concert on the Armory stage where many of the greatest have played in the past. Thanks for supporting this effort. Make a plan - May 17!!"

Weber Hall is such an acoustically sublime music venue that it's impossible to get a bad seat. For a memorable event that also supports a great cause, visit Ticketworks.

The Week: A Saturday Summary

"It's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon..." So begins Garrison Keillor each Saturday evening as he supplies updates on his hometown of hardy, hard-working Lutherans, a staple of his Prairie Home Companion radio program. When Susie and I were living in St. Paul back in the early 80's we had a ritual that went something like this. The first hour of the program she would assemble all the fixin's for a home made pizza. It would be popped into the oven just in time to be pleasantly devoured during Keillor's "News from Lake Woebegon" segment which took place in the second hour of the show.

Rituals are good, and make for some fun memories. And it was great pizza.

The popularity of Prairie Home Companion is such that in recent years, and I don't know when it began, they have been airing a re-run of the live show Sundays on many public radio stations. This is a good thing because Saturday evenings I've been listening to Highway 61 Revisited, which I call the Dylan Hour, that airs on KUMD during that time slot.

There were so many things I wanted to write about this week, but to do each item justice would have required more time than I had time for. So I'll mention a couple highlights of the week now complete.

In case you haven't noticed, we have a new pope in Vatican City. For some reason I was unaware that the pope can give himself a new name when he takes that high office. This pope, who hails from Argentina, has chosen to call himself St. Francis. The story of St. Francis of Assisi was brought to the silver screen in 1972 by Franco Zeffirelli, made even more popular by virtue of its coinciding with the hippie ideals of the day, the rejection of wealth and cultural expectations, and a soundtrack by Donovan. The gulf between the poverty of Francis and the opulence of the Vatican was immense. The climactic encounter between Pope Innocent III and the pilgrim is dramatic.

Today, a new Francis sits upon that "royal throne" amidst the immeasurable splendor there. Will he succeed in diverting the world's eyes away from the Church's manifold scandals by getting us focused on the great need of our time, global poverty?

Something I'm curious about, and maybe someone can help me here... Do priests aspire to the papacy the way that young politicians dream of becoming president?

In other news, a New York judge succeeded in thwarting Mayor Bloomberg's attempt to ban Big Gulp soft drinks in the Big Apple. Frankly, I think we already have too many laws. Why do politicians need to keep piling on? Is this going to be his legacy, that he took the lead in the fight against sugar? Why stop at large drinks? Why not get rid of chocolate and cake and donuts… heavens, donuts are not only sweet they are dripping with grease. And what about bagels? Have you ever seen how many calories there are in a bagel? They make donuts seem like diet food.

In case you didn't already know, sugar's not good for your teeth. If you enjoy dentists and drills, have at it. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee ages ago. It's been said that death and taxes are the only sure things, but I would suggest a third: cavities. Especially if you're sipping a large glass of pop all day. To tell you the truth, I'm not going to stop you from doing it by lobbying for new legislation.

Films I watched this week included To Have and Have Not, the 1944 Bogart/Bacall film based on the Hemingway novel of the same name. Except instead of Cuba it takes place in Martinique. And instead of a tragic end it has a happy ending. Though a work of fiction, the sparks between Bogie and Bacall were real. They married, and did three more films together.

I also finished The Mask last night. The last line in the film is Jim Carrey's "Smokin'." And smokin' we're not in our Minnesota bars and restaurants because of the smoking ban. In principle I dislike the smoking ban because we have too many rules, but I actually don't mind driving home and not bringing the smell of a bar home with me on my clothes.

Speaking of smoking, a former high school classmate of mine passed away this week from lung cancer. He had been a smoker for a spell, but gave it up at age 25. Is it possible the damage was already done?

Meantime life goes on all around you. Enjoy the weekend. Especially if you don't have to shovel snow... like we do here today. 

James L Spiegel Examines Dylan's Tempest for Christianity Today

When Bob Dylan's Tempest was released this past September it received accolades from all sectors including Ennyman's Territory. Sure, there were some who panned it, and at least one comical reviewer who declared the cover art to be the worst of all 35 of Dylan's albums. (We're all entitled to an opinion, I suppose.)

When Tempest was released on 9/11 Christianity Today printed a brief review of the album and published a piece by John J Thompson titled "The Dark Side of Dylan."  Reviewer Josh Hurst gave the album four stars, but at the time listed "Pay in Blood," "Duquesne Whistle" and "Scarlet Town"as Tempest's "top tracks." I'd be curious to know if he still feels that way and by what measure? "Duquesne Whistle" is definitely a fun opener, but there are many other selections that I would put ahead of the other two, including "Roll On John," "Early Roman Kings," and "Long and Wasted Years."

It is now March and Christianity Today has once again given some attention to the album with a review by James L. Spiegel in a piece titled "The Light's Still Burning." It's a fairly concise overview of the cultural context into which Tempest has been delivered and a breakdown of the content of the songs. It's a good read for all you Dylan fans out there.

I do find it interesting how reviewers work so hard to invent new ways of making the same observation. Specifically, that Dylan's vocal quality has deteriorated. "Dylan's voice is now a raspy growl, tattered from a half century of singing, including the last two decades of his Never Ending Tour. But for all the wear and tear, he is no less effective in conveying emotion and delivering memorable melodies." You can tell that Spiegel is a fan because he "hears through" to the heart and I whole-heartedly concur that the Bard has become "no less effective in conveying emotion." He is a master.

If you don't have time for the whole review, this excerpt will give you the flavor. "As for the songs on Tempest, they display what are now recurrent themes in the later Dylan—regret, injustice, world-weariness, and exasperation with other people, especially women. These themes emerge in the poignant "Long and Wasted Years," which features a sublime, rolling melody over which Dylan speaks more than he sings: "It's been such a long, long time since we loved each other and our hearts were true. One time, for one brief day, I was the man for you." But rather than lapsing into sentimentality, the song morphs into scattered reflections on past mistakes and lingering sorrows, closing with the somber recollection, "We cried on that cold and frosty morn. We cried because our souls were torn. So much for tears, so much for these long and wasted years."

Great album. And yes, Dylan's light is still burning.