Groovy Reviews

Quote

2011-10-31T11:00:00.002-05:00

"Although he stood five-ten, a respectable height, he somehow failed to exude the authority so necessary for survival in rough bars, alleys, police stations, jails, and McDonald's drive-throughs." - TOURIST SEASON by Carl Hiaasen

Too much coffee ...

2011-10-18T12:50:00.002-05:00

Please Note: Due to a tragic coffee on computer incident...Groovy Reviews is working to 'reboot' ...but hopes to be back in the groove before long.

Books

2011-08-12T13:27:00.005-05:00

A bookshelf can speak volumes about a person. What does your bookshelf say about you?

All photos by Melissa Slachetka

Answered Upon Reading

2011-08-08T18:22:00.004-05:00

Otherwise, Elsewhere…The title is like reading an implied question. Filled with unwavering eyes, the cover art is abstract enough that you want to open it, if only because it feels like you are being stared at and are not sure what to expect. Or maybe because after staring back at the title (which is scrawled so diagonal across the cover, at first glance you may not even be sure if you read it right), you are thinking ‘where then?’ and ‘otherwise what?’ and hope you will get an answer.

“Otherwise elsewhere – someone somewhere other than here – the stable-hand for an equestrian team or the bodhisattva stretched out by the river or the sleepwalking knife-thrower…”
–pg 3

Whimsically reminiscent: the poems inside feel like a summer carnival. They highlight the simplicity of emotion as they tap into innocence, vulnerability, and certain strangeness. Poet David Rivard’s thoughts ride like waves of continuous prose that loop from the depths, to the shallow with considerable ease. He takes images we know well and splices them with philosophical meanderings to create something tactile.

In “Plural Happiness”, Rivard amplifies a peaceful summer day with description of curtains billowing and a dinner of peat-smoked scotch, fresh berries, cheese and baguette, and reflects on the accidental nature of happiness. “The Same Bourgeois Magic Wherever the Mailtrain Sets You Down” analyzes the idea of money, challenges those who don’t think it’s important, and questions us to think about why it is. The most masterful piece, titled “Forehead” is a love poem, which in a way denies itself as being a love poem by focusing on the safe closeness that is shared between two people, and not some idealized perfection.

Rivard’s poetry doesn’t attempt to answer life’s questions, instead it seems to pose its own and answer only that “Otherwise, Elsewhere” is anywhere you want to be, whether it is reminiscing about childhood, analyzing religion and politics, or just sitting outside, scotch in hand, enjoying the moment exactly how it is.

Otherwise, Elsewhere
By David Rivard
Graywolf Press, 2011

Bookworm Note: I skimmed through this book of poetry some time ago and several pieces really jumped out at me, but I haven’t had time to sit down and review it until know. I’m so glad that I trusted those first impressions, because the poems I liked at first, I enjoy even more.

A Book, A Cuppa, A Cozy!

2011-07-22T07:59:00.006-05:00

Groovy summer signage...

...and designs!

Arriving tomorrow at:
Janine's CoffeeHouse
119 North 1st Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401

The Charm of Italy

2011-07-03T09:13:00.001-05:00

Italy...fabulous food; great wine; what more do you need? For actor Michael Tucker, best known for his years on L.A. Law and his wife, actress Jill Eikenberry, buying a home in the countryside is the next step, especially when the home comes with a large outdoor pizza oven, and is surrounded by olive trees. Discovering the nuances of the language, finding the best butchers, and surviving the Italy’s notorious driving habits, is worth learning to enjoy really living the Italian life.

“He uses a thin carving knife that looks like it’s been around for generation. After a few quick strokes on the honing steel, he began to slowly saw the prosciutto, starting away from his body, cutting in the direction of his heart, so that he looks very much like a cellist – playing Brahms, perhaps.” – pg 147

Tucker’s writing is rich and the story easy to fall into. The description of Italian meals and customs is top notch. A nice addition is the honesty of how challenging it is to balance a life in Italy with a smattering of acting roles which pull Tucker and Eikenberry between California and New York. This acting insight is a nice inclusion for all the fans of Tucker and his wife.

“At voice-over auditions, I reconnected with old buddies from our early days in New York – all older but not in any way wiser. One afternoon I ran into Chris Murney on the Upper West Side and we sat on a bench in the middle of Broadway, sipping coffee, cars whizzing by on both sides, and reminisced like the two old geezers we had become.” – pg 237-238

Tucker writes this memoir with a masculine charm. He doesn’t try to be too polished in his description of his life, or down-play any egos, and his writing almost takes a boyish tone when opening up about his strong connection to his wife. Perfect for the summer, Living in a Foreign Language will cure your wander lust.

Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy
By Michael Tucker
Grove Press, 2007

A Glance at Finance

2011-06-26T09:42:00.004-05:00

Jean Chatzky's You Don't Have to be Rich: Comfort, Happiness, and Financial Security on your own Terms is a how-to guide for personal finances. Chatzky makes the reader feel comfortable by writing with humor, ease, and relatable character situations, unlike the sometimes inevitable 'Uh-oh! Johnny went to Vegas with his retirement funds, so now we are living in a trailer eating Ramen soup for dinner'-style preaching. The author’s language is perfect for readers of any level. You don't have to be a financial expert and it doesn't get too elementary.

"You must invest. But you don't have to do it in the aim-for-the-stars, pick-the-biggest-winners style of the 1990s."
- pg 110.

If you are looking to understand finance, Chasky's teachings are the way to go. The tables and workbooks promote confidence in understanding how things are calculated. They give the reader ability to look at their own saving/spending situation and test the results in terms of retirement, paying off loans, and buying a house. There is also a broader, societal implication to understanding money and how happiness is related to money that is worth thinking about. "If you believe money equals happiness, you're in good company. Nearly one-third of Americans do, and they're substantially less happy as a result." - pg 35-36

Even with the long, drawn-out, text-book-sounding title, You Don't Have to be Rich: Comfort, Happiness, and Financial Security on your own Terms is a keeper. I'd recommend on your desk near the calculator.

http://www.jeanchatzky.com/
You Don't Have to be Rich: Comfort, Happiness, and Financial Security on your own Terms
By Jean Chatzky
Portfolio (member of Penguin Group), 2003
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014

Fly Along with the Troutmans

2011-05-28T22:23:00.002-05:00

If you liked “Little Miss Sunshine”, then you’re bound to fall in love with The Flying Troutmans. Filled with dysfunction, this novel by Miriam Toews has an equal amount of heart and some good old-fashioned road-tripping.

The story involves Logan and younger sister Thebes dealing with their mother, Min’s, life-long battle with depression which once again has reached a point of hospitalization. Bed-ridden, Min refuses to talk or eat, and the children are left to retreat into their own neurosis. Ultimately, a call is made to Min’s younger sister and only other surviving member of the Troutman family, Hattie.

Just twenty-eight and fresh off a break-up, Hattie flies from Paris to Canada to take care of her sister’s family. It is clear that she is way out of her depth, especially when Min asks her, “Please help me die.” Fighting a nervous break-down, she decides to find the children’s father. With only a beat up van and a vague sense of where she’s going, the remaining Troutman’s take off across the border into America’s heartland.

"How do you feel about this whole, you know, odyssey?
Odyssey?
Like, this trip we’re on. What are you thinking?”
-pg 126

The book maintains no classic punctuations between the character’s thoughts and verbalizations. Keeping the quotations out is strange, but the reader gets used to the free, flowing feeling; an effect that enhances the novel.

Toews also gives her characters depth through flash-backs on Min’s years of depression.

"I phoned the hospital again and asked to speak to Min. The nurse told me that Min did not want to talk to me. I know, I said, but I don’t think she means it.
She’d prefer not to see you, said the nurse.
What about her kids? I said.
Min doesn’t want any visitors, said the nurse.
I wasn’t surprised. I had refused to help her die and her kids reminded her of important reasons to live. She had done this before when she was deeply psychotic, turned her back, flipped us the bird, walked away.”
-pg 53

The story is so rich you may need a good dose of anti-depressants to make it through each page. And yet, you can’t help but dive further into the angst experienced by Hattie, Logan, and Thebes. It’s true that depression affects more than just the sufferer and this book makes it poignantly so. Even though the character of Min is absent for most of the novel, she is always on the mind of the three passengers as they journey to self-discovery and figure out how to cope with the depression.

"Like you know when it snows in May? said Thebes. How much that sucks?
Yeah, I said.
I don’t let my brain accept the word snow, said Thebes.
Hmm, I said. Okay, so…
I pretend it’s something else, she said.
The snow? said Logan.
Yeah, she said."
-pg 110

To purple-haired, artistic Thebes, and pensive, basketball fanatic Logan, Hattie is not so much an aunt but an older sister. Each bonded by the love of Min and the realization that they can’t cure her. During the drive, Hattie learns to stop blaming herself for her sister’s condition and Logan and Thebes get to enjoy a bit of the youth they’ve never experienced.

While the ending doesn’t solve anything, it does shine a ray of hope. Toews’s novel deals with the tough subject of depression head-on and her characters are bravely written. The Flying Troutmans is hard to put down and definitely worth the ride.

Burn Before Reading

2011-05-23T01:19:00.003-05:00

Editor’s Note: Books are like movies, in a way, if you really don’t like what you are seeing then you have every right to stop. Now, I rarely stop movies, because even if they suck, it is only wasting an hour - give or take – of your time. Even though I’m a fast reader, I don’t particularly want to waste any more than that on something that I just can’t stomach. Now there are some books I put down and wait and pick up again to finish off. I was hoping that was the case with this book, but it’s been about a year and the thought of opening it has pushed me to re-read most every other book on my bookshelf, so I decided that I need to be true to myself and just…let it go. If you, as a reader, have the same literary tastes as I do, then it’s my duty to direct you to many more awesome reads and let this one drift like embers into the wind.

Drowning Tucson
Aaron Michael Morales
Coffee House Press, May 2010
Drowning Tucson by Aaron Michael Morales is a release by local publisher Coffee House Press. It is not a good novel, and this wasn’t due to bad writing, in fact, the description was full of depth. The characters were developed nicely, and Morales deserves praise for that, but it was also extremely graphic, violent, slightly pornographic, angry, and depressing.

The back of the book describes Morales novel as ‘a southwest version of HBO’s The Wire. In a way, this is correct. It has that same gritty feel and complexity of human emotions. I think it would be more pertinently described as a southwest version of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where all the victims are Latino, but there is no trial, because they are intent dealing out their own justice.

A young, gay student is beaten to death by classmates with chains and fists, a seven-year-old girl is kidnapped, tortured, and raped by the local ice cream truck driver, a baby boy runs out on freshly-laid tar during the hot Arizona summer and suffers horrible burns while being stuck motionless, a depressed mom drowns herself with her baby… and they just keep coming. The Wire had humor and uplifting moment’s right along with its vivid depiction of life in urban poverty and gangs; Drowning Tucson never offered that respite.

The title is apt, because every character is drowning in the life they chose, just like the flashfloods caused by sudden rainfall drown the dessert. Morales does a fine job of portraying intensely morose characters and gruesome scenes, but it is not something any reader should force themselves to read.

Life is too short to taste this bitter.

Coffee Cozy Time

2011-03-20T09:06:00.007-05:00

For sale at Janine's Coffeehouse!

Special-request orders available

Cringe-Worthy Fun

2010-12-09T12:32:00.002-06:00

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death is absurd and hilarious. This is the kind of book you will want to read aloud to a friend while giggling spontaneously and ultimately loosing the narrative, but enjoying it so much that the other person laughs along at the image of your attempts. Laurie Notaro has mastered her inner comedian with these short stories.

Though composed of brief narratives, the pieces can be read as chapters. Idiot Girl doesn’t take life too seriously and inspires us to look more fondly at our haphazard, far-from-perfect lives. It’s like reading a series of The Onion newspaper articles, where exaggeration of the obvious is a given, but in Notaro’s work there is an every-woman truth to the comic rants and that makes Idiot Girl, much like The Onion, instantly relatable to the reader.

One piece stands out; the short story, “Death of a Catchphrase.” It is fresh, funny, and relatable to any audience. It is written almost like a piece of stand up and it positioned early enough in the book that the reader almost expects a few more like this mixed in. It is a slight disappointment that no more pieces like this should appear.

"Negotiations with the beer giant crumbled when It’s All Good insisted that his younger brother, It’s All Aight (commonly known simply as Aight), be included in the campaign as well.
…
Budweiser pulled its offer when It’s All Good refused to budge. Word got around that he was difficult to deal with, and the phone stopped ringing.”
-pg 27-28

What is also entertaining, is when ‘It’s All Good’ is picked up in the selection “Happy Birthday and the Element of Surprise.” The fact that the catchphrase is naively used by a young cashier trying to make up for an unintentional insult on Notaro’s age is just the icing on the cake.

This book is definitely geared towards women readers, but I suspect guys would appreciate the sarcastic wit and the plight of Notaro’s poor husband. If you like the cute awkwardness of Bridget Jones, cleverly-absurd humor of The Onion, or reading other cringe-worthy anecdotes, you will enjoy The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death.

Quote of the Day

2010-11-23T09:38:00.001-06:00

"Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust,
Like diamonds, we are cut with our own dust."
–John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi

Love Quotes of the Day

2010-11-12T09:56:00.004-06:00

"How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,
Like softest music to attending ears!"
- William Shakespeare

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."
- Jane Austen

"She loved him with too clear a vision to fear his cloudiness."
- E. M. Forster

"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet."
- Plato

"There is no happiness in love, except at the end of an English novel."
- Anthony Trollope

"Thanks Mpls"

2010-10-26T17:38:00.009-05:00

Last Saturday night was the grand opening for Aaron Draplin's new show "Thanks Mpls". Co Exhibitions hosted the show and it made quite an impression. Crowds were greeted with a blaze orange wall featuring laminated logos. If you had an iphone or smart phone in your pocket, you could take an audio tour of this enormous collage. Even without the audio aspect, it was something to look at. The crowd was energetic and gallery space was packed. And yes, at this show, you can take it with you. Screen printed limited edition Draplin designed merchandise was a hot commodity. If you didn't make it to the opening, you can still see the show, which is running until November 20.

Aaron Draplin "Thanks MPLS"October 23 - November 19, 2010
CO Exhibitions
(612) 379-4151
1101 Stinson Blvd (corner of Broadway & Stinson in Northeast Minneapolis)
Regular gallery hours: weekdays & Saturdays, 12-6pm

Photos by Melissa Slachetka

Quote of the Day

2010-10-25T07:36:00.001-05:00

then laugh, leaning back in my arms for life’s not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

- E. E. Cummings

Quote of the Day

2010-10-19T07:46:00.001-05:00

The color of diseased royalty run amok,
of a swollen and unnatural skin
forming around the sun,
I feel a freedom

-Catie Rosemurgy, “Miss Peach Imagines She Is an Aging British Rock Star and Explains What Honesty Is”

Quote of the Day

2010-10-15T07:25:00.001-05:00

"I would still like to hear whatever it is that has you engaging in dress-up and meeting with off-duty centaurs in the wee hours."

"You mean besides my interest in the silver angel"

- Laird Hunt, Ray of the Star

Quote of the Day

2010-10-13T07:42:00.001-05:00

My eyes staple like carpet
to fashion doll flesh stairs
spastically sparkling with mica and
curled with blue pocket lint,
cigarette butts and lollipop sticks

- Jaqueline Cobian “3rd Floor”

Quote of the Day

2010-10-11T15:11:00.003-05:00

Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books;
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.
- Shakespeare "Romeo & Juliet"

Quote of the Day

2010-10-08T07:40:00.001-05:00

Nights like these
When I fumble and my notes
Turn sour and anything
Would turn to ashes in my arms,
are when I get lost in nights
Long ago.
-Anonymous

Quote of the Day

2010-10-06T07:33:00.001-05:00

Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought.
– Sir Arthur Helps

Quote of the Day

2010-10-05T07:39:00.000-05:00

Je veux que l'on m'aime un peu
un peu comme un dieu...
- Indochine

Quote of the Day

2010-10-04T07:36:00.001-05:00

Protected
by SPF 30 sunscreen, she sells
the idea of having sex with centuries
of salty seafarers, not the sex itself
but the secret saltiness that causes
shoppers to salivate.
- Steve Healey 10 Mississippi Book of Poetry
page 18 “Intelligent Design”

October Loft Readings

2010-10-02T09:50:00.002-05:00

Tonight's Events

2010-09-28T16:34:00.002-05:00

JagerVerse: Poetry at the Public House
Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN
Tuesday, September 28 · 7:00pm - 11:30pm

More Info Milkweed Editions, l’etoile magazine, and Clubhouse Jager present:
JagerVerse: Poetry at the Public House

Milkweed Editions is turning 30 this year, and to celebrate we’re bringing together four of our favorite poets (Dan Beachy-Quick, Alex Lemon, Ada Limón, Wayne Miller) for an evening of reading, drinking, and—maybe, just maybe—dancing. Join us as we goodbye to summer, and hello to another 30 years of literary excellence.

Come celebrate with us! We’ll be raising a toast to the work of these exciting young authors, to 30 years of independent publishing, and to the literary community here in the Twin Cities at large. Co-sponsored by l’etoile magazine and Clubhouse Jager. Music by DJ Matt Perkins.

"Smell The Glove" Closing Party
Saturday October 2, 2010
CO Exhibitions (1101 Stinson Blvd, NE Minneapolis)
7-10PM
free admission
(612) 379-4151
http://coexhibitions.com/

On Saturday August 7, we opened "Smell The Glove," an exhibit curated by Minneapolis-based artist and creative catalyst Michael Gaughan. Michael sent out an assignment for artists to create their own interpretation of the cover art for Spinal Tap's "Smell The Glove" record. In the film This Is Spinal Tap, the NC-17 album artwork is described in tittilatingly graphic detail, but when the record label censors the art, "Smell The Glove" is released with a plain black cover - no text, no nudity, no ... anything. The walls of CO Exhibitions have been filled with paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, and even videos depicting the scene we were never able to see in the film.

• Over 50 artists are featured in the show including: Adam Garcia, Justin Peddycoat, Mike Davis (Burlesque), Josh Journey-Heinz, Mali Kouanchao, Rachel Sell, Michael Gaughan

• Check out all of the "Smell The Glove" album cover tribute paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints for one final night

• Join us for a screening of "This Is Spinal Tap" projected huge onto our gallery wall. Bring something to sit on!

• Enjoy fresh popcorn and the other refreshments we'll have on hand

Poetry Quote of the Day

2010-09-27T07:52:00.001-05:00

As strong is rain without as wine within,
As magical as sunlight on the skin.
- "The Wind and the Rain" Robert Frost

Reading Tonight!

2010-09-25T11:46:00.006-05:00

Christy NaMee Erikson
Saturday, September 25
8:00 p.m.
LOFT
1011 Washington Ave S, Mpls

"The Loft's award-winning spoken word series, Equilirium, continues with Christy NaMee Eriksen and other special guests. Eriksen is a Korean adoptee spoken word poet and proud mama."

Poetry Quote of the Day

2010-09-24T07:51:00.001-05:00

He’s writing now
as she gazes at tree tops turning
from lush to liquid spider-web soft
between her eyelids and her breath
-“The Art of Breathing Long-range” by Jenna Cushing-Leubner

Poetry Quote of the Day

2010-09-23T07:40:00.002-05:00

You will be someone's tragic summer, lovesick
moan as the screen door slams again and June bugs
strike it with confused ardor.
- Lightsey Darst

Poetry Quote of the Day

2010-09-20T15:47:00.002-05:00

Bet your feet burned
when you landed.
That's for sure.
- "Jumping off Roofs" Sandra Cisneros

2010-09-19T14:05:00.006-05:00

If You Lived Here You’d Already Be Home
Stories by John Jodzio
Replacement Press, 2010

Some books of short stories are held together by a theme, but John Jodzio's new book, If You Lived Here You’d Already Be Home, is held together by a style. Darkly humorous and filled with unsettling symbolism, Jodzio offers us a glimpse through the keyhole into another life.

“I get paid eight dollars an hour to pretend I am Vincent, Mrs. Ramon’s dead son. I do this on Saturdays from noon to four.”
pg 75 “The Deadsitter”

At first glance, you may assume that the stories have a Midwest-vibe; after all, Jodzio is a local writer. Quite to the contrary, as you read each story, you will discover they tackle more universal topics. The pages are filled with dysfunctional and deranged humor, and yet humanity is always maintained in his characters, who really just want to belong in their crazy world.

Jodzio isn't just your average boy next door and his writing is more abstract than Minnesota-nice. This is exactly what makes us long to read on and escape for a moment into a bizarre world where it is completely normal to find bog bodies, eat batteries, drop your wife from a balcony to bring on a climax, or pee into random neighbors’ mail slots. Jodzio’s characters feel like stretched rubber-bands ready to snap and maybe that's why we can't stop turning the pages.

“There are other prank calls. Not kids. Late night calls that come while the clown sits on his lime green couch and drinks brandy from a cup that looks like a hollowed-out skull. The clown’s wrists, after twenty years of squeaking together balloon animals, feel like they are on fire. His jaw throbs from the millions of smiles he’s forced. There is no giggling in these prank calls…”
pg 56 “Everyone Prank Calls the Clown”

One of the necessary functions of any short story is to grab a reader’s attention, compel the senses, and keep it going till the end. Jodzio has found a way to make this work again and again in his vignettes. Unsettling and starkly innovative, If You Lived Here You’d Already Be Home makes us feel good with whatever life we choose to live; in short it makes us feel good to be home.

Also: Check out John Jodzio in the October issue of MN Monthly

Reading Tonight - Kao Kalia Yang

2010-09-14T07:19:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 6 – 8 p.m.
McDonough Public Housing Community Center, St. Paul

- Kalia is the author of the award-winning The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, published in 2008 by Coffee House Press, Minneapolis.

- Born in 1980 in Thailand’s Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, Kalia’s first American home was in the McDonough community.

- This event will benefit The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Youth Literacy Plus Program, which takes place at the McDonough Community Center.

- It is sponsored by WalMart (Vadnais Heights); co-hosted by Coffee House Press, Common Ground Books (St. Paul), St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department, and The Sheriff’s Literacy Plus Foundation.

Reading Tonight at the Soap Factory

2010-09-10T07:22:00.002-05:00

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 @ 7:00 PM
RAIN TAXI SPONSORED READING
AT THE SOAP FACTORY

Featuring...
10 Mississippi
POEMS BY STEVE HEALEY
COFFEE HOUSE PRESS, 2010
With...
GILLIAN CONOLEY
AUTHOR OF THE PLOT GENIE

Soap Factory
514 North Second Street SE in Minneapolis
(612) 623-9176 www.soapfactory.org

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

2010-09-08T07:12:00.005-05:00

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet
By David Mitchell
Random House, 2010

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is as beautiful as a symphony, hitting all the right notes and sweeping the audience into a novel as complex as it is entertaining. David Mitchell’s writing functions like a well-oiled machine and the intricacy of his description is entrancing. While it is apt to say the story starts out a little too dense with characters, it is in the mastery of these details that the plotline emerges like sharp folds of origami.

Jacob De Zoet is a young Dutch man asking for the hand of Anna, a Dutch lady. He is persuaded to work for five years at the East India trading company, as a clerk, in order to earn the honor of Anna’s hand. His destination: Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor. Dejima is not only prized for being Japan’s singular trading port, but also carries with it a bloody history of intolerance to outside religions, in particular, Christianity. De Zoet is young, innocent, and passionate. Thinking the years will just fly bye, he agrees. After the long ocean voyage, he finds himself filled with culture shock and a certain awe at a country more foreign than he has ever known.

“Nagasaki itself, wood gray and mud brown, looks oozed from between the verdant mountains’ splayed toes. The smells of seaweed, effluence, and smoke from countless flues are carried over the water. The mountains are terraced by rice paddies nearly up to their serrated summits.
A madman, Jacob supposes, might imagine himself in a half-cracked jade bowl.”
- pg 16

In his heart he tries to stay true to Anna, but De Zoet finds himself falling in love with a young physician. Miss Orito Aibagawa is a beauty with an unfortunate burn mark on her cheek. She is a highly trained midwife and is working on continuing her medical education under the tutelage of Dr. Marinus.

“’Meaning of marinus is ‘sea’? So doctor is ‘Dr. Ocean’?
‘You could say so, yes. Does ‘Aibagawa’ have meaning?’
‘Aiba is ‘indigo.’ Her pride in her name is plain. ‘And gawa is ‘river.’
‘So you are an indigo river. You sound like a poem.’ And you, Jacob tell himself, sound like a flirty lecher. … ‘My own given name is’ –he strains to sound casual – ‘Jacob.’”
- pg 127-128

The rules of wooing a lady in Japan are very difficult, especially with all the arranged marriages. De Zoet can’t help himself, though, and despite many social blunders he captures Miss Aibagawa’s interest. Before a true romance can bloom, her father dies and her stepmother sells Orito to pay off her husband’s debts.

This is precisely when the novel goes from merely historic and informative to a fantastic samurai story. Slavery on a mountain is more than surreal for the ‘sisters’ of the temple. These disfigured ladies are brought (or bought) from all over the Japanese countryside, drugged, and ultimately brainwashed into giving up their newborn babies to the “Goddess of Shiranui, Fountainhead of Life and Mother of Gifts…” The women are ‘engifters’ and once a month two are chosen to mate with temple monks in the hope of getting pregnant. The baby will be a ‘gift’ to the Goddess and though the women believe they are given to needy families in the region, a fate much direr is in store for the innocent newborns.

“‘Why go to all the bother to get a samurai’s daughter,’ asks the high voice, ‘when he can pick and choose from any brothel in the empire?’
‘Because this one’s a midwife,’ answers the drawler, ‘who’ll stop so many of our sisters and their gifts dying during labor. Rumor has it she brought the Nagasaki magistrate’s newborn son back from the dead. Cold and blue he was, until Stister Orito breathed life back into him…’”
- pg 262

As Orito searches for an explanation and escape, rumors start to trickle down from the temple fortress about its ruler, Abbot Enomoto, a man that can kill a snake by gesture alone and believes ritualistic offerings to the Goddess will give him everlasting life. Shoguns, samurais, secret scrolls, and unmarked gravesites are clues that need to be unraveled and the game of politics soon becomes life or death.

Meanwhile, De Zoet believes his darling Orito has chosen slavery over him and is trying to mend his broken heart while awaiting the return of the Dutch ship and the start of another trading season. The ship that enters the harbor, though, is quite a surprise and rumors of a different sort cause De Zoet to make a tough decision to honor a friend and save the woman who captured his heart.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is extraordinary. The historical precision combined with the artistry of storytelling makes this book resonate well after you set it down. There are passages so beautiful you feel tears forming and others so exciting they make you feel like you were watching actors on the screen. David Mitchell is a master of his craft.

Upcoming Reading from Milkweed

2010-09-01T07:01:00.002-05:00

Thursday, September 2 @ 7 PM
Rogue Buddha Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Phone: 612.331.3889

Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles
by Kira Henehan
Milkweed Editions, 2010
Welcome to the off-kilter world of Finley, an investigator of indiscernible origins and prowess. Her assignment: the mysterious Professor Uppal and his puppets. The objective: impossible to say. But Finley is unassailable. She forges ahead with occasional assistance and hindrance from her colleagues Murphy, The Lamb, and Binelli, as well as the professor’s beautiful daughter and her sinister artiste boyfriend. In her meticulous and completely unbiased report, Finley tracks the investigation’s slow spiral back upon itself, as the clues she uncovers reveal questions that lead directly back to her own forgotten past.

Captivating and whimsical, idiosyncratic and deeply funny, Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles finds inspiration in hard-boiled noir and the tortured quest of an existential inquiry. This novel marks the debut of a powerful, original voice.

New Reads

2010-08-29T23:25:00.002-05:00

Fast Pitchers

2010-08-26T07:29:00.005-05:00

Coffee House Press presents Speed Submissions
Thursday, August 26 at 5:00pm
Location: Walker Art Center, Open Field

The editors at Coffee House Press are looking forward to hearing your book idea at the Walker Art Center's Open Field this Thursday! In the same theme of the Open Field, Coffee House Press took its name from the long tradition of coffee houses as places for the free exchange of ideas, where each individual had equal time for expression, regardless of station or background.

Speed Submission Guidelines:
1) Just prose--not poetry
2) We will accept up to one-page description of your project
3) No full-manuscript submissions

Important:Due to time constraints, the editors will only be able to hear from the first 50 people. Each individual's speed submission will last up to three minutes.

Very Groovy:Beyond the chance of publication, one writer will win a one-hour consultation with a Coffee House Press editor (to be scheduled for at a later date).

A Journey into the Past

2010-08-13T08:40:00.002-05:00

The Surrendered
By Chang-Rae Lee
Riverhead Books, 2010

The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee is a novel of epic proportions. The book is set in the present tense, but very much of it takes place through remembering life during war. June and Hector are the two main characters and they met during the Korean War. June was a young girl who lost her family and Hector, an American soldier who lost his way. They find themselves at the same orphanage. Hector is a handyman and June is the most disliked girl among the orphans. Both are in love with Sylvie, the new minister’s wife.

“She took off her husband’s wedding band and put it in Sylvie’s finger, where it hung loose. She removed her own and fit it on top, the second ring a good, tight fit.
‘We love you more than anything,’ her mother murmured, kissing her brow, her cheeks, her messy nose and eyes.
‘I know,’ Sylvie answered, if not quite believing it was true. They loved her, yes, but the whole world was woeful, all the places they had been were so bereft, that no one could blame them for having to care for it equally or perhaps even more than for their own child.”
-pg 226

Sylvie saw too much growing up as a minister’s daughter and lost her parents in another war. She is addicted to opium and is clearly confused about her life. None of these imperfections matter to Hector or June. It is a fierce love and it clings to them, even after Sylvie’s death and after they start new lives in the States.

Because June saves Hector’s life in the fire that destroys the orphanage, he marries her and brings her to his home country. She disappears almost immediately, but not until after she has one night of confused relations with him. She never tries to find him or tell him about her son, until she is at the final battle of a war with stomach cancer. It is only due to June’s illness and wish to see her runaway son, that she crosses paths with Hector for one last journey.

“And yet here he was, dressing for an errand that he could hardly pretend had not partly become his own. He was increasingly curious about Nicholas, too, wondering about the bloodlines that he and June had given him; about its expression in his physical appearance, and then in his undeniably slippery character; what his voice sounded like; and then simply wanting to lay eyes on the young man, take in the shape of him astride the world.”
-pg 339

This novel is intense and unexpected. As soon as you start to guess at the plotline, it swerves madly in the other direction. This ingenuity of story-telling is what keeps the reader motivated through the dense pages. Lee’s saga is thought-provoking and sensual. It captures the beauty and disparity of human lives as it examines the brutality and frivolousness of war. The Surrendered is one to read.

The Color Violet

2010-08-08T09:38:00.001-05:00

Harlequin Violet: Response
Written by Penny Jordan,
Art by Takako Hashimoto
Copyright Harlequin Ginger Blossom/Dark Horse Manga

Romantic chick-lit crossed with Japanese illustrated Manga is a fusion too good to pass up. Like exotic bubble tea that keeps popping up in local tea shops, you just have to try it, whether or not you will like it can be determined after the first sip. Response, written by Penny Jordan with art by Takako Hashimoto a comic book made for a woman’s purse.

It is certainly a bold idea and the passion translates well into Hashimoto’s artistry. Flowing purple-hued ink and text keep the visual whimsical, yet adult. The Japanese influence is strong, but the characters are Americanized to a great extent, which makes it more accessible to the romance reader.

It is a short book and a quick read, even with the artwork to slow you down. The act of reading from back to front (or more appropriately from right to left, rather than left to right) is a little odd at first, but after a couple pages the feeling fades. The storyline holds together, but it is sparse. The tantalizing description and character development usually so enticing in a romance novel is limited out of necessity, and though the concept may not catch on completely, it will likely bring new readers to each genre.

Vita.mn's Top 10 MN Authors

2010-07-26T07:11:00.008-05:00

Local publication Vita.mn has their top ten issue on stands now. Here is the top pick for Minnesota authors:

"Best Books Written by Minnesotans"
1. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Charles Schulz
3. Main Street Sinclair Lewis
4. Spiral Bound Dessa Darling
5. How to Talk Minnesotan Howard Mohr
6. Lake Wobegon Days Garrison Keillor
7. Giants in the Earth Ole Edvart Rolvaag
8. If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home by Now John Jodzio

July Readings

2010-07-21T07:41:00.003-05:00

7/24/2010 Saturday

Anne Kerr
Local author reads from, Fujiyama Trays & Oshibori Towels, a memoir about her experiences as a Northwest Airlines stewardess in the 1950s. Free. 1 p.m. Golden Valley Library, 830 Winnetka Ave. N., Golden Valley. 952-847-5475 or www.hclib.org

7/27/10 Tuesday

Talk & Book Signing: Mary Lethert Wingerd, author of North Country: The Making of Minnesota , published by University of MN Press.
7:30 pm
Common Good Books
165 Western Ave N
Suite 14
St. Paul, MN 55102
Tel: 651-225-8989
The untold history of how the land of the Dakota and Ojibwe became the State of Minnesota.

7/31/10 Saturday

Book Signing and informal conversation: Gayla Marty, author of Memory of Trees: A Daughter's Story of a Family Farm , published by University of MN Press.
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Farmers Market in the Park
Third Avenue and Railroad Street S.E.
Pine City, MN 55063
Marty will be with the Buy Fresh, Buy Local / St. Croix River Valley initiative.
An evocative memoir of life on a dairy farm in Minnesota’s St. Croix Valley

Mark your calendars and start Talking Volumes about these authors.

2010-07-18T09:49:00.006-05:00

Talking Volumes Season Announced: Get Your Season Tickets Early
The 2010 Talking Volumes season tickets will go on sale July 27 ($60, $54 for Loft Supporting Members). The lineup features:

• Jonathan Franzen on September 21, National Book Award-winning author of The Corrections, reads from his work.

• Nicole Krauss on October 28, author of The History of Love and recent honoree as one of The New Yorker's "20 Under 40", will discuss her new novel, Great House.
• Nora Ephron on November 17, novelist, humorist, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter/director, shares her new essay collection, I Remember Nothing, that follows her 2006 bestseller, I Feel Bad About My Neck.

• Anita Shreve on December 8, author of best-selling novels The Weight of Water and The Pilot's Wife, talks about her new novel, Rescue.

Talking Volumes is cosponsored by the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio, in collaboration with the Loft Literary Center. All shows are at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, and they are broadcast later on MPR. Single tickets ($20) will be available August 10. Call 651-290-1221 for information.

Shakespeare in the Park – Positively ‘Up’Standing!

2010-07-12T07:35:00.007-05:00

Upright Egg Theatre Company, a local and innovative troupe, presented a top-notch Midsummer Night’s Dream, as part of their own Shakespeare in the Park performances.

There are uncertain circumstances of doing a show ‘free-range’ in a public park, like a little girl from the audience who wanted to be a fairy, and Puck running into a tree. The troupe masterfully improvised around each one while the audience was entertained by the fairies that ran freely through the crowd. As the play progressed, the actors had the audience move around the park to watch the scenes. This was fine the first time, but lugging blankets, water bottles, picnic fixings, and purses a full four different occasions was a bit much.

One of the best aspects was the actors’ enthusiasm and talent. A great example is how even if characters leave left the main “stage” area, they kept acting until they were beyond the crowds immediate sight. Since the stage kept moving, the only set was a few flags on sticks, and a hammock. Costumes were improvised, but effective, and the acting put the delighted audience under a spell.

This group of actors is one to watch.

Photos from the July 10 performance in Matthew Park.

Video clips from Upright Egg’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Racing and Reincarnation

2010-07-09T07:04:00.004-05:00

The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
Harper, 2008 (paperback 2009)

It seems like a recipe for failure to have your storyline told by a family pet, expound on the sport of racecar driving, and top it off with the idea of reincarnation. The fact that this novel works is a testament to Garth Stein’s skill as an author. The plot is crafted beautifully, the characters are well-written, and even if you think you don’t like racecar driving, you may have that position swayed. The Art of Racing in the Rain should be on everyone’s must-read list of the summer.

From the very first pages, you know that Enzo, the family dog, is going to die, but before he does this four-legged philosopher takes us on a journey of his life with Denny, his racecar driver owner. Enzo is quite assured he will be reincarnated into a human boy in the next life, so he is not worried; rather, he embraces the idea of death and meeting Denny again on equal footing, so to speak. The story is quite amazing and it all starts with how to race in the rain.

“ ‘Very gently. Like there are eggshells on your pedals,’ Denny always says, ‘and you don’t want to break them. That’s how you drive in the rain.’ ”
pg 13

Denny happens to be one of the best racers in the rain; he can beat any other driver on any track when it’s raining. Other driver’s panic, but Denny stays calm and that’s what matters when you are going over a hundred miles an hour. It is also what matters as you go through life. Denny needs all the strength and control in the world to battle the death of his wife, Eve, to brain cancer, the scheming and lawsuits by Eve’s grandparents in order to gain custody of Denny’s only child, Zoe, and a falsely-manufactured child rape charge sought to ultimately destroy him and bleed him down to his last penny.

“ ‘What are you being arrested for?’ Mike asked.
Denny looked to the officers, but they said nothing. They waited for Denny to answer the question.
...
‘Rape of a child in the third degree,’ Denny said.
‘Felony rape,’ one of the cops clarified.”
pg 193

We don’t see the thoughts in Denny’s head, but through his actions Enzo comprehends everything. He also understands that he has to be strong for Denny, because he is all there is for the time being. Stein paints a picture so strong with emotion that it is hard to put this book down without a couple tears streaming down your face. The Art of Racing in the Rain makes us all want to be better racers. Life is not about the winners; it is about how you handle the course you're given.

Reading Jam

2010-07-05T16:04:00.003-05:00

TONIGHT! - Saint Paul Almanac hosts a Reading Jam to promotes Peace and Kindness

The Saint Paul Almanac presents an evening of “Nurturing the Soil of the Soul: Intentional Acts of Kindness and Peace Are the Seeds of Liberation and Peace,” the season finale of the Saint Paul Almanac’s Lowertown Reading Jam series.

Black Dog Cafe
308 Prince Street
St. Paul, MN
(located across the street from the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market)

Hosted by Melvin Giles, the Monday, July 5 Reading Jam includes readings and expressions from a local cast of gifted and talented multi-cultural artists including the godmother of peace, Ms. Bertha Givins; KFAI radio show co-host Andy Driscoll of Truth to Tell; spoken word artist Tish Jones, executive and artistic director of TruArtSpeaks; Yer Kong of Paj Ntuab Voice; community activist and urban farmer, Metric Giles I; and performing artists of Saint Paul Central’s Synergy.

Melvin Giles is a peacemaker. He describes himself as a cheerful, anti-racist, peaceful love warrior. Giles serves as a regional peace representative for the World Peace Prayer Society, sits on the board of World Citizen Inc., and is the current vice president of the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers. His passions are promoting international peace pole plantings and working and playing in gardens and urban farms. Giles is a member of AfroEco and is on the leadership team of Minnesota Food and Justice Alliance.

Free hors d’oeuvres are served at the Reading Jams, and the Black Dog Cafe offers its “Monday Madness” special featuring a large pizza and bottle of wine or a large pizza and four Summit beer taps for just $20. Saint Paul artist Lara Hanson interprets the readings through drawings using Japanese ink brushes. All Reading Jams are American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted. The first Monday of the month Lowertown Reading Jam series will resume on October 11, 2010.

10 Second Celebrities

2010-07-03T08:18:00.002-05:00

Bands, beer, fireworks, and film…what more could you ask for on 4th of July. Expected to draw crowds of at least 1,500 this is bound to be a good time. Soap Factory takes advantage of its prime Mississippi riverfront spot and promises a lot of fun.

This year's fest will be MC'd by Kevin Albertson of MplsTV, with Barb Abney of The Current, returning as a celebrity judge. Private Dancer kicks the whole evening off with a set. Beer provided by Schell's.

The Ten Second Film Festival
July 4 – following the fireworks at St. Anthony Main
Location: Soap Factory lawn, facing the riverfront
Beer sales start at 8:00 p.m.
Film Fest starts at 10:30 p.m.

The films do not have to be professional; in fact, Soap Factory encouraged submissions from non-traditional sources like digital cameras and cell phones.

My video didn’t get picked for the Film Fest, but I’m posting it here for its ten seconds of celebrity. I think it is an excellent ‘moment of zen’…although probably not what rowdy 4th of July crowd would want to see…

What Separates the Men from the Boys

2010-07-02T07:47:00.003-05:00

Wonder Boys
by Michael Chabon
Picador USA, 1995
(also published by Villard Books, a division of Random House)

Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys is about having a mid-life crisis and hitting rock bottom. I saw the movie some years ago, but I remember it being very good. When a movie based on a book is good, you have to wonder if the book will carry the same potency. Wonder Boys does that and more.

The title is taken from the novel’s main character’s novel. Professor Grady Tripp has been working on his fourth novel, Wonder Boys, for seven years. He also spent most of that time cheating on his beautiful wife, Emily, with Sara Gaskell who is Chancellor of the college Tripp teaches at. That, in itself, is bad, but worse still is the news that his mistress is pregnant. Tripp is on the path for a mid-life crisis that peaks the weekend of the college’s annual ‘Wordfest’ when his old friend and publisher, Terry Crabtree comes to town. The literary celebration only heightens Tripp’s feelings of inadequacy and leaves him scrambling to make sense of his life.

Through a drunken and drug-induced journey of self-discover involving Crabtree, a grad student James Leer, a stolen Marilyn Monroe jacket, a dead dog, and a tuba, Tripp finally hits rock-bottom. He not only loses his novel in a gun fight with an ex-boxer whose car may have illegally come into his hands, but the final blow comes in the form of a Joe DiMaggio bat swung by his mistresses enraged husband. Alone and wandering the rainy streets of Pittsburg, Tripp realizes he finally screwed up to a point of non-redemption.

Writers of any genre will identify with the anguish of losing a piece of work and also the weird elation that comes when someone wants to read your work. Tripp has people expecting greatness from his next novel but instead his pages took flight and he will never get the chance for a re-write. Letting go of this massive, rambling work of literary desperation just may be a blessing for Tripp. It accentuates the need to start over and the need to clear the old way of life in order to let in the new. These seven years of words were weighing him down like shackles and losing this novel doesn’t make Tripp any less of a writer; it just takes him some time to realize it.

One of the best things about this book is how dense with description the pages are. Jane Austin would beam with pride at how aptly Chabon captures small town life, Passover feasts, and the strange men and women who call themselves writers. Wonder Boys is extremely entertaining, absurdly compelling, and completely hilarious. The repetition in the title and in the fact that Tripp’s Wonder Boys involves three brothers and Chabon’s Wonder Boys involves three literary ‘brothers’ makes one wonder if any bit of Chabon’s life is reflected in Tripp’s. It leaves your fingers itching to write the next American classic.

Short Fiction and Live Music - Tonight!

2010-06-30T07:21:00.004-05:00

Release Party Details:
Nor Publishing presents their first volume of short fiction: Secretes
Live music by War Machine & Poor Weather Club
FREE, 7:00 p.m. Tonight - Wed, June 30th
Former ARISE! Bookstore: 2441 South Lyndale Ave, Mpls

Coffee House Press is growing!

2010-06-25T07:21:00.003-05:00

Coffee House Press Announces New Hires

Big news from local publisher Coffee House Press:
Coffee House Press is pleased to announce that after three years of growth, we have recently added two completely new positions and have also hired a new marketing director.

Associate Publisher Chris Fischbach says, "I could not be more thrilled with our new, expanded staff. Each one of them brings a fierce blend of curiosity, openness to innovation, and a professionalism that we will need as we work our way through our leadership transition and continue to grow, innovate, discover the best new talented writers, and serve our community. We are lucky to have them."

Let's check out the talent!

Jessica Deutsch - New Marketing and Sales Director
Formerly marketing and publicity manager at Milkweed Editions, Jessica Deutsch will join our staff in August, replacing the outgoing Molly Mikolowski. At Milkweed, she oversaw the promotion of all books and ushered in innovative marketing strategies for the press and its authors.  At Coffee House she will be vital to a new electronic marketing strategy, focusing on an expanded internet, social networking and informational technology strategy.

Anitra Budd Promoted to Managing Editor
After an eight-year absence, Anitra Budd returned to Coffee House Press as editorial assistant in December 2009. She has been promoted to managing editor. In her expanded position, she will take a more active role in acquisitions, and will continue to oversee the internship program; managing the editorial schedule; and editing several titles each season. Prior to working at Coffee House, Budd was a writer at the University of Minnesota and an associate editor at Search Institute, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization. As a freelance editor, she has edited pieces for the Minnesota Society of CPAs, MBI Publishing, and the Twin Cities Pride Guide, among others.

Andrea Satter - New Development Manager
Andrea Satter brings almost 20 years of experience in fundraising, relationship management, sales and recruiting to her new role. Most recently the Development Director for Free Arts Minnesota, Andrea successfully executed their individual donor campaign, annual fundraising event, and corporate and foundation campaigns. Because of her strengths in building relationships and community outreach, she has been successful as a project leader and collaborator at other organizations including Robert Half International, Jeane Thorne Inc. and Bloomingdales. Giving back is a huge priority for Andrea. Her volunteer experience includes the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerces Charitable Foundation (Board Member), Special Olympics of Minnesota (Area 11 Coordinator), and Genesis II for Families (Past-President), just to name a few.

Coffee House Press
Where Good Books are Brewing™
79 Thirteenth Avenue NE, Suite 110
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Phone: 612.338.0125

New Rain Taxi On Stands Now

2010-06-24T07:25:00.005-05:00

Get Ready for Some Summer Reading

The Summer 2010 print edition of Rain Taxi Review of Books has hit the stands, featuring interviews with fiction writer Scott Bradfield, poet Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and memoirist Sam Cutler (tour manager for The Rolling Stones and The Grateful Dead). Also many reviews to wet your whistle this summer, including books by Anne Carson, Jorge Luis Borges, Patti Smith, Don DeLillo, Nick Flynn, Siri Hustvedt, Lance Olsen, and a special feature on the artwork of Isa Newby Gagarin. Go to raintaxi.com and view the complete table of contents.

Sometimes it is the Destination

2010-06-21T07:05:00.002-05:00

Off we go into the Wild Blue Yonder
By Travis Nichols
Coffee House Press, May 2010

Off we go into the Wild Blue Yonder is a new novel by Travis Nichols, with the title taken from a popular World War II bomber song. The story is told through a group of letters written to Luddie, a Polish woman, who hid the main character’s grandfather from Nazi’s during the war. The main character is a self-described ‘good man’ with plain brown hair and mossy sideburns, and also ‘Madame Psychosis’, a woman correspondent between the past and the present. The letters are very bizarre and skip from the past to the present to an alternate what-could-have-been reality. The reader sees a version of reality through the eyes of someone who neglects all linear forms and instead tells the story in swirls. They are more comprehensible when one reads them like journal entries rather than missives.

The constant repetition in the letters makes it feel like Nichols is trying with every ounce of his being to get the story out to the world and completely understood. It also makes us feel the mania in the main character. This strange correspondence with Luddie gives the reader flash-backs into the young boy’s life before he starts to go through some very formative mental changes. Whether Madame Psychosis lives in harmony with the good man, is in contention.

With this kind of main character it isn’t surprising that the book has a chaotic-feel, and one might even like to imagine that Nichols dropped a bit of acid on his tongue while he sat typing this disjointed memoir of the grandson of a WWII pilot. Sections of this novel read like prose, which is quite appealing, but the abstract qualities of the story with its very mish-mash nature, are its main weakness. Style-wise, it is impressive, but for the purpose of actually telling a story, it is confusing.

Though the main character is troubled, he (and she) actually seems to have a healthy relationship with his grandfather and his girlfriend, Bernadette, who joins them on the journey to Poland and the past. After much airport hassle, the group gets off the ground, and encounters more difficulty with language-barriers, hearing aids, rusty memories, and faulty maps. An unexpected tenderness fills the pages as this unlikely trio searches for Luddie.

Some really great elements appear when the history of Poland is explored. The idea of learning a language is analyzed, as well as, what people seem to be and actually are. Stereo-types are dissected and the writing seems more concise. One could even say this novel is comparable to German for Travelers, in its examination of post-war culture and American generations exploring this past history. In Off we go into the Wild Blue Yonder, Nichols shows us that sometimes the destination matters just as much as the journey.

Girls Who Rock

2010-06-05T10:11:00.009-05:00

Laurie Lindeen sets us up for a solid rock-n-roll road-trip in Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story. With its sassy pink cover, this memoir will do its best to surprise you with brutal honesty and boundless energy. Lindeen and her band, Zuzu’s Petals, may not have it easy, but they show they can play right alongside the boys.

Within the first couple pages of the book, Lindeen is hitching a ride with Carly Simon, and it seems like anyone and everyone on the punk, indie, grunge scene of the 80s and 90s is mentioned. Lindeen namedrops with ease throughout the book, which may be a big plus to the musical historians among us, but a slight detractor to the average reader. What is obvious is that this girl eats, sleeps, and lives music.

“This is my wedding night. I’m about to marry the stage. Now on the backside of my twenties, more and more friends are getting married and settling down. Not me, I’m acting up.” - pg 75

Playing hand-me-down instruments, surviving sketchy managers, emotionally-disturbed roadies, and rollercoaster relationships with friends, lovers, and family, it’s a wonder Zuzu’s Petals made it as far as they did. Lindeen’s bull-headed motivation is the secret driving force behind the band’s success. Her strength is revealed when you discover she has multiple sclerosis (MS). After a hard bout with MS, Lindeen goes into remission decides to rock out and rock hard. This complexity is what defines Lindeen in her life and music. One has to wish, though, that she were as open with this factor as she was with the rest of her musical struggles.

“‘I have multiple sclerosis,’ I nervously sputter to Paul one evening while watching Deborah Kerr hide her crippledness in An Affair to Remember, ‘but I’m not really bothered by it or experiencing any symptoms or anything.’

'I'll take care of your crumpled little body when you're in a wheelchair,' he answers, nuzzling me, looking excited by the prospect.

This is perhaps the most outrageous thing anyone's ever said to me...” - pg 224

Through all its somber moments, the book maintains its charm. The romance between Lindeen and The Replacements’ lead singer, Paul Westerberg, seems so natural that it must be meant to be: the Twin Cities own Cinderella-story super-couple. Petal Pusher proves that life and happiness are what you make of them. It also proves that not everyone is cut out for a rock-n-roll lifestyle.

Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story
By Laurie Lindeen
Atria Books, 2007

New issue of Rain Taxi available online...and more!

2010-06-02T07:35:00.003-05:00

Groovy Literary Events Happening this Week:

The final installment of the spring Online Edition of Rain Taxi is available now. It includes interviews with fiction writer and memoirist Kevin Sampsell and poetic collaborators Michael Rothenberg and David Meltzer. Also, new reviews aplenty, featuring poetry by K. Silem Mohammad, fiction by Rikki Ducornet, a study of what’s “cool,” the latest incarnation of Batman and Robin, and more! Happy reading and stay tuned for the summer 2010 print edition of Rain Taxi Review of Books...Start reading!

Rain Taxi is also hosting the one year anniversary party for Twin Cities Literary Calendar. This Thursday, June 3 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis. Come out to raise a glass and enjoy the company of other Calendar Members as well as Rain Taxi's staff, board, and special guests—plus there will be door prizes galore!

This Friday, June 4 is part of the Mentor Series Readings at the Loft. Readings take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Target Performance Hall at Open Book. Friday’s line-up: Philip S. Bryant. Katy Jensen, Ann Linde.

Three upcoming readings, including June 3, for Jane Hamilton. Award-winning Wisconsin author of novels such as "A Map of the World" comes to Minnesota for three free appearances:
June 3, 7 p.m., Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave. S., Edina
June 4, 7 p.m., Chaska Community Center, 1661 Park Ridge Dr., Chaska;
June 5, 2 p.m., Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul.
More info

Spring-Greening Online

2010-05-29T10:24:00.004-05:00

Don’t just Spring-clean; Spring-green!
Photo by Melissa Slachetka

Once you’ve got your garden planted [√] and those boxes of old clothes have been donated [√], it’s time to start thinking online.

Computers and the internet are just a part of life now and there are some great resources and websites dedicated to the socially-conscious.

Give a click and help a bit. From animals to world hunger and breast cancer, you can help just by one click. Only one admitted per day, so put it on your ‘favorites’ list and click when you can.

Badge you blog and feel earth-savvy. Brighter Planet will offset carbon emissions when you upload their badge to your site and there is plenty of other eco-info on the homepage.

Zerofootprint is a new gadget for events to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions involved in all aspects of party and event planning. This can be helpful when creating a carbon neutral event.

To do some literal green cleaning, check out:
Seventh Generation
Method
Mrs. Meyers

Shop Green online at:
AeroGarden Twin Cities Green
Soul-Flower
Tired Ol’ Belts

And take a look back at my many Groovy & Green posts:
Eco Party Planning
All About Bikes
Edgy Fashion with Eco "Sense"
Dog Friendly and Earth Friendly
Something to Smile About

START GROOVIN' TO A GREENER PLANET!

Photo by Melissa Slachetka

Fixtures of the Artist Community

2010-05-28T07:31:00.004-05:00

BELK is BACK!

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Journal/Photo by Robb Long

Permanent and Joseph Belk
Joseph Belk for the past year and a half has produced, created, and curated some of the most highly acclaimed conceptual art exhibits in the great city of Minneapolis. Starting at age 26, he has developed installations such as a block long public art project Save Canvas, the follicle-themed screenprinted poster show turned Locks of Love fundraiser Sweet Hair, an exhibit of paintings and multimedia art from Keegan Wenkman and Aaron Bickner about foreclosure and vacancy entitled Final Notice, Keegan Wenkman's solo art show My Life as a Number, a floating circus of art installations, video projections, and live rock bands all aboard barges set assail on the Mississippi River entitled The Slow Mirror and the Metronome, Tribute to Radio Raheem - the annual hip hop dance party and boombox broadcast celebration with live cassette jockeys, and has continued to be apart of a variety of events like the fine food meets live rock music Gastro Non Grata and Bedlam Theatre art dance party Bomp!

His large scale productions incorporating art, design, music, and interactive elements set all over the Twin Cities have now found a new home and a partner. With Burlesque's talents and experience in design, publishing, art and gallery success with First Amendment, it seems like a perfect mold for something different. A collaboration full of Innovative and progressively approached projects and shows on a local and national level.

Now with Joseph's new young team of collaborators including Edward Quinn and Adam Burchard - Permanent has formed. A full service art and design agency. Focused on the concepts and synergy of both art and design. Self produced and client driven initiatives. Utilizing artists, designers, writers, and developers in a malleable process that can easily be grafted onto any project their involved in. This versatility not only makes them capable of working in many different arenas at the same time, but is also a source of inspiration.

PERMANENT
Is ironic by structure. In an industry that thrives on the new and fashionable, the drive to be permanent takes you out of the world of brands and products condemned to an ephemeral presence in popular culture and creates projects that are establishing, respected, and remembered.

Breaking New Ground
In the summer of 2006, graphic design and screenprinting studio Burlesque of North America moved their operation into a 3000 square foot warehouse space at the corner of Broadway and Stinson in Northeast Minneapolis. The front room of the space housed First Amendment Arts, an award-winning gallery which held monthly exhibits of painting, prints, and photography. Over the course of their four year run, First Amendment featured the artwork of local artists Eric Inkala, Broken Crow, Jennifer Davis and Jenny Schmid, internationally recognized artists Shepard Fairey, Gary Baseman, and Jay Ryan, and musical performances from P.O.S, Chooglin', Calvin Johnson, Birthday Suits, and Cecil Otter. With plans of organizing even larger and grander art exhibitions, the First Amendment crew has closed its doors and teamed up with Permanent to open up this larger space with the flexibility to allow our artists to create just about anything they can imagine.

CO is a new exhibition space located on the corner of Stinson and Broadway in Northeast Minneapolis, above the former First Amendment Arts gallery. Owned and operated as a partnership between Burlesque of North America and Permanent (an art and design group formed by Joseph Belk launching Mid June), Co presents thematic multimedia exhibitions in collaboration with artists, designers and curators. The space includes over 2000 sq. feet, 20+ Ft. high walls, mobile walls, and suspendible ceilings. Other resources for exhibitions include screen printing facilities, artist residences, and media outreach campaigns.

CO’s inaugural year will feature a range of exhibitions, including: the art of Doomtree, a Michael Gaughan - curated celebration of Spinal Tap entitled “Smell the Glove,” work from the Draplin Design Co. featuring acclaimed graphic designer Aaron James Draplin, an installation and series of paintings from Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship recipient Mali Kouanchao, and a mammoth retrospective of '70s-era blaxploitation film posters.

About CO
The name CO was decided with our principles in mind. As a prefix, CO - modifies base words to mean together with, or associated with, and we approach projects in the same fashion. For each artist, designer, or curator who works with us, we are a resource for development, fabrication and talent, a dedicated partner in executing their vision. For us, the excitement is in expanding exhibitions so they transform the gallery into an ambitious multimedia spectacle.

The Weight on her Shoulders

2010-05-24T07:29:00.004-05:00

Bonnie Rough expertly straddles the fine line of too much information in her new book Carrier, Untangling the Danger in my DNA. Reality and memoir fill in the pieces to Rough’s past as she writes about her genetic abnormality – an inherited DNA trait – that she could likely pass on to future children.

“In the summer of 2004, before my first genetics appointment, and before asking my brother for his blood sample, I had been wondering if life could get any better.
…
It might have been enough, but like my mother, I couldn’t imagine a childless life. I had just made a doctor’s appointment for a month later, in August. I would meet with a genetic counselor and a physician, describe my family pedigree, discuss the disorder, and eventually submit to blood tests in order to learn my status. If the news returned that I carried HED, Dan and I would have a battery of decisions before us.”
-pg 41-42

Dense with contemplation, Carrier records Rough’s tough decision of whether or not to have a baby. Genetic testing makes it possible to select the ‘right egg’ and abort eggs that carry the disease. What makes this even harder is the fact that HED is not life-threatening; it just dramatically alters the way a person has to live. This very personal and political decision brings Rough searching for clues from her past and unraveling her grandfather’s condition along with the subsequent addictions that destroyed his creative brilliance.

"Aunt Sadie, the only one of my grandfather’s seven siblings still living, answered the door in Pine Bluffs with soft hellos.
…
I hadn’t explained the motive for my visit, so Sadie became quieter and quieter as I probed about her little brother Earl. Did she remember him suffering as a child? People saw him as weak, helpless – did she think this caused him to take on too much later in life, going way over his head in pipe dreams and debts and addictions?”
-pg 48-49

This book is scientific and methodic, but also envelopes the reader in storytelling. Alternating between past, present, and possible future storylines allows the reader to take a deep breath and builds up the intensity of the story. While the many characters travel around the West and Mid-West United States, Rough’s story grounds us in Minneapolis. Leaving us envious of all the walks she enjoys around Lake Harriet with ample wildlife and nearby rose gardens. It’s a pleasure to walk around any of the city’s lakes, but perhaps it’s the soothing quality of Lake Harriet that helps Rough sort everything out.

This book has a rare unflinching honesty. Rough seems to have come to peace with herself and her decisions and willing to take whatever backlash may come. It is a quality to be admired, and if the writing is a bit overly-contemplative at points, it is only because of the weight of her choices. Whatever your stance on abortion or addiction, Carrier is a mesmerizing self-study of the human emotions behind all of our decisions.

Added note: The cover and binding of this book somehow manage to display seriousness and a fun 50's style design. Great work cover designer Natalya Balnova!

Carrier, Untangling the Danger in my DNA
By Bonnie J. Rough
Counterpoint, 2010

Copyright 2010 Melissa Slachetka
Originally Posted on Minnesota Reads

Island Party

2010-05-23T15:01:00.007-05:00

With the big LOST finale on tonight, there is not much time to get your gear ready, but here are some must-haves for an island-themed LOST party:Photo by Melissa Slachetka

-Blender drinks! ‘tis the season of strawberries, so why not toss some in the blender to make strawberry-margaritas or strawberry-daiquiris?

-Fire! Whether it’s tiki torches or just a back-yard grill, keep those flames coming.
-Hawaiian shirts and coconut bras – why not?
-Boxes of crackers, chips, canned food, and bottled water with Dharma Initiative labels disguising the real designs can make and instant atmosphere.
Photo by Melissa Slachetka

Gear up on LOST trivia. Here are some great links you may want to keep handy for all those unanswered questions:

- ABC
- CNN's 10 questions LOST needs to answer
- List of LOST episodes
- Lostpedia
- Lostpedia Twitter
- Lost fan site
- Lost-TV, unofficial fan site

All Sauced Up

2010-05-20T07:18:00.004-05:00

Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving is the best Martin Millar book since Good Fairies of New York. It is uncouth, dirty, and a lot of fun. Millar taps into confused youths brave denial of any proper society, by pushing sexual boundaries and creating a punk-rock playground. The writing is graphic and gratuitous, with an insane plot that actually works.

"Elfish is twenty-four, plays the guitar very well, drinks much too much and is of a generally melancholic disposition. Rarely known to smile, she is frequently unpleasant and is occasionally totally hostile. As a friend of the human race, Elfish is a failure. As a stage diver she is a complete success.”
pg 12

Shakespeare fans will love Elfish’s quest to learn the Queen Mab speech in order to retain it as her band’s name. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t have a band or panics when it comes to reciting anything: she just wants to win. One simple act like this sets the ball rolling and soon everyone around Elfish seems to be doing better.

Her flatmates get inspired to continue with their feminist magazine, because Elfish claims to have connections. Her friend Shonen, who’s recruited to help Elfish learn the speech, regains enthusiasm in her theatre group, because Elfish promises to find funding. An owner of a secondhand music shop gains a zest for life, and helps out with the new band because Elfish reminds him of his lost sister. Even Elfish’s brother Aran, who becomes her right-hand man, stops moping about lost love and gets on designing his video game, which is best described as Oregon Trail with historic characters.

The only downfall with Elfish’s plan is that she lied to everyone about everything, which she doesn’t bother to think about as she takes the stage to recite the speech. Her ex-boyfriend and competitor does though…

"Mo was planning a more comprehensive doom for Elfish than Aran could possibly imagine. Through his many friends in Brixton he was aware of all the varied promises that Elfish had made to people and he knew them all to be untrue. He intended to use this knowledge to crush Elfish.”
pg 181

Millar channels Queen Mab in putting dreams to the test and comes out on top. Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving is an inspiring and vice-filled read. Punk-rock aficionados will find a comfort zone in all the stage-diving drama, and if readers can put aside weak stomachs and righteous morals about sexual discrepancies, there will be applause all around for Millar’s newest frolic into the world of damaged youth.

Copyright Melissa Slachetka, 2010
Originally Published on Minnesota Reads

MORE MILLAR REVIEWS!
Ruby and the Stone Age Diet
Lux the Poet
Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation
The Good Fairies of New York

Got Poetry?

2010-05-11T18:14:00.003-05:00

A Celebration of Midwestern Poetry!
Friday, May 14th at Open Book

4:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: The Future of Midwestern Poetry FREE!
Featuring: Dobby Gibson, Sarah Fox, G.E. Patterson, Sun Yung Shin, Michael Walsh, Bryan Thao Worra

7:00 p.m. Reading $6 Admission
Featuring: Antler, Robert Bly, Marvin Bell, Heid Erdrich, Ray Gonalez, Mary Kinzie, Jim Moore, Thylias Moss

The event will be ASL interpreted.
More info at www.raintaxi.com

Wenkman and Belk – Together Again

2010-05-05T07:17:00.004-05:00

My Life as a Number
New work by Keegan Wenkman
Opening Reception, Friday May 7th, 2010 7p-11p
3258 Minnehaha Ave S Mpls 55406

XYandZ Gallery is pleased to present My Life as a Number, an exhibition of new illustrations by Keegan Wenkman co-curated by XYandZ and Joseph Belk. My Life as a Number is opening on May 7th, 2010 at XYandZ Gallery.

Keegan Wenkman is a 26 year-old self-taught illustrator, currently living in Portland, Ore via Minneapolis, MN. Wenkman is the co-owner/operator of KeeganMeegan Press & Bindery and Onefootinfront illustration studio.

Wenkman's salacious, enigmatic and overtly personal illustrations are created using pen and ink on paper. The illustrations created for My Life as a Number, depict the symbolism of numbers in Wenkman’s personal life, and explores the emotional and spiritual perspective derived from each illustrated instance and/or context. My Life as a Number will be accompanied by the release of Codex Viginti Sex, a letterpress printed, hand bound, self-published book by Wenkman. The works included in Codex Viginti Sex are a document of the repetition of the number 26 in popular culture. The first of a collection of 26 books; Wenkman will be self-publishing once year, starting at 26 and working backwards to 0. The successive books will be a record of Wenkman's artistic and technical progress as an artist, printer and binder. In addition to Wenkman's illustrations and Codex Viginti Sex, 6 silkscreen prints published by Burlesque of North America and printed by Ben Lafond will be available.

The opening reception for Keegan Wenkman's My Life as a Number will be held at XYandZ Gallery on Friday May 7th, 2010 from 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. My life as a number will be on display through June 11th, 2010. Wenkman’s last show in Minneapolis, Final Notice, was at Umber Studios: a glimpse at that show here.

Joseph Belk was most recently with the artist collaborative, Overproof, but has moved on and started his own business. Belk was curator for Wenkman’s last packed-like-sardines-show and this upcoming one is certain to be a success.

Related Posts:
http://groovyreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/gearing-up-for-rest-of-summer.html
http://groovyreviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/full-house-for-final-notice.html

Reading Jam

2010-05-01T20:34:00.003-05:00

May 3rd Lowertown Reading Jam Celebrates Local Cultural Workers
Brought to you by Saint Paul Almanac

The Saint Paul Almanac's popular monthly Lowertown Reading Jam series continues in May with an evening showcasing what it means to be a Cultural Worker and the power of using the arts to heal, create and build community.

Hosted by Deborah A. Torraine, the Monday, May 3 Lowertown Reading Jam takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 Prince Street, located across the street from the Saint Paul Farmer's Market. Joining Torraine for a lively and inspiring event will be several local writers, poets, storytellers, playwrights, a gospel singer and spoken word artists.

Deborah A. Torraine has worked as a theater artist in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, DC, and Minnesota. She is an award-winning short story writer, has written five plays produced locally, and is a member of the 2010 Givens Griots. Torraine describes herself as a "nosy, curious, and meddling organizer - a healing warrior for the people."

Louis Alemayehu, a Minnesota poet, is a product of the Chicago Black Arts Movement. He became rooted in Minnesota to connect with his Anishinabe roots. Alemayehu is the director of the poetry-jazz ensemble Ancestor Energy and the winner of an Urban Griot Award in 2009.

Lisa Brimmer, is also a 2010 Griot, a program of the Givens' Foundation for African American Literature. She has been writing in the Saint Paul area for the last six years. She is a poet and experimenting playwright. Brimmer is currently in collaboration with local jazz musicians.

Claire DeCoster is part of Playback Theater which uses a community process to create a healing space where audience stories are played back by a performance ensemble through improvisational storytelling. Born and raised in Saint Paul, DeCoster lived many years away doing theater and drama therapy in big northern cities before returning to Minnesota in 1995.

Lenora Harris, a native of Minnesota, is 19 and has been writing since the age of 11.
Lynette Harris began signing in church at the age of 9, and she has signed professionally for the last 15 years. She runs a food shelf called Moms on the East Side of Saint Paul.

Michael Haynes is an experienced corporate manager, consultant, environmentalist, and fledgling writer. As the son of a civil rights activist and community leader, he struggles with a society that departmentalizes, classifies, sorts and labels its humanity. It is written and spoken word that Haynes uses to reach inward to re-claim quiet simplicity.

Q was born in Chicago and raised on the north side of Minneapolis. He is also a 2010 Givens' Griot and he began writing in 6th grade and was published in 7th grade for a poem entitled "Questions about Love." Moore graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2009 with a B.A. in advertising and a minor in sociology.

Leonard Wilkes, a native of the Twin Cities, is committed to creating healthier communities and supporting pathways out of poverty. He believes that a healthy body, mind and soul come from eating healthy whole foods, and he encourages people to make healthier choices. Wilkes is committed to helping rebuild the shattered lives of youth and minorities.

The Lowertown Reading Jam Series continues at the Black Dog Cafe on the first Monday of the month through July. Each session is hosted by a well-known writer or spoken word artist, and Saint Paul artist Lara Hanson interprets the readings through drawings using Japanese ink brushes. Free hors d'oeuvres are served, and the Black Dog Cafe offers its "Monday Madness" special featuring a large pizza and bottle of wine or a large pizza and four Summit beer taps for just $20. All Reading Jams are American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted.

Style Your Landscape

2010-04-28T07:45:00.003-05:00

Photo copyright Melissa Slachetka, 2010

Why not take a cue from the Hollywood starlets? Try a Brazilian and get rid of that tire-some grass. Go one step further and dazzle it with flowers, fountains, and vegetable plots. If you have the time and money, a coy Koi pond might be just the thing to induce relaxation. Possibly design a stone path to guide the way to a secret spot.

If you have to have grass, because your yard is way too big – or you just like the way it feels – keep it short and respectable. There is nothing wrong with a strip of green, as long as it is well-trimmed.

Whatever the case, it should be pleasing to the eye, easily maintained, and tangible. Enjoying your yard is a must. Try a Brazilian…you just may like the looks of it.

Have you done a Brazilian on your yard? And what about those rain gardens that get you all wet? Groovy Reviews would love to hear your comments!

Copyright Melissa Slachetka, 2010

Genocide and Tears

2010-04-27T07:27:00.002-05:00

Shocking and powerful: Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa is a history of heartache that will turn on the water-works. It is an intimate portrait of true loves’ deep scars and generations of families that get brought together and pulled apart so many times, that it’s like ripping a band-aid off the same place again and again. Each page resonates with such unbearable sadness, that even the most stoic will be moved.

This brutally somber story revolves around Amal, who is born into a Palestinian refugee camp called Jenin and knows only about the family’s proud olive groves from the stories passed down. Life in a camp surrounded by armed enemies is basically a prison yard, but Amal tries to stay positive. Her Arabic past is like a patchwork quilt that she keeps adding pieces to, in order to keep her heart warm and her mind sane. It is not as easy for her Bedouin mother, Dahlia, who slowly gets her spirit crushed by being forced off her homeland, having her baby boy stolen by an Israeli soldier, and losing her beloved husband.

"My life before the war returns to me now in memories bracketed by Baba’s arms and scented with the tobacco of his olive-wood pipe. We had meager possessions and scarce necessities. I never knew a playground nor swam in the ocean, but my childhood was magical, enchanted by poetry and dawn.”
-pg 60

What Amal does have, before the wars start up again, are beautiful mornings spent with her father reading books and reciting poetry. He reminds her that knowledge is something the enemy can never strip you of. This compels her to dive into reading and studies, even after losing her father, getting shot by guards, and watching her mother waste away.

"But Ismael is dead. A Jewish soldier whose face is mine, has taken my brother’s scar. I think I am dreaming. I reach my hand to touch. But he backs away. Later, not now, I am sure that it was not a dream. Ismael lives.”
pg 103

The story then follows the life of Amal, and her two brothers Yousef and David, the baby boy named Ismael, who was stolen and raised as a Jew. For awhile, Amal is in denial of everything she has experienced, but as her own daughter grows older and starts asking questions, Amal agrees to return to the city of her birth and confront her past.

This novel is so horrible, that it is beautiful. Abulhawa’s storytelling traps you in the lives of the characters and no matter how gruesome or tragic, you won’t be able to tear your eyes from the page. Mornings in Jenin is a tangible history lesson and it expresses injustices that should not be ignored. Abulhawa’s book has gone through several releases (and translations) and, overall, it is a strong piece of literature. The ending doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the novel; it feels new and rambles on longer than it should. Some may find the last section a closure, but a much stronger ending would have been the final moments of Amal’s story. The blatant website promoting in this section also cheapens the story, which up until this point is incredibly captivating. It is a shame the book ends like this, because it takes away my urge to recommend it. . . but I still will.

Copyright 2010 Melissa Slachetka
Originally published on Minnesota Reads

Who is Miss Peach?

2010-04-25T19:55:00.004-05:00

Under the idyllic and pastoral cover, The Stranger Manual by Catie Rosemurgy is a creepy little book of poems. It juxtaposes the realities of grotesque and pretty: of comic and disturbing. While this seems alarming, it may not be a bad thing. Miss Peach, an ever-appearing character in the verses, is as compelling as Miss Havisham, and just as eccentric.

"I had time to consider the ever-so-slightly corrupt taste of your freshly cleaned armpits.
I was always feverish to pry the full smell of you back open. Perhaps stink,
in our antiseptic culture.”
pg 48

The idea of transformation is a binding factor. Along with the many personas of Miss Peach, Rosemurgy also taps into the natural environment with its many-changing seasons.

"A man looks good pushing against the air
and is a winter fruit.
A woman looks good rounding out the flat light
and is a summer fruit. Goodbye and hello
to all I haven’t eaten.”
pg 8

Rosemurgy presents us with an intoxicating book of poems that asks the reader ‘Who is Miss Peach?’ This question will drive you crazy, because she is everybody and nobody. The times when Miss Peach is not on the page, the reader can’t help but wonder what she is up to next.

"The main problem is when someone looks at her:
it’s like being born and then born and then born
but never being able to take her first breath.
She asked if I was committed to my current system of breathing.”
pg 17

The pieces have a youthful, just-finished-college tarnish to them. Try as Rosemurgy might to be dismal and introspective, there is an untapped, naïve, enthusiasm that won’t let her get too deep and this creates some interesting pieces. These poems are wacked out and brimming with energy. The Stranger Manual gives us fair warning of the truly twisted personalities out there, especially Miss Peach.

Copyright 2010 Melissa Slachetka
Originally posted on Minnesota Reads

Eco Party Planning

2010-04-23T17:37:00.003-05:00

I was chatting with an intern just before Earth Day about planning a party and not being able to find compostable utensils. There are some corn-based, potato-based, and bamboo utensils, but they are not easy to come by. In addition, these products can only be used in commercial composting that you find in some restaurants and businesses. The U of M even has commercial composting in some of the campus buildings and you will find garbage cans appropriately labeled. In your backyard compost bin, these items will not breakdown, so we had to think outside the box. The likely solution would be to use real metal utensils, but if you are throwing a big party, you may not have enough available.

Here are a couple ideas to try:
-ask guests to bring their own. Of course, some won’t and some may bring plastic they have at home, but most will have fun with the idea. Guests always want to know what they can bring to the party, so this is an easy, fun way to make them involved.

-visit a thrift store and stock up. Goodwill and Savers always have buckets of random utensils. Bring them home (be sure to wash them) and pass them out at your next event. Guests can take them home (if they really dig them), you can keep them for your next party, or wash them up and donate them back to the store.

-use untreated wooden chopsticks. If you are at a place with commercial composting (Eureka does this in the Twin Cities area), you can compost paper plates, paper napkins of any color, paper towels, paper cups, and wooden items like toothpicks, bamboo, and chopsticks. YOu can also visit Twin Cities Green to find tons of eco-friendly supplies.

Do you have a groovy environmental tip to share? Groovy Reviews would love to hear it!

Vacation Books to put on your Packing List

2010-04-19T17:21:00.007-05:00

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is a quick and amusing read. It has moments of light-hearted fun, but serious undertones of historic events. The story revolves around two boys, the narrator and a dreamer named Lou. Both fall in love with a young seamstress in the neighboring village after they are shipped from city life to be reformed. The boys make the best of their struggle and romance the object of their affection with a secret stash of books they come across by less than honorable means. Like the boys in the story, this book will whisk you away and still make you think.

Girls just want to have fun…and success in Lauren Weisberger’s novel Chasing Harry Winston. The three heroines in this novel will make it clear that the secret to a happy life isn’t just being rich; it’s being fulfilled and rich. Jet-setting, husband-hunting, and career-climbing women like this make the rest of us sigh with promise. Pair the girl-power chick-lit with a well-written plot and you have one great novel to slip into your Louis Vuitton.

Hot Rocks is as steamy as its title and you may find yourself blushing while reading. This book is a quick read with a strong female character and themes revolving around love, family, and jewel thieves. Passion paired with not having to think too deep, makes this book by Nora Roberts an escape in itself.
Note to Nora Roberts fans: This is a re-release of Remember When.

Fun Tip: If you pack too many books for your trip, donate them before you leave. Schools, friends, or learning centers will be grateful and you will have more room for more on your bookshelf at home.

It's All In The Cards

2010-04-05T17:07:00.004-05:00

The Last Days of Madame Rey is a perfect companion to A. W. Hill’s Nowhere-Land. Both feature the daring PI Stephan Raszer, and although Madame Rey came first, it has just been newly released in a paperback with brand-new cover art. Both reads are intense, but Madame Rey has an earthy mother-nature tone where science and religious dogma amalgamate. It will have its readers at the edge of their seats; instinctively checking the length on their tailbones.

"‘Humans of your type retain the vestige known as the coccyx. This is your mark – the link to your fellows and to creation. Something happened, however, out on the savannah to those earliest and most eager of predators. The Stumps, you see, have no affinity for life in the trees. The truth is they do not have much affinity for life.’
‘Are we still on the ‘parable?’ Raszer asked. ‘Or can I spot these…Stumps…on Sunset Boulevard?’”
-pg 310

Hill’s complex and intense story-telling make it hard to describe this novel without going into a 30 minute synopsis and that is one of the reasons it is so good. Private Investigator Raszer is tracking another lost soul. This time it is the son of a prominent Jewish lawyer who gets caught up in a Neo-Nazi supremacist group looking to turn the axis of our globe to point ‘true north’. Their target is Mt Shasta’s active volcano, much to the dismay of geologists, new-age hippies, the Native American’s that consider the volcano a holy ground, and the other habitants of the small town surrounding this natural landmark.

"Raszer shot his host a sidelong glance. ‘At the risk of presumption, Professor…you’re not being coy with me, are you? It can’t have escaped you that the Military Order of Thule has a polar fixation. Is ‘seismic chaos’ what you think they’re up to?’”
-pg 175

The miscreants call themselves the Order of Thule, and believe that lacking, or smaller than average tailbones are a sign of the supreme race. Commander Bronk Vreeland gained his status by having virtually no tailbone and his willingness to kill his only daughter, which has left him dangerously blinded by power and extremely unbalanced. Armed with weapons, and tactical training, this disillusioned militia holds fort on the volcano, blasting away as it core, and mind-washing a very confused young lawyer named Fortis Cohn.

The mountain volcano is showing signs of eminent explosion, when Raszer and his inside informant, April Blessing, attempt to retrieve Cohn’s soul and stop the abuse to Mt. Shasta. Along with the fortuitous powers of tarot reader Madame Rey, and his trusty partner in soul searching, Monica Lord, Raszer just may have the advantage…if he gets there in time. This one is a page-turner and if it gets a little too highly scientific, at times, this only adds to the mystery and suspense. Raszer is at his best as romantic charmer and bad-boy sleuth. The Last Days of Madame Rey will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

Read my review of Nowhere-Land
Copyright Melissa Slachetka, 2010

Poetry without Boundaries

2010-03-27T12:04:00.004-05:00

Greg Hewett’s new book of poems, darkacre, dabbles in property law as well as the physical and abstract definitions surrounding it. The poetry collection’s name is a play on the legal term ‘blackacre’ which simply defines one property from another, ‘whiteacre’, for contracts and legal proceedings. Hewett takes this from law to literary, with poems that carry titles like “redacre,” “grayacre,” and “greenacre.”

"darkacre conveys deed to whiteacre
at the boundary where snow falls
(or is it petals? ash?)”
-pg 14

The styles of poetry vary wildly throughout the book and this is due to the inclusion of work from five artist books that Hewett collaborated on. Though there are differences, the author has the lucky binding factor of repetition. Recurring imagery produces cohesion and in some ways, it feels like a diary charting Hewett’s styles and experimentations. Unfortunately, this does lend the book a certain weakness, because it implies lack of vision and can give the reader a distinct impression of inexperience.

The major strength of this book is the alliteration. Hewett builds words on top of words, as he goes, producing unexpected combinations like ‘violent violet’ and pairing ‘iridescent’ next to ‘incandescent’ and ‘mute’ just prior to ‘modulating’. Every aspect of each poem is wrapped in sounds: vowels and consonants precisely chosen to create a melody while you read them.

Some sections really shine; including a group of poems entitled “The Yam Complex (Between Time and History)”:

"Fate has dropped me without wings.
Here I am miniature yet more
Than public, can never get lost or lose
Myself on the treeless ellipse
Between freeway and cathedral.”
-pg 40

Hewett’s section called “Cameos” is very well suited for a special printing, but doesn’t extend itself as well for paperback form. “Mannahatta;” however, holds up quite well and has a disturbing, voyeuristic nature.

"she serves them
touching the cheek of the one
offering cascades of something
like laughter …
_______________________
Their friendship had taken a turn in
Tribeca only one of them was aware of.”
-pg 85

Greg Hewett gives us a book of smartly written poetry. darkacre has a trace of apprehension and a smack of doomsday between its memory-laden pages. Reading it may give you something to think about.

Coffee House Press, 2010

Copyright Melissa Slachetka 2010
Originally published on MN Reads

America's Mid-Life Crisis

2010-03-20T08:47:00.004-05:00

Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty is a colorful and contradictory view of America. The poems are a filled with musings on the century we are living in and the dynamics of love and life.

Tony Hoagland’s verses seem to ask if we are just bold adventurers claiming a new democratic royalty or is our empire full of rust spots and loud mufflers as is cruises through a country covered in peeling billboards and half-drunk soda cans and is there any difference?

"I too am made of joists and stanchions,
of plasterboard and temperamental steel,
mortgage payments and severed index fingers,
ex-girlfriends and secret Kool-Aid-flavored dawns.”
-pg 76

There is nice coherence to this book of poetry. Intended or not, the table of contents even reads like a list poem, where each title conveys a conversation of emotions set in stanzas. This book has unique potential, from the catchy title to the spirited verses.

Still, there is awkwardness in Hoagland’s prose. It isn’t clumsy in language or structure, but in its ability to express. Using broad phrases like “for a while the problem got very clear, and the clarity constituted a kind of relief, as if the problem had withdrawn. . . But after a while the clarity began to fade” which don’t actually say much of anything are a major hazard. Something is missing in this vagueness and it feels like we are left out of a secret joke known only to the writer, making it hard for the reader to fully commit to the work and get lost in the poet’s world.

Another detractor is when the author addresses the poem directly, as in the following bits: “they are excited to be entering the poem” and “I wanted to get the cement truck into the poem” or “I liked the idea of my poem having room inside.” This self-praising just feels unnecessary.

That being said, there are still some excellent politically-charged pieces as Hoagland taps into our ironically humorous life. In one poem, he aptly uses the well-known identity of Brittney Spears to expand on society’s misconceptions and subjugations.

"Oh my adorable little monkey
prancing for your candy
with one of my voices I shout, ‘Jump, jump, you little whore!’
With another I say,
in a quiet way that turns down the lights,
‘Put on some clothes and go home, Sweetheart.’”
-pg 20

Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty is an introspective look at ourselves and the country we live in. Hoagland’s home-spun soliloquies on American life are both clever and pensive.

Copyright Melissa Slachetka, 2010
Originally Published Minnesota Reads
Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty, Graywolf Press, 2010

Ominous verses

2010-03-08T23:01:00.004-06:00

Like a CSI television drama, Find the Girl captures our full attention. The poems deal with the death of and lurking danger to girls and young women.

Author, Lightsey Darst’s verses urge the reader to tap into the days of innocence when running through fields was brave exploration and lips were stained red by Kool-Aid, not beauty products. Here words seem to proclaim ‘we are not too fragile to survive’ as they give hope and warning, simultaneously.

"Find the girl in time and she doesn’t
wind up in the newspaper with her feet
Photographed bare sticking out from under
a rhododendron bush.
It’s real, the bad men who know already
where they would hide the body crouch
In shrubs under her bedroom window
while she talks on the phone.”
-pg 20

Fairy-tale prose blends vivid botanical images with not-so-happy endings. Darst pulls from ancient mythology, children’s characters like Gretel and Snow White, and alludes to culturally significant events like the Jon Benet murder and Jack the Ripper to create verses as potent as a poisoned apple. Her contemporary poetry is a string of descriptive narrative told through the eyes of a coroner, or the victim. Some pieces don’t feel quite complete and many have a gleaned-from-TV quality, but together they convey a powerful theme.

"You will be someone’s tragic summer, lovesick
moan as the screen door slams again and June bugs
strike it with confused ardor.”
-pg 22

Darst’s writing may make us feel uncomfortable because it taps into the emotions of danger, sexual assault, and murder. Whether or not it exploits the horrors of these brutal events is for each reader to decide. What it does is bring issues a lot closer than a missing person’s billboard or a picture on the back of a milk carton, and that is a rare skill. Find the Girl is empowering in a brutal way. Read it and you will find the pages turning, as if on their own volition.

Copyright Melissa Slachetka
Originally Posted on Minnesota Reads
Find the Girl, Coffee House Press, 2010

Hella Good Cooking

2010-02-27T11:19:00.006-06:00

Minneapolis’s own Hell’s Kitchen is no relation to the television show of same name but it is just as intense, and reading the story behind its success is even better than watching Chef Ramsay yell. The vivacious chef and owner of our local hellish hotspot is Mitch Omer. He joins literary forces with Ann Bauer, an unfulfilled food writer. Bauer gains a new zest for life, love, and all things gastronomical after chronicling Omer’s tumultuous rise from dysfunction and suicidal tendencies to beloved and edgy chef.

Omer’s fascinating story of mental health, drugs, and gluttony fill the pages of this cookbook. From rebellious son to drug-filled bouncer to backroom cook, the storyline is intermingled with recipes acquired during the many stages of Omer’s turbulent life.

"He started snorting blow every night and then zipping through the dining room, making funny, charming small talk with the guests. When cocaine got too expensive, Mitch switched to crystal meth. And eventually, when even meth failed to send him, he started smoking PCP.”
-pg 33

Damn Good Food is a meat-lovers wet dream. Carnivorous taste buds will salivate with recipes like “Biscuits with Rabbit Gravy,” “Antelope Stroganoff,” and “Bison Benedict.” The mashed potatoes even sport an impressive ‘2 cups rich chicken broth.” Vegetarians shouldn’t shy away from dishes, like “Mahnomi Porridge,” “Hot Damn Buttered Pretzels,” and “Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes.” In addition to its range of recipes, another distinguishing factor to this cookbook is the completeness. There are directions for tartar sauce, curries, rubs, and even peanut butter. If a recipe calls for mayo or Jamaican jerk rub, you have a reference to that recipe.

"There are three key spices in any jerk seasoning: Jamaican pimento (which we call allspice), thyme, and Scotch bonnet peppers, so hot they have been known to spontaneously combust. No longer relegated just to pork, jerk seasoning is used on every manner of meat and fish, as is seen in this book’s charred sea bass recipe.”
-pg 148

The vicious red cover, punk photos and remnants of Omer’s youth grace the pages. Despite his current success and happiness, anyone else walking in Omer’s shoes may not have made it. The inspiration of Hell’s Kitchen and life of Omer is captured charismatically by Bauer, who discovers she is a bit of a badass, herself. If the rock-n-roll lifestyle takes a slight precedence over the food, we can hardly blame either writer. This is full-on cooking in every sense.

Copyright Melissa Slachetka 2010
Originally posted on Minnesota Reads

Shidara delight (and educate) their audience at the Ordway

2010-02-27T11:05:00.005-06:00

Heart of the Immortal Mountain is an apt description for the Japanese drum and dance troupe Shidara. It also doubled as the program title for their February 24 performance at the Ordway. Pulling from natural surroundings and hoping to bring awareness to their village heritage, harvest rituals, and traditions, Shidara are committed to preserving the ancient dance festivals of their small Japanese community by bringing them on tour for the world to enjoy. This remarkable drum troupe performed for a Minnesota audience on Wednesday, and transported the attendees to a world of magical dragons, rice fields, tonbi birds, and cherry blossoms.

Shidara proves the beat of a drum can convey an orchestra of emotions. The performance was rhythmic and entrancing as the songs seemed to blend together to create an experience rather than just a show. Drums of all shapes and sizes—more than 3,000 pounds in total—filled the stage, some large enough for a person to sit inside. Small bells and woodwinds complemented the natural sound of the drums. This was an art form and a workout; two hours of drumming would wear anyone out, but the performers had smiles on their faces and even came out for an encore. This troupe genuinely enjoyed performing and this enthusiasm inspired the audience to laugh, clap, and even do a little dancing.
There were all ages in the audience that night, and those under 25 may have outnumbered those over, which is rare for theater performances. This is evidence that the Ordway not only puts on great shows, but also taps into entertainment and cultural outreach that inspires youth. Appreciation and involvement in the arts community is an asset to any community, and the Ordway is at the cutting edge of the St. Paul arts scene.

Copyright: ©2010 Melissa Slachetka
Originally posted on TC Daily Planet

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington St.
Saint Paul, MN
Phone: 651-282-3000
http://www.ordway.org
Twitter: TheOrdway

Writing: A Lifestyle

2010-02-18T15:09:00.004-06:00

After the Workshop
By John McNally
Counterpoint, 2009

Writer’s block, obsessive authors, and drunken arrests, don’t begin to describe John McNally’s novel, After the Workshop. Main character, Jack Hercules Sheahan, is a writer that had a chance to make a name for himself as a novelist and let it slip through his fingers, finding himself years later as an ill-paid, often disrespected media escort. A job that basically entails making sure visiting authors get to their Iowa hotel, then to their reading and book signing, and back on a flight out of town.

Sheahan is adequate at his job, but filled with jealousy and remorse each time he picks up an author who had more guts than he did. An unfinished novel sits in his apartment and he lusts after his ex-fiancé, Alice. The few people he can, sort of, call friends are the has-beens that hang out at the bar he constantly visits, and his next door neighbor, M. Cat, who he really hasn’t spoken to. Life continues on its weary pace until troubled author, Vanessa Roberts, comes to town with baby in tow and disappears a few hours later.

“ ‘What the hell happened?’ he asked, smiling, clearly amused.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked, my mouth full of pastry.
‘Vanessa ‘The Outhouse’ Roberts,’ he said. ‘She was a no-show. I’ve been calling the publicist all day to find out what happened, but I keep getting her voice mail.’
‘Oh that,’ I said. ‘Yeah, well, the thing is…she ditched me. She checked out of her hotel.’ ”
-pg 130

Sheahan’s life is instantly catapulted into complete chaos. Roberts’s publicist, Lauren Castle, keeps calling to find her missing author and finally flies to Iowa for answers, he has an unexpected fling with Alice which leaves him reeling, and last, but not least, famous and also disappeared author S.S. Pitzer shows up on Sheahan’s doorstep to charm and steal the unfinished novel. Through it all, Sheahan keeps thinking about where life went wrong, if his first short story was only published due to a gambling debt with his professor, if Alice is still the woman of his dreams, and whether or not he has what it takes to start writing again.

McNally’s novel is dark, depressing, and filled with ironic humor, like the fact that Sheahan claims writing poetry is infinitely more dangerous than writing novels, with more suicides and mental disorders than other styles of writing. It is the least published, least respected, and least read, yet poetry is quoted constantly in this novel. Also delightful are the depictions of literary groupies who try to use sex to get to the top.

“ ‘Ka-ching? Did I say mid six-figures? You better not forget about me. I swear. If I had a book coming out, you know the first person I’d offer to blow?’
‘No. Who?’
‘Matt Lauer,’ Sally said. ‘Just so I can be on the Today Show.’
‘Okay,’ Helga said. ‘Here’s a question. Would you blow Al Roker?’ ”
-pg 166

The romantic waxing for the great Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a bit overdone, but it is entertaining when the ‘Workshop’ goes up against Naropa University for a poetry speak-off. The cliché of drunken writer is played a lot more heavy-handed than it need be, especially if the main character wants to be seen as an old, somewhat battered, soul, rather than an ignorant college student with the first taste of beer on his lips. Despite this, the novel is enormously entertaining and a struggle to put down.

Personally, I am affectionate towards the publicist, who rants, “You’re just a writer wannabe, right? You’re just a slacker hanging out in the college town at his local coffee shop, wearing a beret…writing the Great American Novel on legal pads…You probably smoke clove cigarettes and drink Jameson’s but don’t eat meat…You’re a living, walking cliché, and I bet deep down you know it too.” Wow! How can you not love that? After the Workshop is a great novel for writers and writer wannabes.

Originally posted on Minnesota Reads

Orchestra Hall does Valentine’s Day

2010-02-16T07:31:00.002-06:00

John Pizzarelli rings the bells of romantically-inclined couples at Orchestra Hall

John Pizzarelli. Photo courtesy Minnesota Orchestra.
By Melissa Slachetka, TC Daily Planet, February 15, 2010

Orchestra Hall was packed for the February 13 Valentine's Day celebration performed by jazz vocalist/guitarist John Pizzarelli and his trio in collaboration with the Minnesota Orchestra. There was a lot of red in the audience and a few smooches between elegantly dressed dates. The Valentine's show featured pop and jazz songs with full orchestra accompaniment. Conductor Courtney Lewis kept pace with the upbeat stylings of Pizzarelli and provided a perfect instrumental backdrop to the performance.

Pizzarelli is a natural entertainer, relating directly to the audience and telling humorous, personal tidbits about his life—like the story about the time he met Frank Sinatra on tour in Berlin, or the fact that his own wedding song was "I Got Rhythm" and that's why it was included in the set. He even accommodated a fan request to perform a song about the state of New Jersey, where he impersonated musical greats like Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Billy Holiday, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan.

Other well-performed pieces included "Satin Doll," "L-O-V-E," "I Have Dreamed," "Witchcraft," and "Ring-A-Ding Ding"—a song that Pizzarelli inserted into the set just because he loves Sinatra that much. Laughter and applause filled the show and an encore had Pizzarelli returning to the stage for one more tune.

Though Pizzarelli was center stage, the Minnesota Orchestra also shone. It is always an experience to see musicians trained in their craft putting on a great show, and if you have never been to see the Minnesota Orchestra, it is something you should put on your to-do list. Even if you "Can't Buy Me Love," you can buy a romantic evening at Orchestra Hall, whether it's Valentine's Day or not.

Copyright: ©2010 Melissa Slachetka

Orchestra Hall
1111 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: 612-371-5600
Twitter: MN_Orchestra

More Precious than Gems

2010-01-23T08:39:00.005-06:00

Martin Millar and his characters are more precious than gems in his new novel -out this month! - Ruby and the Stone Age Diet. Millar has a knack for making his novels an instant escape from life, but he also has the reader asking a lot of hard questions and that makes for a great read.

RUBY AND THE STONE AGE DIET
Ruby and the Stone Age Diet is a classic Martin Millar novel with a jumble of sub-plots, twists and turns, and an unnamed narrator. Millar, once again, explores the world of Britain’s underclass filled with dreamers, tweakers, and lovable misfits. Threads of storyline intermingle to create a literary fog that is great to get lost in.

“Ruby says don’t be silly and I say it is true and she says it is just the acid making me think funny things and I say what acid and she says the acid she put in my tea to make me feel better about Cis leaving me and after that I can’t think of anything good to say.”
-pg 6

The overall plotline deals with the narrator’s relationship with Ruby, his roommate and best friend. Both are confused about life, living as squatters, and can’t decide whether to move on or stay with a love interest. Ruby is a hippie at heart. She goes around barefoot in a lilac dress, is on a Paleolithic diet, spends her time writing or painting, and talks about mythology constantly. Ruby’s goal is survival, and in an off-beat way, she takes care of the narrator.

“Cis is the sort of girl you see for five seconds in the street then think about once a week for the rest of your life.”
-pg 4

The narrator is just plain lost. Fresh off a break-up with Cis, he drifts from job to job, watches for a cactus to bloom, and has an odd relationship to outer-space robots. Whether the robots are an acid trip or just his dreams, it seems to be a good way to cope with poverty and heartbreak. Ruby’s friendship saves him and, at the same time, keeps him from moving on. When she finally decides to take a chance on a real relationship with her on-again, off-again lover, it’s just the right time for the narrator to finally figure out his life.

Millar is a poet and a realist. Ruby and the Stone Age Diet shows us a world as unsustainable as a diet where you never eat. The poet in Millar makes this bleak and hopeless world pop like Technicolor. What would seem to depress, instead uplifts and humors. Gods and Goddess of every known make fill this story, from “Helena, benevolent Goddess of Electric Guitarists” and “Daita, the Vietnamese Tree Goddess” to Alexander, who is “the God of Foolish People Who Walk Around Naked in the Hallway Thinking Their Lover is Shouting Through the Letterbox”. But they just can’t compare to delightfully mundane scenes like buying a can-opener, because sometimes the simplest things, like best friends and cheap gadgets, make us the happiest. Millar proves, once again, that he hasn’t lost his touch.

Review originally posted on Minnesota Reads.

MORE MILLAR REVIEWS!
Lux the Poet
Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation
The Good Fairies of New York

Diary of an American in Italy

2010-01-15T15:15:00.002-06:00

Never Trust a Thin Cook is best described as an epicurious travelogue. It focuses more on the joy of food and cooking traditions than on specific recipes. Essentially, it is a diary of an American living abroad. Author, Eric Dregni puts this tale in play when he walks away from the popular south Minneapolis eatery, Leaning Tower of Pizza, and follows his heart to Italy.

This culinary memoir is set in the quaint town of Modena, which, like every other town in Italy, has its share of crazy drivers, soccer fanatics, and corruption both political and mundane. Waking up to find your bike stolen, working illegally to earn low wages, and knowing your mail has a better chance of being lost or rifled through then actually making it to its destination are just facts of life. Dregni gives us an impartial and entertaining look at his experiences. He sets himself apart by not overly-romanticizing Italy like so many other authors have done.

Short, colorful chapters examine spirited personalities and odd rituals, such as the etiquette of enjoying a shot of espresso with friends. Some of the most interesting sections are on Dregni’s two jobs and his run-ins with pushy, old Italian ladies. Between avoiding these demanding grandmas, he makes a paltry living as an Italian journalist and English teacher. Both jobs give him more access to the culture of Italy than an idle tourist. Food is not left out of this book, but it is not overwhelming it either. For the gourmands, there are sections on cooking tortellini from scratch, the art of aging balsamic vinegar, and a plethora of pork encounters.

"Even though I’m in a warehouse with delicious cheese stacked two stories high as far as I can see, the subject of the conversation inevitably changes to pigs. ‘The leftovers from making Parmesan are given to the pigs. This is what gives prosciutto its special flavor,’ the guide notes. ‘Not only are wheels of Parmesan in the bank, but also legs of prosciutto.’ Even the cheese is somehow related to the pigs in Modena.”
-pg 34

Dregni shows his competence both as a journalist and as a writer. Never Trust a Thin Cook will hit you with culture shock the moment you start reading. It is a much more than a cookbook; anyone with a love of travel or who is thinking about teaching English overseas should pick up a copy. This lesson on life will most certainly leave you wondering, ‘what’s for dinner?’

Iconic Ads

2010-01-12T22:27:00.006-06:00

Magazines may be struggling in this economy. Many are slimming down or shutting down all together, and quite a few have switched paper quality and tweaked dimensions. In spite of all this, they still crowd the aisles in grocery stores, book stores, gas stations, and curl around your morning mail. There are magazines to fit every niche, from motorcycles to knitting. There is something timeless, though, about a glossy, fashion-laden magazine, that makes people want to grab it off the shelf and flip through the pages.

It isn’t just the articles that pull me in…it’s the advertisements. Sure, I’ll read the articles, but only after I have flipped through the entire thing and given my eyes a feast. Many ads speak straight to the intended client without much imagination or effort. Then there are the ones that tap into a broader audience, which, frankly, is what an advertisement is supposed to do. Selling to your already existing buyers is redundant, albeit safe, but definitely not helping the bottom line.

A group of ads that caught my attention, during one last skim before hitting the recycling bin, were what I term ‘channeling the icon’ ads. These have a stopping power for the reader because of the connection made, and the attempt to illicit an expanse of emotions. I found myself exploring the idea of what made them work and what, if anything, didn’t.

Here are some examples:
Material Girl

Madonna and the 80’s are virtually inseparable, and with the resurgence of day-glow neon, and itty-bitty ankle boots, it was probably unavoidable. This ad really channels Madonna, and not only because of the black, fingerless gloves. The hand position is reminiscent of her ‘Vogue’ choreography, and the slightly parted lips, with a tell-tale gap between the front teeth, seals the image. This is delightfully mixed with the more polished look of the model. Hair is smoothed back, eyelashes are in full display, but the rest of the face is natural-looking. The garment on the model is a bold color, but the fabric draping more sophisticated than an off the shoulder sweater. This ad really works.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Audrey Hepburn is probably best-known for her role in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Basic clothing on her looked glamorous. A turtleneck sweater, a little black dress, or a tailored coat take on new sophistication. This ad channels Hepburn in many ways. The black and white tones with a faded cityscape give it a classic look and the impish grin directed at us by the model flashes us back to Holly Golightly. Another good ad, but I admit that it was a two-page spread and I was so disinterested in the other have that I simply ignored it. It works, but it could be pushed to the next level.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

One of the most copied icons is Marilyn Monroe. Her blond hair, heavy eyebrows, and perfectly pouty lips exude sexuality and a little bit of innocence. Scarlett Johansson seems to be channeling her womanly allure in both these ads. Combined, they really capture the spirit of this past actress, and not only that actress. They also capture the charisma of Rita Hayworth. These great elements of sexuality and old-Hollywood-glam open the audience up to men, as well as, women. That’s about as good as you can get.

©Melissa Slachetka

Happiness is a State of Mind

2010-01-07T21:56:00.003-06:00

Alex Lemon’s memoir, Happy, is filled with blood, sweat, and courage. It is a raw and brutally honest look at overcoming what fate throws at you. Happy is a nickname and a personality Lemon shows the world as his body deteriorates in illness. The moments in this novel are so personal; it will make you squirm as if stumbling upon as unlocked diary.

In 1997, life holds everything for Lemon. He is attending Macalester College, mingling with upper-classmen, and is a catcher for the baseball team. Lemon describes this portion of his life with a reminiscent and shameless flair. Drinking, drugs, and disposable girls enter and leave through the revolving door of Happy’s life, and barely a book gets opened. Without warning his world starts spinning out of balance. Parts of his body go numb, his vision starts to distort, and he keeps falling. Baseball is impossible, because he can’t follow the ball, much less stand. His first clinic visit brings the diagnosis of an inner ear problem, but when the pills don’t work Happy sees another doctor and then another.

“I smile up at him, but I’m terrified. My muscles are cramping. The tray slides into the machine and the radiologist’s voice grows distant. I close my eyes. I have never been sick. I don’t know what it is. The plastic ceiling is inches above my face.”
-pg 53

Finally, it’s determined that his brain is bleeding and he suffered a stroke. The doctors claim this rare incident is unlikely to happen again, so Happy attacks life with new vigor: getting back into baseball, drinking with wild abandon, and sleeping with as many girls as he can.

“I’m swallowing myself alive. Happy’s Hallowed Eve brumbles into Weeks of Pleasing Myself. I celebrate the ticking seconds of every goddamn day. I’m a festival, a parade, and the drinks are vicious. There is cake and blood-slick flesh.”
-pg 123

It doesn’t last long. After a second brain hemorrhage, Happy makes the difficult decision to try surgery. The one doctor who will attempt this risky procedure is down in Florida. Ironically, the surgery is scheduled right during Hurricane Floyd, but Happy doesn’t turn back, instead he stays to get his needed surgery. This is perhaps, one of the most poignant sections of the book. Surrounded by family and death on both sides, Happy rises like a battered Phoenix from the storm.

There are some great elements at play in this memoir. Lemon’s description of his illness is masterful and his knack for poetry shines. One section in particular that shows literary skill is the paragraph, or more aptly the long run-on sentence, right before Lemon is to have brain surgery: this melding of random thoughts and fears emphasizes his profound panic in that precise moment. Lemon never makes himself a victim, instead he appears as a bemused soldier pushing through unyielding odds with the brashness and fortitude only youth can inspire. Happy is one of the best memoirs on the shelf.

Happy
By Alex Lemon
Scribner, 2010
Review originally published at Minnesota Reads

Top 10 Favorite Books of 2009

2010-01-07T07:33:00.004-06:00

Originally posted on Minnesota Reads.

My Favorites of 2009
By Melissa Slachetka

1. Ray of the Star by Laird Hunt
Loved everything about this book! The writing is dynamic, the setting is exotic, and the plotline is filled with beauty and tragedy.
2. The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis
This book is currently making the rounds with the ladies of my family. It is a moving family history from the woman’s view set in political times. The writing is fabulous.
3. Nowhere-Land by A.W. Hill
This mystery-thriller is gritty, high-tech, political, and religious. An intense read.
4. Model Life: The Journey of a Pint-Size Fashion Warrior by Isobella Jade
This graphic novel is inspiring and the illustrations are so fantastic, that I have picked it up just to page through and look at the art. It makes all 5’2” of me feel glamorous.
5. What French Women Know by Debra Ollivier
What a great conversation starter! Love it or hate it, I couldn’t stop referencing it for weeks after reading it.
6. Un-Coded Woman by Anne-Marie Oomen
Earthy and elemental, this book is filled with rich imagery and poems that will stick in your mind.
7. German for Travelers by Norah Labiner
While I didn’t review this for Minnesota Reads, I did talk about it on Minnesota Public Radio. It’s an imaginative and quirky story.
8. Total Oblivion, More or Less by Alan Deniro
Apocalypse novels are something I tend to shy away from, but this novel made me re-think that urge. It is one of the strangest and most entertaining novels I’ve read.
9. Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles
Beauty and corruption blend seamlessly in this fictional account of mail-order brides. I only wish I could change the ending so the main character marries the romantic and handsome mafia boss.
10. The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
Neurotic and heart-felt, this book is a potent journey through sadness with a colorful cast of characters.

Best of 2009

2010-01-01T16:31:00.004-06:00

It’s time to ring in the New Year, but also time to highlight 2009.
Here are some favorite Groovy Reviews of 2009!

Best Guest Bloggers: Romeo & Joplin...with their quirky insight on kitty treats.

Most Controversial: When Action Stars Get Old. Sorry, Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Coolest Product: Pizzazz Nation. Yum! Pizza, anyone?

Most Fashion Inspired: Fashion Fever. Lots of pics and eco-style.

Best Book Trends: Return Trip from Book Nirvana.

Best Bad Review: Shoot Down “Shooting Script”. Yes, I will write a bad review, if the book is bad.

If you want more Groovy Reviews, check out some 2008 greats!
The Scents of Life
A Sensation

Tale of a Samurai

2009-12-27T09:44:00.003-06:00

It would be impossible for me to be unbiased on this production, so my review will be short and sweet. Simply put, it is an innovative show. What it lacks in set decoration, it makes up for in quality of actors.

The show is put on by Green T Productions.
Here is their description:
An existential murder mystery set on the outskirts of Kyoto during the twelfth century. A Samurai has been killed. Eye witnesses offer contradictory testimony. Which version is true? What is truth? Drawing on traditional Japanese theater forms, kabuki, noh and bunraku puppetry.

Featuring great performances by: Timothy Daly, Natalie Rae Wass, David Schneider, Rebecca Cho, Ethan Xiong

Tales of Rashomon
Dec. 17 – Jan. 3
At Mixed Blood Theatre
$20 Adults/$18 Students & Seniors
Mondays are “Pay What You Can Nights”

More Ways to Support Local Literati

2009-12-23T05:00:00.010-06:00

Support the Almanac this holiday season!
An appeal from Kimberly Nightingale, Publisher:
If you love Saint Paul and stories and believe in supporting local art and business, please consider making a donation to the Saint Paul Almanac as part of your charitable end-of-year giving.

The Saint Paul Almanac builds community through providing forums—in print, online, and at events around the city throughout the year—to share our individual stories.

We reach deep into the community to promote writing and reading, embracing all generations and the myriad of cultures that make St. Paul a truly international city. Saint Paul's democratic spirit is found right between every page of our Almanac, now in its fourth edition. Some writers even hail from Minneapolis and as far away as London!

Every year, every 11th Grader in St. Paul's high schools receives a free copy of the Almanac. Your donation of $25 will help pay a poet, essayist, or short story writer, or make an almanac available to two Saint Paul Public School students.

Your donation is tax deductible. The Saint Paul Almanac is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

ABOUT THE SAINT PAUL ALMANAC:

Now in its fourth year, the Saint Paul Almanac features essays, poems, photos, maps, and listings of events, bars, restaurants, theaters, and other cultural venues within a datebook format. The 2010 Almanac features 135 works by 110 writers. These writers include literary giants, everyday residents, students, journalists, new Americans, and lovers of Saint Paul who live in other corners of the world. The 2010 Saint Paul Almanac sells for $11.95 online at saintpaulalmanac.com, and is available in independent and mainstream bookstores everywhere, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com. Copies are also available for purchase at most Saint Paul Almanac events.

Saint Paul Almanac activities are made possible, in part, by funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council from an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature. Sponsors and partner organizations include the City of Saint Paul and Saint Paul STAR Program, The Lowertown Future Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation, Black Dog Café and Wine Bar, Twin Cities Daily Planet, KFAI Radio, and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

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2009-12-17T19:12:00.004-06:00

Rain Taxi Review of Books Fundraising Auction!

Support Rain Taxi and get cool stuff at the same time!

The annual fundraising auction contains a multitude of items sure to please book lovers -- first editions, gorgeous broadsides, rare chapbooks, quirky used books, as well as original art, an article of clothing, a decorative bag, a crazy quilt, and more! Many items are SIGNED by the authors and/or artists.

Bidding is conducted on eBay, with prices starting as low as 99 cents.
Hurry - It ends Sunday!

For more information, visit http://www.raintaxi.com/auction/.

A Little Less Ballet; A Lot More Fun

2009-12-15T18:24:00.005-06:00

Zenon's "Nutcracker According to Mother Goose" is the perfect holiday show for children.

Photo courtesy Ritz Theater

What are you getting for Christmas? Mother Goose surprises her characters with magical dancing slippers under the tree. When the characters put on the slippers, they can "hop, skip, and dance" and begin telling their stories in rhythms instead of rhymes.

In Zenon Dance Company's The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose, the title character, played in a very maternal fashion by Linda Andrews, narrates each dance by reciting a bit of the nursery rhyme and weaving it into a tale the audience can appreciate. She talks directly to the onlookers and has a helper called "Nibbles" the mouse, who runs through the aisles to get on stage. It makes for a delightful and interactive performance.

The scenes are quick enough to hold a child's interest and packed with colorful costumes and interesting props. The backdrop seems a little lacking, at first, until you realize it's a huge book and pages are turned according to the performance. Each skit is performed to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music, which creates an enchanting effect. Little Bo Peep, with its sassy sheep, is a well-danced piece that the audience appreciated at the performance I attended. Mary Contrary with her dainty flowers and The Mulberry Bush, with a very animated monkey and weasel, were also crowd-pleasers.

The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose is a perfect play to take your kids to. Every bit is calculated, not only to be creative, but to keep the younger crowd enthralled. The Zenon dancers are as fabulous with their footwork as they are with their expressions, the Ritz Theater is a cozy environment that really suits the performance, from start to finish it is under an hour, and children are able to meet Mother Goose and Nibbles as they leave the theater.

It must have taken a lot of planning to coordinate the Mother Goose tales with the classic Nutcracker musical storyline, but Zenon is up to the challenge. This charming new take on the formal holiday classic will entertain young and old.

THE NUTCRACKER ACCORDING TO MOTHER GOOSE, PLAYING THROUGH DECEMBER 20 AT THE RITZ THEATER. FOR TICKETS ($18 ADULTS, $10 CHILDREN) AND INFORMATION, SEE RITZDOLLS.COM.

A book of poetic mourning for those who were "Beloved on the Earth"

2009-12-13T19:14:00.003-06:00

Spending time with family and remembering loved ones is what the holidays are all about, but for some it's a little harder than for others. Beloved on the Earth is an anthology of poems that can ease this seasonal distress.

When the iron horse shakes the platform,
she'll board, saying, "What a lovely
thing to find." And I'll wave goodbye.
What a lovely thing to lose.

One thing that makes this anthology so interesting is the story of its creation. Jim Perlman, editor and publisher for Duluth's Holy Cow! Press, started planning this collection of poetry after his mother passed away; he was joined by three friends and literary enthusiasts who also experienced a loss. Each, through dealing with their grief, realized how little has been written or compiled about the experience of death and mourning. They put out a call for poems and were overwhelmed at the response, which they narrowed to 150 poems on the subject of "grief and gratitude."

The collection features over 25 Minnesota writers, as well as writers from as far away as Japan and Indonesia. Names like Tess Gallagher, Raymond Carver Jr., and Susan Carol Hauser may be instantly familiar, but the book also features plenty of newcomers. The title of the anthology is taken from a poem by Raymond Carver called "Late Fragment," the first one in the book.

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on earth.

There is one detractor to this nice package of poetry, and that is the cover. With its neon tones and blurred, 70s-wallpaper look, it's just not serious enough for the work that's inside. The most appealing aspect is the variety of the poems. While it isn't a book you want to sit down and read through all at once, it is a book you can pick up to find inspiration. Just knowing it's there on the shelf might be a comfort in itself.

Copyright: ©2009 Melissa Slachetka

Editor's note: Review originally posted Dec 9th on Twin Cities Daily Planet

Ooh-La-La

2009-12-06T10:46:00.003-06:00

Toss The Rules in the trash-bin, put on your sexy lingerie, and welcome this new French mindset. This novel is an ultimate woman’s guide to getting what she wants. Author Debra Ollivier, a born-again French woman, knows enough about her own country and her husband’s homeland to be instantly relatable to gals on both sides of the pond.

“The French are professional sensualists; they understand that the universe will not implode without their constant attention. They still generally rebuff the American culture of multitasking. They don’t dine with Bluetooths strapped on their ears. They aren’t quick to hand out business cards unless they’re really doing business. They know about essential things. That’s why we love them. That’s why everything seems sexier in France.” -pg 200-201

What makes this personal narrative and how-to book so appealing is that it tells us to do almost everything opposite of what we were taught. It’s almost as naughty as eating a chocolate croissant for breakfast and getting a date with the waiter. The contents include sections appropriately labeled: Men, Mystery, Rules, Perfection, Nature, Art De Vivre, and Body.

While I wouldn’t jump straight into an illicit affair, I would recommend Ollivier’s words on relationship, “Ah, what a relief. In France you just ‘go out with’ someone. You might go to a café and talk about French bulldogs or you might end up in a seventeenth-century farmhouse and make passionate love on a bale of hay while your lover recites Malarme. There is no right or wrong way to ‘date.’” This refreshing advice is something more American ladies should take to heart, instead of analyzing every word in a text message in an attempt to figure out the status of their relationship.

What French Women Know is Ollivier’s homage to everything French. She is American by birth, but follows her lover back to France, gets married, becomes a French citizen, makes friends, and starts a family there. While you may not agree with all of Ollivier’s insight, acceptance of cheating spouses and dirty houses come to mind, you will be intrigued at her observations and her story.

The only drawback of Ollivier’s book is the contemporary nature. Her pop culture references make for a fun read, but will easily date it. What she does right is use first-hand narratives and political and historical figures to back up her research. What French Women Know is well-drafted and thought-provoking. This is one to put on a list for all your best girlfriends.

The End of the World as We Know It

2009-12-06T10:43:00.003-06:00

Total Oblivion, More or Less is a fantastical voyage down the Mississippi that would make Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer proud. The only difference with this trip is: there’s no going home.

“There were tall white birches lining the eastern shore, their bark like an albino’s skin. They seemed like trees from a different place – but then I remembered that we were in a different place. And anyway, we’d never be going back to these birches. Few things from the journey would really be remembered. But maybe I would make a point of remembering the birches, because no one else would.” -pg 152-153

Cell phones, computers, universities, strip malls, and all modern conveniences are gone. The Mississippi River has become as deep as an ocean housing submarines, whales, and other deep sea aquatic life. The states no longer exist by the names we know and English is not the language spoken by all. On the shoreline roam giraffes, and horse-mounted warriors called Scythians who battle for power with the new leaders called the Empire.

Despite there not being an America anymore, the American spirit is strong with average-citizens-now-turned-refuges taking whatever is available and starting fresh. New professions and businesses emerge in cities that should be familiar, but are unrecognizable due to the plague that ravages society, the shifting environment, and various governments fighting for control.

"I kept thinking, well, maybe all of this trouble will pass over, and electricity will start working again, and the Scythians will retreat to wherever they came from, and the Empire will give back their land, too, and people will be able to use their cars again and drive wherever they want to, and the government will find a cure for the plague, and we’ll go back to St. Paul and I’ll start my senior year, none the worse for wear.”
-pg 3

In this futuristic alternate-world, survival becomes a way of life for 16 year-old Macy. She gets pulled out of her average middle-class Minnesotan upbringing by a group of soldiers, put into a refugee camp, and finally escapes on a riverboat going south. Macy works to keep her family together and maintain normalcy, which she, more or less, succeeds at. We learn about the plague through flash-backs by Macy, and also scattered letters, news reports, and court documents. The reader, just like Macy, needs to stop struggling with the rules of this antic world, where even the timeline doesn’t make sense. This lack of coherence is the biggest obstacle to the novel, but luckily it doesn’t detract from the story.

Total Oblivion proves that life must move forward, even as society is collapsing. Though it could be perceived as a somber novel, it does delight the reader with ironic humor and unexpected plot twists. Author, Alan Deniro, takes an innovative look at apocalyptical times and the result is ethereal.

Big Drama in a Small Town

2009-12-06T10:29:00.003-06:00

Big Noise by Jen Wright is a Northwood’s thriller you can curl up with on a snowy night. Main character, Jo, is in need of a vacation from her stressful work dealing with troubled and sometimes dangerous teens. She and her new love interest, Zoey, head to the town Big Noise to visit friends, explore the outdoors, and explore their new relationship.

Barely a day into the trip, Jo gets a call from a colleague alerting her that one of her former probation cases has gone missing and he was last seen in the area she’s vacationing at. This sets Jo sniffing around the lives of those who live up north; a motley blend of trailer-trash meth-heads, wilderness enthusiasts, poets, and hard-working lesbians.

There is a bit too much sentimentality and an unfocused emotional overflow from some of the characters. While there is a certain romance to the deep woods, the heightening seems deliberate. Amplified senses may help the plot, but sappy could aptly describe more than just some of the trees in Big Noise.

This novel does contain some intrigue, but I would classify the writing as suspense, rather than mystery. Because we can hear the murderer’s thoughts, it creates a dynamic situation more than a puzzle to solve. The story is told mostly by Jo, but the point of view shifts between characters frequently. This lets the reader glimpse shameless flirtations, musings, crimes, and insecurities.

The sprinkling of poetry throughout the novel is, in sense, another viewpoint and a personal favorite. If Wright is a poet as well as a writer, she definitely excels at the former.

"Snow Blind
Delicate, intricate, particulate
pieces of ice
slip silent
to the trees.
Shaping and softening the
separation between Earth and
Sky.
Bright night full
Moon shines white
on white
goading the field mouse into a
Dance toward death
under the watch of
Owl eyes.”
-pg 73-74

Big Noise is a nice little novel filled with a lot of drama and a shot of suspense. The writing is, at times, emotionally heavy, and not for those lesbian-shy. Wright has a knack and style any Minnesotan will enjoy. The snowstorm scene where they hunt for the fugitive is so well-defined that you expect to see flakes outside your window and long for a crackling fireplace.

Check out more Jo Spence Mysteries at Clover Valley Press. If you like local mystery authors, you may like A Bridge Back by Patrick Garry.

Don't Mess with Sister

2009-12-01T16:17:00.004-06:00

Kimberly Richards in Sister's Christmas Catechism. Photo courtesy Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

A few don'ts for those attending Sister's Christmas Catechism at the Ordway: don't arrive late, don't chew gum, and don't wear anything you wouldn't wear to church. Sister will notice, and you may have to pay for your sins. Lateness and chewing gum could have you paying a dollar or more and low-cut tops will be covered up with a Kleenex, kindly provided by the nun. This highly interactive performance will have you laughing and cringing.

Kimberly Richards does an exemplary job as Sister in this one-woman routine, which is like a cross between Judge Judy and Nunsense. The show is mainly geared towards adults, but older children may also find it enjoyable. If you have time to brush up on your Biblical trivia, you may win a praise-worthy prize like a Jesus snap bracelet, a holy card, or even a temporary religious tattoo. ("Not a sin, because they are temporary," Sister makes sure to explain.)

The improv and nun-themed standup comedy will keep you on your toes during the first act, but the show slips down a notch in the second half as audience members are chosen to dress up and enact a Nativity scene to find out who stole the wise man's gold. While still entertaining, it is obviously planned out and lacks the spirit and comedy of the first half.

If you like to ham it up, this may be the perfect show for you. If you are Catholic, you will instantly flash back to childhood Catechism classes. The non-religious may want to choose an alternate holiday show, because in this performance you are part of the class and at the whim of Sister. Whatever your religious background, come to have a good time and leave with more appreciation for all the hard work of nuns.

Playing Through December 27th at The Ordway Center, Tickets ($35)

Article Originally Published with Twin Cities Daily Planet

Kitty Treat Review by guest bloggers Romeo and Joplin

2009-11-22T14:05:00.004-06:00

'Dentibites' rule! I think my red-haired owner feeds them to me because she heard they help my teeth, but they are delicious. She also has these 'Temptations' bites with tarter control that come in all sorts of flavors. Yum, yum, yum. Unfortunately, she has been trying to sneak in some organic treats that are horrible. I have to just walk away. I tried one once and it tasted all funny. She has since stocked up on all Whiskas varieties because she loves me best. -Romeo, tuxedo cat, age 2

I don't actually get a lot of treats, because Romeo eats most of mine, but I do enjoy the 'Dentibites' and 'Temptations'. I also am fond of the new organic 'Purrlicious' treats the red-headed one puts in my food dish. When she runs out of the ones Romeo gobbles down, she sometimes brings out the Friskies 'Party Mix' with flavors like shrimp, crab, and tuna. They remind me of the time she was cooking shrimp and gave me a little tail section to chew on. Despite what Romeo says, I know she likes me best. - Joplin, tabby cat, age 1

Editor's Note: Guest bloggers Romeo and Joplin were compensated for their testimonials by getting a kitty treat of their choice.

Potluck Paradise

2009-11-15T12:15:00.004-06:00

With the cold weather encroaching, it's a good time for reading and exploring new recipes. "Potluck Paradise" may be the perfect combination. I've prepared some recipes out of the book with success, but others may require a more adventurous cook. Here is a review originally posted last Spring on Twin Cities Daily Planet:

"Potluck Paradise" is part history lesson, part cookbook. Opening the book is like opening a time capsule from the middle of the 20th century.

The cover is colorful and inviting, and the pages have old-fashioned designs on the edges with charming pictures, all in a pale olive-toned green. The book is introduced by the authors, Rae Katherine Eighmey and Debbie Miller, with a foreword by David Wood. These are interesting personal reflections, but the real history lesson lies in the recipes themselves. Each recipe has a preface describing its origins or the authors’ memories of the dish.

“It must be a rule, if not a commandment. Lutheran church cookbooks must have at least one recipe for Swedish meatballs. Deb and I expected to find recipes for cream-sauce simmered pork and beef meatballs in the cookbooks from Lutheran churches up and down the state and across the Midwest. But we were astounded to find how far their influence had spread.”

In order to review a cookbook, it is imperative to test some recipes. I was more than up to the challenge. The first one, “Pizza Pie,” was not entirely old-fashioned, but something traditional I could see myself making for parties or for a fun dinner…and I had every ingredient in my kitchen. Propping the book open with a flour container on one side and a bottle of wine on the other I managed quite well. The pizza was simple to make and tasted delicious.

I also chose a timeless recipe, “Streusel Coffee Cake,” to make for our Easter dinner. The aroma of cinnamon and sugar when it was baking was mouth-watering and the final verdict was praise all around. (One recipe modification: I used peanuts, since I had them on hand, but though the recipe recommends pecans, I feel walnuts would be my choice in the future.)

The book's only shortcoming is how clumsy and inappropriate it is to work with. The pages are thin and papery, and you need to prop them open to read the recipe. This is ironic, since Miller raves about how classic cookbooks are put together in her introduction section. She loves the sturdy pages and the spiral bound books that lay flat and are easy to cook with.

“My very favorites, though, are the ‘home-made’ cookbooks, typed and mimeographed or thermofaxed, cut into pages with a paper cutter, covered with oilcloth or wallpaper samples cut out with a pinking shears, two or three holes punched in each page and cover and finally ‘bound’ with pipecleaners, yarn, or little gold-colored brads."
As a coffee table book, Potluck Paradise is not that impressive. As a cookbook, though, it's great! I only hope it will survive long enough for me to try all the recipes.

Copyright: ©2009 Melissa Slachetka

Love for Sale

2009-11-07T15:25:00.005-06:00

My recent review of "Moonlight in Odessa" on Minnesota Reads ironically brought a comment from someone (allegedly) named Allen (no last name). I had to laugh - in reviewing a book that brings up the topic of email and mail order brides, I get a link to a Ukrainian 'love for sale' website. The comment was promptly removed. Apparently, he didn't read my review...but you should.

Some excerpts of the review:
There’s something entrancing about a brainiac flirting with a mobster… especially when he flirts back. Moonlight in Odessa is a steamy and somber novel that gives the reader a love story caught in a world of beauty and corruption.

Daria is educated, independent and her luck is strong. Top-notch English skills allow her to work an esteemed desk job at a foreign shipping company and moonlight at a match-making service that connects Ukrainian women with American men called ‘Soviet Unions.’

Note: I wanted to also show both cover versions. Both are very nice, but I prefer the red.

Yasmin Levy enchants at the Ordway

2009-11-02T14:50:00.003-06:00

This article was published originally (November 01, 2009) on Twin Cities Daily Planet. Photo courtesy Ordway Center.

MUSIC | Yasmin Levy enchants at the Ordway
BY MELISSA SLACHETKA, TC DAILY PLANET

The Ordway is a classically beautiful place to see a show and Yasmin Levy is a passionate beauty with a classically trained voice: the two are a perfect fit. Levy is an Israeli singer who enchants the audience with songs in Spanish, Arabic, and the dying language Ladino. Her mission is to spread this language through her songs to aid in its survival. The artist explained at the concert that fewer than 150,000 people speak Ladino worldwide. With the help of Levy's poignant singing, this language may be around a lot longer.

As Levy and her band took the stage, the vast theatre came alive with notes of yearning, desperation, hope, and love. Sadness and longing dominated most of the set, but resonated with an undeniable richness. Levy did a fusion of Judeo-Spanish and flamenco, calling it "Yasmin flamenco." I was surprised when she took time to address those, primarily people who practice traditional flamenco, who do not like her fusion concept and have openly criticized it. She seemed intent on justifying her decision philosophically, instead of letting the music speak for itself.

Excluding that odd moment, the concert was amazing. Some of my favorite songs were "Mi Suegra," "La Alegria," "Una Ora," and her new album's title song "Mano Suave." Levy's voice shone during "Mano Suave," a song she recorded with Egyptian sensation Natacha Atlas. No doubt the recording is doubly powerful, with a strong message of peace.

Levy is a vocal force with an undeniable stage presence. The audience loved her and a single note could bring tears to your eyes. Between songs, she talked about her life and her music. Levy's concert was a musical experience I was glad to get swept up in.

Copyright:
©2009 Melissa Slachetka

The Write Way…National Novel Writing Month

2009-10-31T11:24:00.001-05:00

November 1st kicks off National Novel Writing Month. The challenge: to write at least 50,000 words in a mere 30 days. If you do the math, this is about 1,667 words per day. No small feat, but something definitely accomplishable.

To keep yourself on track, sign up at the official website: www.nanowrimo.org. This site provides tips, pep talks, and info on participating in National Novel Writing Month … and you can log in your word count to keep motivated.

This is my first year participating in National Novel Writing Month. I have stayed true to the guidelines and not done any pre-November novel writing. I have done a lot of brainstorming, and think I have a good theme/idea, so I’m really excited about getting started.

As far as the website, I have had some trouble with it, but the techs fixed the problem in only a couple hours, so I am feeling more confident in it. If it fails, I will just have to count on Microsoft Word and my own inner-motivation.

Glamorously Inspired

2009-10-28T15:22:00.004-05:00

My newest book review on Minnesota Reads turned into quite a few intriguing discussions. And really, isn't that what a good book is all about.

Here are two paragraphs from my review:
This coming of age erotic adventure features underdog heroine and author, Isobella Jade, a 5’4’’ model who loses her innocence to the seedy-side of the glamour industry by posing in some very provocative situations, including a scandalous You-Tube video that has her kissing another girl.

Jade is right not to candy-coat her ignorance. This brave insight and realistic point of view provides an empowering factor for women. At times, though, it feels more geared towards a male’s mind and some parts wouldn’t be a bit out of place in Playboy. Sexuality will always be present in modeling, but there is a fine line between looking sexy and selling sex. Jade is doing a tight-rope walk between the two for most of the novel.

Read the full review here: www.minnesotareads.com/2009/10/glamorously-inspired

You gotta fight for your right … to a good party!

2009-10-24T18:55:00.008-05:00

I’m a writer and an organizer, but not a party planner – yet, one of my jobs has me talking to people of all sorts on planning parties. Wedding receptions, birthday parties, Halloween parties, corporate cocktail parties…and the list goes on. I love helping out and while it’s not technically in my job description, it’s one of the extra things I don’t mind doing.

The shocking thing is the only (my personal estimation) 25% of the people planning their parties have any idea of what the hell they are doing. The other 75% are clueless.

I’ve planned enough parties to know that the way to a groovy good time is know what you want and be a good host. If you have these things in mind, then the rest should fall into place.

Parties are fun, but exhausting. A badly planned party is like showing up at work 3 hours late wearing sweats, with pigtails in your hair: just plain embarrassing. You do this more than once and your party days are over.

You might want to think about these factors before you throw your next bash:

-Can you afford it?

This is not a silly question. Really sit down with pen and paper and ask yourself how much you can reasonably spend. Divide that number into the categories you want to invest: food, drinks, venue, staff, music, travel, etc. After you have done that, find out if what you have budgeted in each category is a feasible amount.

Remember that last minute expenses can pop up, so set some of your budget aside for that. If you can’t afford it, you need to downsize your plans, downsize your invite list, or move the date further out so you can save for it.

Whatever you do; don’t skimp.

-Does the timing make sense?

Check out your calendar and make sure that your party is not infringing on someone else’s event. Making your guests choose is unfair and it’s more than a little thoughtless. Also, think about the time of day: brunch, early afternoon, late-night. Will people have to skip church services for your Sunday brunch? Will people be home from work for your 6:00 p.m. cocktail hour? Make sure the timing is accessible.

-Will it be worth going?

Sometimes having a party is a perfect excuse for having a party, but for the most part there is a specific reason for the event. Make sure the guests know that.

Get others involved in the planning process and brain-storming sessions. Does one of your friends have a band? Does another friend have a flair for cooking? Does your cousin rock the bar like Tom Cruise in Cocktail? Step aside and take a look at your party from another’s point of view. If you still want to go, then you know you are on the right track.

-Do you know your guests?

Depending on the party this may or may not be an issue, but more information is always better.

Little things like picking out the music and buying the liquor become a whole lot easier if you know whether your guests love Emo or Country and drink Wine, Beer, or Mixed Drinks. Do you want to have a lot of seating or do you need room to dance? Will they bring their kids? Do you want them to bring their kids? Is someone vegan, lactose-intolerant, or allergic to nuts? Also, think about transportation. Will they bike, bus, or drive? Are there other options for carpools or taxis?

And don’t forget about yourself – you’re throwing it, so pick some songs you love, or create a signature cocktail that inspires you.

Photo by M. Slachetka

-How about etiquette?

Don’t be falling down drunk within the first hour of your party. It is stressful planning an event and waiting for guests to arrive, but don’t start guzzling G&T’s or taking Tequila shots to relieve that worry.

Keep it clean. Whether it’s your house or a rented space, make sure to allow enough time to clean it till it sparkles. Have you ever been to a party where you don’t actually want to sit down? I have and I was happy to find an excuse to leave early. Other offenders are sticky tabletops, and raunchy bathrooms. Hint: Stock up on toilet paper or make the venue show you what to do if it runs out.

Extras like flowers, decorations, and food presentation will make even the smallest party seemed polished, so survey the scene and make sure it doesn’t resemble a bomb shelter…unless that’s the theme you’re going for.

Photo by M. Slachetka

Return Trip from Book Nirvana

2009-10-11T08:44:00.004-05:00

A little bit of snow didn’t stop me from making my way to the 9th Annual Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival, in fact, it may have enhanced the trip. Wandering through a world of paper-back bliss, I was day-dreaming of cold nights curled in a blanket with a stack of new books. Since this was my second year attending, I knew a little more what to expect and few people on my list to stop and chat with.

After making my way through the virtual maze of publishers, book distributors, authors, magazines, interested readers, and not yet published authors, I was pleasantly exhausted and excited to report some popular trends that I saw.

Trend One: “Get out of Dodge” books. Not uncommon in the Midwest, and always appealing. Dysfunctional families, teenage angst, road-trip type books: entertaining and a perfect escape for cabin-fever.

Trend Two: Apocalypse novels. Why not? With our downturn in economy and flu shots availability (or unavailability) on every news station practically every night, it’s only par for the course.

Trend Three: Spooky reads. With the popularity of vampires and the onset of Halloween, these scary tales will keep you up at night. There were also an increasing number of occult and spiritual publishers.

Trend Four: Chef-inspired Stories. Cook books and kitchen exposes that will fill the senses.

Trend Five: Women-Centered Presses. Watch out boys – in addition to taking shelf-space with their titles, women are behind the scenes in the publishing world.

Editor’s Note: Also read about my first time.

Netflix vs. Redbox

2009-10-04T12:12:00.011-05:00

Gone are the days of swinging by Blockbuster or Hollywood Video for overpriced movie rentals and obscene late fees. Netflix and Redbox have taken the hassle out of renting your favorite flicks and have appealed to consumers on a more personal and budget conscious level. Looking to experience one or both? Let’s dare to compare.

Redbox
The Pros: Provides instant access to movies anywhere, anytime. You don’t have to have an account, just a credit card. At one dollar per night, this service is hard to beat. The selection isn’t the biggest, but they have new releases and some old favorites. You can return your movie to any Redbox, so if you rented one while stopping at McDonalds over your lunch break, you can return it at the grocery store while picking up the morning paper and some donuts. They have a store locator on their website, so you can find locations near you.

The Cons: It is a dollar a day until you return it, so don’t leave it on your kitchen counter all week. Some of the movies are great, but some can be scratched. Case in point: I had two Redbox movies for the weekend – Wolverine and Slumdog Millionare. Wolverine was fantastic and played like a brand-new store-bought movie – loved it! Slumdog was a great movie, but the disc was scratched and smudged and wouldn’t play after Latika picked up the phone to be Jamal’s ‘life-line’.

I have no idea if the final question was answered or if Jamal and Latika got together… I assume they did and he won the money, but I didn’t get to see it. With Redbox, you are just plain out of luck in this circumstance.

Netflix
The Pros: Awesome online movie list with one low monthly rate and all the movies you can watch. No late fees. Great ‘instant watch’ option if you have an X-Box. If movies are damaged you can report them. If someone steals your movies before you get home they won’t charge you (unless it happens too much, but then I would recommend having them delivered to your work, or maybe you should think about moving out of your neighborhood). I recommend returning them to directly to the post office to reduce tempting your local thugs and once they get scanned by the postal service a new one is sent out. No postage is required, because they include a prepaid envelope for returns. In addition to just movies you can choose T.V. series, work-out videos, documentaries, and foreign films. Get caught up on Entourage, Weeds, True Blood, Mad Men without a pricey cable package.

The Cons: You need to have internet access and set up an account. If you don’t plan on watching more than two movies a month, it may not be worth it.

Judge for yourself, but I think the true winner is Netflix.

Something to Smile About

2009-09-27T09:08:00.004-05:00

Photo by M. Slachetka

A couple weeks ago, I was at a wedding in Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day, the church was on the campus my old alma mater with celebratory bagpipe music after the vows, and a lovely reception at a country club followed. Our table was pretty lively and conversation flowed as freely as trips to the bar. In the midst of other topics, someone asked about toothpaste (I believe a large fluoride talk preceded this). I was intrigued.

There was an overwhelming group of Crest supporters, a Colgate couple, one doctor-prescribed user, and me, the sole Tom’s of Maine girl. I have never seen a table filled with so many blank looks about this organic toothpaste. I suspect a couple guys thought I was making it up.

Before Tom’s, I have to say, I also reached out for Crest. The packaging is great and the taste is zing-y. In my mid-20’s, I decided to start living a healthier, more organic lifestyle, and switched to Tom’s. It still tastes great (not as super-zing-y), and I love the packaging just as much.

Hint: If you are looking to change toothpaste, try the travel size first. I’ve even found Tom’s in a travel size.

I drink a lot of coffee. Rich, dark, black coffee that stains the coffee cups that clutter my counter. I also drink tea, which stains worse than coffee, but luckily I usually reach for herbals or tisanes (these don’t stain, because they don’t actually come from the tea plant, but other herbs and fruits). If you held a piece of paper next to my smile you wouldn’t find a perfect match, but you would find a pretty nice smile.

I love Whitestrips, but my teeth are super sensitive, so I had to go back to my good old Tom’s, some Dentyne after my morning coffee, and surprisingly, to the produce section. Organic ways to clean your teeth don’t always come in a bottle, which is certainly something good to smile about…

Try to brush or rinse after every meal. This will keep prevent plaque buildup and will reduce stains. Reach for a straw with that iced coffee or Coca-cola. Better yet, drink lots of water. This will improve your breath by removing food residue, and is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body.

Baking Soda is a common ingredient in whitening toothpaste and an item you probably already have in the kitchen. Use baking soda and a little water to make your own whitening toothpaste. The bitter taste can be remedied by some natural mint, cloves, or cinnamon added to the paste. Baking soda is well below $1.00 a box, so buy a one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom, too.

Reach for an orange instead of a Whitestrip. Some foods have natural whitening properties. Among these are strawberries, and citrus fruits like oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruits. Mash up some fresh strawberries and let sit on teeth for five minutes then rinse, or rub the white portion of a peeled orange on your teeth and whiten 100% naturally. The best part is you can eat the fruit and compost the strawberry stems and citrus peels.
Photo by M. Slachetka
Fill your diet with plenty of fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables instead of processed food. Munch on some carrots instead of chips, or an apple instead of ice cream. A healthy diet makes healthy teeth and you will smile twice as often when you see the effects on your waistline.

Above all, don’t forget to see your dentist regularly. Office cleanings can help identify cavities, gingivitis, and other problems, as well as making that smile squeaky clean.

More for the Guys!

2009-09-02T09:39:00.003-05:00

Tips, Tricks, and Reviews...What More Could a Guy Ask For?

Photo courtesy of Crispin.

Crispin
Natural hard apple cider that’s naturally refreshing on a summer day. Whether you try Original, Brut, or Light Crispin, each are naturally fermented, gluten-free, and the flavors are pure and smooth. Best of all: it’s locally made (Shout out to NE Mpls!!) and distributed. There is even a picture of R.T. Ryback on the website standing next to a big bottle of Crispin. You can’t get more Minnesotan than this. Available locally at Surdyk’s Liquor, or enjoy at The Local, Brit’s Pub, Stella’s Fish Café. Original, Brut, or Light Crispin come in a 4 pack for $6.99 www.crispinoverice.com

And a Sexy Recipe to Impress the Ladies...
If you want to try something a little harder, try a “Crispin Velvet” – equal parts Crispin and your favorite stout brew.
Photo of Crispin Velvet drink.

Oysters Do More Than Rev Your Sex Drive
We know Oyster’s are aphrodisiacs, but surprisingly they also improve prostate health, which makes them a top food choice for any man. The reason for their healing qualities comes from the level of zinc: just a few oysters fulfill the daily requirement. Zinc decreases the size of an enlarged prostate and is vital to male health. This antioxidant mineral has been shown to protect against cellular damage that leads up to prostate cancer. Sexual function and sperm count are also enhanced by zinc, so a few oysters definitely do a body good.

A Sizzling Spot for Grill Masters
Make your cooking top-notch with specialty classes at The Chef’s Gallery; a destination for foodies looking to learn more. Instructors are local and classes are diverse: from Indian cooking and wine-pairing to gluten-free meals and cholesterol-lowering sessions.
A complete listing of all summer classes, prices and instructors is available at www.thechefsgallery.com/classes. Chef’s Gallery is located in the historic downtown area of Stillwater Minnesota. www.thechefsgallery.com 651.351.1144

Grill Maintenance
It's August and your grill has seen a lot of action. Whether you want to get it ready for your next couple parties or whether you want to pack it up for winter, follow these simple and quick tips. Just soaking the grates in hot soapy water and then scrubbing them with a metal brush should do the trick. Make sure to dump old coal, briquettes, or lava rocks and start with a fresh batch. The inside of the grill can be cleaned with that same soapy water, rinsed clean, and you are ready to start cookin'.

Tips:
- Keeping a clean grill will make food taste better and your grill will last longer and perform more efficiently.
-Coating the grates with cooking spray or olive oil before you cook will make for easy clean-up.
-Grates need to be cleaned every time.
-Hitting the ‘clean’ button on a gas grill will burn off some of the food residue, but isn’t a replacement for an actual scrubbing.
-If a grate isn’t coming clean or looks rusty, replace it immediately.

Greener Cleaning
For greener cleaning, consider environmentally-friendly, biodegradable, and cruelty-free soap like Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap. Founder, Monica Nassif, lives in Minneapolis and the corporate headquarters are also located here. With local roots and a variety of easy cleaning options, Mrs. Meyer’s is a smart buy. Available locally at Byerly’s, Lunds, Whole Foods, Cooks of Crocus Hill, and select Target stores. $3.99-16oz. bottle www.mrsmeyers.com
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Meyers.