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Arts and Culture

MPR News has you covered with news and stories about local art and culture happenings across Minnesota.

Art Hounds: Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. You can explore arts events here, or become an Art Hound today.

Art Reviews: Our arts team offers insight on the latest in theater, music, visual arts and more. We explore the breadth of creativity and innovation found throughout Minnesota, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the works and artists shaping our cultural landscape. Read more here.

Art Friend: Everyone needs an art friend. Art Friend is a new segment with our arts team. Art spaces can feel exclusive and art can be confusing, obtuse, and even boring. But, especially with the right context, everyone can be a critic. So let us be your guide- your Art Friend. Listen or read Art Friend stories here.

Our arts coverage is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

In 'Calypso,' David Sedaris blends slime and the sublime

In 'Calypso,' David Sedaris blends slime and the sublime

David Sedaris' new story collection is earthy, to say the least -- concerned with all the gross things that happen as we live and age -- but also full of wonder at his life, and appreciation for his family.
by Heller McAlpin

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A jazz great and a literary lion say they're not collaborating -- 'This is how we live'

A jazz great and a literary lion say they're not collaborating -- 'This is how we live'

Vijay Iyer and Teju Cole bring their artistic collaboration to the Walker Art Center, with added music from SPCO musicians. They've done versions of their piece "Blind Spot" before, but it's never the same.
by Euan Kerr

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Sexuality, mortality, failure -- 'My Ex-Life' has fun asking big questions

Sexuality, mortality, failure -- 'My Ex-Life' has fun asking big questions

A divorced couple reconnects after nearly 30 years apart in Stephen McCauley's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan says "My Ex-Life" is a social satire that's "suffused with generosity."
by Maureen Corrigan

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Patrick's Cabaret to bring down the curtain for good

Patrick's Cabaret to bring down the curtain for good

The loss of yet another stage further reduces the options for performers who are trying to establish themselves.
by Marianne Combs

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'Some Trick' takes on the life of the (delightfully irritable) mind

'Some Trick' takes on the life of the (delightfully irritable) mind

Helen DeWitt's new story collection seems less like a book, and more like a series of notes from some vast, alien intelligence, capable of picking apart human habits with startling precision.
by Annalisa Quinn

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Thread Book Hour: Arundhati Roy

Thread Book Hour: Arundhati Roy

Kerri Miller interviews Man Booker Award winning author Arundhati Roy.

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Two Syrian teenage girls, 800 years apart

Two Syrian teenage girls, 800 years apart

The author of "The Map of Salt and Stars" tells two parallel stories that she hopes will move readers to care about the Syrian war.
by Euan Kerr

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What happens when two enemies fall in love?

What happens when two enemies fall in love?

A love story between a black Army nurse and a German POW during World War II? You couldn't make that story up -- and Alexis Clark, author of the upcoming book, "Enemies in Love," didn't.
by Karen Grigsby Bates

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