LONDON — Bonnie Tyler, the gravelly voiced, Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star best known for singing the chart-topping power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1983 and seeing new generations succumb to its bombastic charms during solar and lunar eclipses, has died. She was 75.

Tyler died "unexpectedly" in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery and was later placed in an induced coma.

"Bonnie's family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for, her family said.

Tyler earned three Grammy nods, represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 — where she came in 19th — and was awarded an MBE for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II in 2023, all largely thanks to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which has had more that 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song spent four weeks at No. 1, the video has surpassed 1 billion views and when Stereogum reevaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an "extinction-level event rendered in musical form."

"It's pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It's sheer spectacle. It's fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls," the site said.

The song has never really gone away, covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995 and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001's "Bandits," it appeared at a wedding scene in 2003's "Old School" and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of "The X Factor."

Early life

Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner's daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about seven miles outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

She adored the Beatles and her first album was "A Hard Day's Night." The first song she bought was "Hippy Hippy Shake" by the Swinging Blue Jeans at 13 and watched "Top of the Pops" religiously, according to her memoir, "Straight From the Heart."

She would record "Top of the Pops" on a reel-to-reel two-track recorder and write down the lyrics of songs she loved. Her favorites were songs by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

"I used to sing them into my hairbrush for hours and hours, and that's how it all started for me. I fell in love with singing just from doing that. Looking back, even then my voice had a husky tone to it, but I didn't think much of it. I thought everyone's voices were different from each other's," she wrote.

In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.

Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album "The World Starts Tonight" in 1977 contained her first chart hit, "Lost in France," and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brits Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with "It's a Heartache," but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform "Bat Out of Hell" on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.

'Total Eclipse of the Heart'

Steinman introduced her to his song "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, "Faster Than the Speed of Night." He borrowed one of the song's lyrics — "Turn around, bright eyes" — from his 1969 musical "The Dream Engine" written as a student at Massachusetts' Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of "Nosferatu."

"Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to," Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. "He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two."

Featuring E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, "Total Eclipse" is a rumination on lost love: "Once upon a time there was light in my life/But now there's only love in the dark," she sings.

The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn't set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.

"Faster Than the Speed of Night" earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" — and Tyler got another nod for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara's "Flashdance — What a Feeling."

After the 'Eclipse'

Tyler never reached such dizzying heights again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as "Holding Out For a Hero" — from 1984's "Footloose" — and "Here She Comes" from "Metropolis" also in 1984.

Her 2019 disc "Between the Earth and the Stars" featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo's Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.

In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, "Rocks and Honey," which included the Vince Gill duet "What You Need From Me" and a little ballad called "Believe in Me," written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. "Believe in Me" was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year's Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.

"It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there," she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2023. "I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!"

In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas' band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a "Total Eclipse Cruise." When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Head to the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis this week and you’ll find hundreds of ravenous fans with their eyes glued to projector screens, cheering in unison at the wins and gasping at the losses.

But if you’re looking for the World Cup watch party, that’s across the street.

Inside, gamers came together for this year’s Summer Games Done Quick, an annual video game speedrunning showcase that consistently raises millions of dollars for Doctors Without Borders.

“Speedrunning is basically playing a game to however you define completion, as fast as possible,” said Ashley Farkas, owner and business director of Games Done Quick.

Part of SGDQ’s mission is to show the variety of speedrunning, which materializes any way from a flawless run through Bowser’s castle in “Super Mario Bros.” to changing how many frames per second a game outputs to glitch through a doorway.

Participants, or runners, have spent months perfecting their games of choice, discovering new exploits or strategies just to shave seconds off their times.

While that sounds like a solitary process, the runners of SGDQ want people to know the scene is anything but.

“Speedrunning has morphed into not just beating a game as quickly as possible, but working together with other people to collaborate in solving problems in breaking the game and beating the game as quickly as possible,” said runner Clayton Lundgren, who goes by adef online.

“Most of this community really exists online together, and the times that we're able to physically be together are at events like this, which only happen twice a year,” Farkas said. “When people are flying in from all over the place, they have an entire week to spend together, and you can just feel the energy in this event.”

SGDQ is one of several events put on by Games Done Quick. Its sister event, Awesome Games Done Quick, happens each January.

“There are people from literally all walks of life here, and GDQ champions diversity and inclusivity in a way that I don't see a lot of other gaming spaces,” Lundgren said. “Naturally, there are lots of people at this event who've probably never speedrun a game in their lives, who are just here to hang out with friends they've met in these spaces or just to feel safe and included in a cool, fun room.”

Lundgren’s run, set for Friday afternoon, is a testament to the range of games on display. He’ll be running “Balatro,” a 2024 title where the player combines poker hands with randomized bonuses to chase the highest score they can. While the game is seemingly endless for most players, he hopes to break it within an hour.

“Because of the specific limitations of [‘Balatro’s’] number storage format, only up to a certain number can be stored before it overflows. And this number is ridiculously high … you're not going to get to a number this high in your Excel spreadsheet,” Lundgren said. “But in ‘Balatro,’ you can score remarkably high if you play in a very particular way. … If you go beyond about 10 to the 308th power, the game breaks, and it starts displaying your score as basically infinity.”

Runners at SGDQ accomplish these feats while being watched by hundreds of spectators in the venue, plus tens of thousands more people watching the live stream at home on Twitch and YouTube.

Andy Hill, also known as Bluekandy, said it’s a tightrope walk to put on a show for the crowd without losing control of a run. He had his fifth run on stage Sunday when he landed a world record for 2025’s “Kirby Air Riders.”

“I had some experience with what to expect when I look back behind me and I'm up on the stage, what I'm listening to – because you hear your own voice and your headset,” Hill said. “You have to be in that mindset of like what to expect and not get distracted, be able to focus in on what matters based on the information that's coming into you.”

Hill’s particular run was made possible by meeting a donation incentive. Throughout the event, viewers can donate online not only to enter to win prizes, but to influence how runners approach their games (renaming a character, taking a different route) and to add bonus games to the schedule.

Donations come from fans, sponsors and, occasionally, developers whose games are being showcased in the moment. While runners are essentially “breaking” the games, it’s all out of love for the hobby.

Last year’s event raised $2.46 million. The highest-earning SGDQ was in 2022 in Bloomington, which raised $3.05 million in the first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2013, SGDQ has raised tens of millions of dollars for Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The organization works in over 70 countries around the world to provide medical care regardless of race, religion, gender or ability to pay.

Greta Doucette, the organization’s senior marketing associate for peer-to-peer and streaming programs, said what started out as an email has turned into a rock-solid relationship between the organizations.

“[MSF] is driven by our principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality, and we do a lot of bearing witness of what we are seeing in the countries and the places that we are working,” Doucette said. “And the community of Games Done Quick, they are just so passionate and caring and want the best for humans — and that's exactly what Doctors Without Borders does, too.”

“One of the reasons why I decided to work with MSF is that the organization delivers,” said pediatrician Dr. Jean Junior.

Junior, who has worked under MSF since 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Darfur and South Sudan, said funds raised by events like SGDQ allow doctors guarantee a standard of care for their patients.

“You can say, ‘Here's your diagnosis, here's our treatment plan, and we got the stuff — we have your blood, the fluids, the antibiotics, the nutritional supplements, all of this stuff.’ We're able to provide to the families, and families know this,” Junior said.

The Twin Cities have been part of Summer Games Done Quick’s identity for almost as long as MSF. While January’s Awesome Games Done Quick has bounced around the country, SGDQ has been firmly planted in Minnesota since 2015 – except for two remote years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone loves it here,” Farkas said. “The local restaurants and different centers and businesses always are excited when we come to town, because we have a community that really loves to go out and explore the city and go do things.”

Part of this year’s set even has stars with runners’ names painted onto the background, a shoutout to First Avenue in Minneapolis.

The event runs through Saturday night. While onsite attendance requires registration, the 24/7 live stream of the event is free to watch on Twitch and YouTube.

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art.

Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.

Experience immersive audio story walks on the North Shore

Art enthusiast Erin Walsh of Minneapolis is looking forward to heading to the North Shore this weekend to attend the launch of Diver Van Avery’s original immersive story walks. These two new, site-specific audio stories are designed as self-guided experiences for listeners on nature trails near Sugarloaf Cove in Schroeder, Minn. A launch celebration is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. After that, the stories will remain available year-round. You can check out a listening device from the Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center, or you can download the audio any time and listen on your phone.

Walsh says: “One of the walks really invites us into the history of that site. Another of the walks just invites us to just sit down and receive the offerings of the place. For myself, I do a lot of efficient listening to things: I walk my dog and I listen to podcasts and I fill my brain with information. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to put something in my ears that doesn't take me away from my body and away from the landscape around me, but actually invites me towards both of those things.”

A bluegrass band with a punk spirit

Rachel Felicia Calvert is a fiddle, vocalist, and music educator living in Minneapolis. She recommends that people explore the music of bluegrass band Pert Near Sandstone and their recent album “Side by Side.” They perform Thursday, July 9 at Milk and Honey Ciders in St. Joseph at 7 p.m. and Friday, July 10 in Jackson, Minn. as part of the 20th annual Rhythm of the River Festival.

Calvert says: “Sometimes I describe them as if, like, a punk band played bluegrass music. They just bring more of a rocker sensibility to this old folk music that they perform. They are excellent live—just wonderful. They have a really beautiful community of fans as well. They're also really great mentors to up-and-coming bands.”

A funny, heartfelt musical about acceptance

Twin Cities vocalist Jennifer Eckes is looking forward to seeing the musical “The Prom” performed at Lyric Arts in Anoka. The musical comedy, which was on Broadway in 2018-2019, is set in a small town in Indiana that chooses to cancel its high school prom rather than allow two girls to attend together. Four Broadway actors grab onto this cause and decide to throw a prom for the school. “Mayhem ensues,” Eckes said. She added that the show has a message of acceptance. The production runs July 10 through Aug. 9.

Of Lyric Arts, Eckes says: “It's a lovely little theater, very intimate. There's not a bad seat in the house. This production is bound to be chockfull of great talent, great singing, great music, great dancing," said Eckes. "I have every confidence it's going to be a gangbuster show.”

“The Pitt” is the leading nominee at the upcoming Emmy Awards, with numerous actors who play doctors on the drama series snagging nominations.

“Hacks,” another HBO series, got the second most nominations when the Emmy nominations were announced Wednesday in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, NBC announced that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay will host the Sept. 14 ceremony.

Drama series

“The Diplomat”; “The Gilded Age”; “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”; “Paradise”; “The Pitt”; “Pluribus”; “Slow Horses”; “Your Friends & Neighbors.”

Comedy series

“Abbott Elementary”; “The Bear”; “Hacks”; “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “Shrinking”; “Widow’s Bay.”

Limited series, anthology series or movie

“All Her Fault”; “The Beast in Me”; “Beef”; “DTF St. Louis”; “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.”

Drama actor

Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Mark Ruffalo, “Task”; Rufus Sewell, “The Diplomat”; Noah Wyle, “The Pitt.”

Drama actress

Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”; Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments”; Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”; Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus”; Zendaya, “Euphoria.”

Supporting actor drama series

Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”; Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”; Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt”; Gerran Howell, “The Pitt”; Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”; Tom Pelphrey, “Task”; Carlos-Manuel Vesga, “Pluribus.”

Supporting actress drama series

Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”; Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt”; Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”; Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”; Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt”; Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise”; Karolina Wydra, “Pluribus.”

Comedy actor

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man”; Steve Carell, “Rooster”; Matthew Rhys, “Widow’s Bay”; Jason Segel, “Shrinking”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building.”

Comedy actress

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Elle Fanning, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”; Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”; Jean Smart, “Hacks.”

Supporting actor comedy series

Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”; Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”; Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”; Nick Offerman, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”; Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay”; Michael Urie, “Shrinking”; Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary.”

Supporting actress comedy series

Dale Dickey, “Widow’s Bay”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”; Kate O’Flynn, “Widow’s Bay”; Michelle Pfeiffer, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”; Megan Stalter, “Hacks”; Jessica Williams, “Shrinking.”

Lead actor limited series, anthology series or movie

Riz Ahmed, “Bait”; Jason Bateman, “Black Rabbit”; Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”; Oscar Isaac, “Beef”; Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me.”

Lead actress limited, anthology series or movie

Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”; Sally Field, “Remarkably Bright Creatures”; Carey Mulligan, “Beef”; Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”; Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault.”

Supporting actor limited, anthology series or movie

Jason Bateman, “DTF St. Louis”; Richard Gadd, “Half Man”; David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis”; Richard Jenkins, “DTF St. Louis”; Charles Melton, “Beef”; Nick Offerman, “Death by Lightning.”

Supporting actress limited, anthology series or movie

Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis”; Dakota Fanning, “All Her Fault”; Laurie Metcalf, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”; Joy Sunday, “DTF St. Louis”; Youn Yuh-jung, “Beef”; Constance Zimmer, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.”

Talk show

“The Daily Show”; “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”; “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”; “Saturday Night Live.”

Reality competition

“Dancing With the Stars”; “RuPaul’s Drag Race”; “Survivor”; “Top Chef”; “The Traitors.”

Outstanding reality or reality program host

RuPaul Charles, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”; Alan Cumming, “The Traitors”; Kristen Kist, “Top Chef”; Ariana Madix, “Love Island USA”; Jeff Probst, “Survivor.”

Animated program

“Bob’s Burgers”; “Rick and Morty”; “The Simpsons”; “Smiling Friends”; “South Park”; “Star Wars: Visions.”

Outstanding television movie

“Heads of State”; “Miss You, Love You”; “People We Meet on Vacation”; “Remarkably Bright Creatures”; “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War.”

Scripted variety series

“Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable…”; “The Muppet Show”; “Nikki Glaser: Good Girl”; “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — Final Show”; “Wicked: One Wonderful Night.”

Live variety special

The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny; 83rd Annual Golden Globes; 68th Annual Grammy Awards; The Oscars; 78th Annual Tony Awards.

Outstanding game show host

Steve Harvey, “Family Feud”; Ken Jennings, “Jeopardy!”; Colin Jost, “Pop Culture Jeopardy!”; Jimmy Kimmel, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Maria Lockwood of Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers in Superior, Wis., has a suggestion for a great historical fantasy series that will appeal to fans of “The Mummy” movies. She recommends the Raiders of the Arcana series, which starts with "Empire of Shadows," written by Jacquelyn Benson.

The series begins in 1898 in England, but archaeologist Ellie Mallory and dashing adventurer Adam Bates soon travel to Central America in search of a lost city.

Naturally, there’s a ruthless villain determined to beat them to the discovery and a mythical artifact buried within the ruins. The series has a slow-burn romance with fun, flirty banter.

Lockwood loves the characters. She describes Ellie as “a woman suffragette, so she's very opinionated. She jumps in there and takes control, and I love that about her! The characters are so real, they just jump out of the page at you. You feel like you're carrying around your best buddies in your handbag when you want to read a book; these are great buddies to have along on any kind of excursion,” said Lockwood.

There are three books in the series, plus a prequel novella, with a fourth book coming in January.

When asked about the Declaration of Independence, most Americans quote memorable phrases from the preamble. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But historian Robert Parkinson says even Thomas Jefferson, who penned those words, would be puzzled by our preoccupation with the introduction when the grievances that make up the body of the Declaration were the meat of the document.

Parkinson’s new book, “Tyrants and Rogues,” is a deep dive into those grievances — and the villains of the Revolutionary period who spurred them.

“Americans are throwing a temper tantrum here, because they feel like their father has betrayed them,” he tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. It’s a conversation set in 1776 with implications for 2026 — a launch into a month of books that commemorates America’s 250th anniversary.

Guest:

• Robert Parkinson is a historian and professor at Binghamton University in New York. His new book is “Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence.”

Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.

Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.

If Fourth of July fireworks aren’t your thing, the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is offering a quieter light show.

The arboretum’s annual Firefly Viewing Nights invite visitors to explore its grounds after dark and watch fireflies flicker through marshes and tall grasses.

Matt Schuth, a veteran naturalist who has worked at the arboretum for more than 40 years, says the insects are a familiar part of summer nostalgia.

“The reason they call them lightning bugs, there was always a belief that whenever there was a storm, and there would be a thunderclap of lightning, all the fireflies would light up at the same time,” Schuth said.

“They’re beetles, actually,” Schuth adds. “So I call fireflies beetles with taillights.”

But Schuth says firefly populations have declined nationally because of pesticide use, habitat loss and light pollution.

“Fireflies have orange light, green light and yellow light,” he said. “The females sitting on the ground are looking for a specific color that would match the man they’re looking for.”

Minnesota remains one of the better places to spot them, thanks in part to the state’s wetlands and native grasslands.

For those hoping to attract fireflies at home, Schuth says creating the right habitat can help. Damp areas, native plants, tall grasses and shrubs give fireflies places to hide and feed, while reducing outdoor light at night makes it easier for them to find mates. Schuth emphasized that limiting the use of pesticides is the most effective way to protect fireflies.

The Arboretum began hosting Firefly Viewing Nights after staff noticed just how many insects appeared on the grounds after hours.

“A member of our team was out on a hike late at night, and noticed there are just an abundance of fireflies,” said Hailey Fenton, the arboretum’s private and corporate events manager. “That’s not an experience everyone gets to have.”

The guided nighttime walks take place on select weekends in June and July, with presentations on birds, bats and fireflies.

“But we really let the fireflies do the show,” Fenton said.

For Schuth, it’s a display unlike any other.

“What a colorama we have,” he said. “They light up the night skies. So, what could be better? It’s stars on the ground.”

A few ways to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. (from pups and hot dogs at Canterbury Park to light shows in Northfield), the geekiest of science fiction conventions, a summer road trip film series, a new exhibition at All My Relations Gallery and more in this week’s MN Shortlist.

‘CONvergence: The Geek in the Machine’ in Minneapolis — Through July 5

Nothing says semiquincentennial like the celebration of robots, cyborgs and androids that is the 27th annual sci-fi and fantasy convention, “CONvergence: The Geek in the Machine,” at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. To channel Bill Hader’s SNL character “Stefon,” this convention has everything: robot fighting, art competitions, a “Traumatized by Disney” panel looking at the films that scarred our childhoods, water aerobics, a screening of the “Funniest Japanese Commercials,” cosplay lipsync battles, a post-mortem presentation on the "disastrous" 1989 NASA Galileo Mission to Jupiter, a masquerade runway and a reading called “Y’all Wanna Bang a Demon? Adventures in Afrofutureism & Romantasy.”

Believe it or not, the CONvergence has something for all age groups, including the kiddos, from a Star Trek 60th anniversary talk to the panel “Guardians and Kids Talk About What Kids Find Scary.”

There will also be meet-and-greets and events with “Guests of Honor” including the queer Minnesota speculative fiction authors J.R. Dawson and Naomi Kritzer, actor and puppeteer Christine D. Galey who appears in Season 1 of “The Mandalorian” and Minneapolis hip-hop star (and lover of Dungeons and Dragons - he’s a dungeon master) NUR-D, who also performs Saturday night.

And for those who truly want to immerse in the 250th anniversary of the U.S., see “A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Dissolve the Political Bands,” which is a performance that adapted the words of 18th-century combat medic, historian and POW David Ramsay. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Canterbury Park Independence Day Celebration in Shakopee — July 4

Wiener dogs, face paint and hot dogs? Sounds like a good way to spend America’s 250th anniversary. Canterbury Park in Shakopee is marking the Fourth of July with its usual horse races, along with wiener dog races in between the main event. There will also be a hot dog-eating contest (the event is sponsored by Hormel after all), and opportunities for kids to get their faces painted and ride ponies. If hot daytime temperatures aren’t your thing, Canterbury Park is also putting on a “fireworks spectacular” after the last race on July 3. (Jacob Aloi)

Light show and community party at Northfield Arts Guild — July 4

The Northfield Arts Guild is doing a different kind of light show for Fourth of July (or what they are calling “Miss America’s 250th birthday”) — projecting art visuals on the historic downtown guild’s exterior walls along the Cannon River. The party, filled with live music, art activities and food, goes from 5 p.m. to midnight. Stick around to see the guild’s dual exhibition “Unquiet Landscapes” by artists Andrew and Amelia Wykes and, starting July 10, the guild’s 2026 Shakespeare in the Park production, “Much Ado About Nothing.” (Alex V. Cipolle)

Raise the Torch for Liberty at The Commons in Minneapolis — July 4

For those looking to mark the Fourth of July with something more collective than fireworks, artist Christopher Lutter-Gardella is inviting Twin Cities residents to become part of a 1,000-person living artwork at The Commons in downtown Minneapolis. At noon on July 4, participants will gather to form an aerial image of the Statue of Liberty. The large-scale public art action is meant to affirm solidarity with immigrants, asylum seekers and marginalized communities.

Lutter-Gardella, whose February project “Kaleidoscope of Love” drew hundreds to Powderhorn Park, calls the event a reminder that “liberty and justice for all” should apply to everyone. After the human installation, the gathering continues with music, poetry and community performances, including songs from Singing Resistance. (Annie Russell)

‘Taking the Scenic Route’ series at Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis — July 5-Sept. 27

We’re hitting peak summer (and peak time to be inside air-conditioned movie theaters) and Trylon Cinema is just in time with their summer film series, “Taking the Scenic Route.” The 14-film series of “detours, pit stops and the open road” begins July 5 with “Vanishing Point,” a 1971 British-American cult classic action flick about a car delivery driver who bets he can get a white Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours (for reference, Google Maps says the route takes 20 hours without pit stops). Other great on-the-road films included in the series are “Y Tu Mamá También” (July 19), “The Muppet Movie” (Aug. 2) and “My Own Private Idaho” (Aug. 23). (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘Sakowin Synergy’ opening reception – July 9

“Sakowin Synergy” is a group exhibition which shares the works of four contemporary Lakota artists. The exhibition, described as “woven together with deep respect for tradition and a bold embrace of modernity,” is curated by mixed-media artist Ray Janis.

The exhibition’s title pays homage to the Oceti Šakówiŋ, which translates to “The Seven Council Fires” and refers to the historic alliance of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota people. “Synergy” describes the artists’ collaborative energy and inspirations for the project.

All My Relations Arts and the Native American Community Development Institute will hold an opening reception of “Sakowin Synergy” on July 9 beginning at 6 p.m.

The exhibition will be on view at All My Relations Arts Gallery in Minneapolis through Sept. 5. (Chandra Colvin)

Going out can get expensive fast. By the time you pay for tickets, food, drinks and parking, a single outing can easily cost $100 or more. Most of us don’t want to stop having fun — we just want to spend less doing it.

MPR News host Angela Davis continues her “Cheap Week” series with a conversation about ways to enjoy summer — for less, or even for free. Angela and her guests talk about bargain summer festivals and live music, museum deals, affordable date nights, budget recreation and ways to have fun at home.

Guests:

• Jessica Armbruster is a co-owner and editor at Racket, a Minnesota online news and culture website. She compiles the weekly Freeloader Friday listing of free events. She was previously the arts editor at City Pages.

• Alex V. Cipolle is a senior arts reporter and critic, covering arts and culture for MPR News. She previously covered the arts in the Pacific Northwest and southwest France and has written for publications including The New York Times, Fast Company, Frommer’s and Hyperallergic.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.   

When Erika Camplin was tapped to help put together the Minnesota pavilion at the Great American State Fair, there was one thing she knew she had to include: crop art.

The Minnesota fan favorite is showcased yearly at the Minnesota State Fair and always draws lines zig-zagging through the Ag-Hort building. In recent years it has grown at a rapid rate, with so many people submitting that they’re running out of display space. But that hasn’t stopped the artists from conspiring throughout the year to be ready for the end of August.

Camplin’s coworker posted in the local crop art community Facebook page asking if anyone would be interested in having their work displayed at the Great American State Fair, and several artists reached out. The focus was picking pieces that best represented the state on a national level, and three were chosen: The Al’s Breakfast building in Minneapolis by Ike Whiting, a “croppie” fish by Christy Klancher (a play on the crappie), and a piece by Marta Shore depicting a star from music venue First Avenue like the ones honoring rock stars, but hers is for a “crop star.”

“I think crop art is where Minnesota's agricultural heritage kind of meets its creative spirit. It's such a uniquely Minnesota tradition that reminds us of all the things we can grow that nourish us and inspire us and tell our story,” Camplin said.

“I know other states do it, but I think that in Minnesota there's become this sort of a beautiful cult community and culture around it that is uniquely Minnesotan, and it just feels so representative and beautiful of us.”

Explore Minnesota partnered with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, where Camplin works as a food business development administrator, to plan the pavilion. The Great American State Fair planned to have pavilions from every state and territory, but several have declined to participate, citing concerns about costs or the politicization of the event.

According to Camplin, Minnesota’s pavilion focuses on nature, agriculture and food. There is a Paul Bunyan mural, a soundscape, a loon game and 19,000 seed packets containing a Minnesota pollinator mix to hand out to the public. And, of course, crop art.

Whiting has been making crop art since 2021. He has created several iconic pieces like “Holy Crop,” the “Honk If You Love Naz Reid” sign and the Farm AID 40 logo. When the opportunity came up for people to see his work on a national level, he accepted. But, he does have mixed feelings.

“There has been a lot of thoughts and conversations about the inclusion of one of my pieces of art in this event I don’t 100 percent back and agree with and support. But I guess what I keep coming back to is if we let them, these national organizers, depict Minnesota on our behalf, we’ve already seen how the federal government has been treating Minnesota as a state for over a year now — I just wouldn’t trust them to depict our state in a fair way,” he said.

Whiting is working on several pieces for the Minnesota State Fair about the immigration-enforcement surge, including depictions of the Rebel Loon and an observer whistle.

Whiting hopes that people visit the Minnesota pavilion and feel proud. And, he teased, the crop art at this year's Minnesota State Fair is going to be some of the best.

“This is just another way for us to show the world that Minnesota is a great place, despite what anybody else is saying about it,” he said.

The Great American State Fair runs through July 10 at the National Mall in Washington D.C.

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art.

Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.

A sprawling surrealist exhibit

Twin Cities painter David Amdur recommends seeing "The Internal Affairs of Mr. Invincible," an exhibition of more than 100 mixed-media drawings by Lou Ferreri at Hopkins Center for the Arts, on view through August 1.

Amdur says: “To get some sense of it, imagine a collaboration between Salvador Dalí and R. Crumb. They are entire editorial pages from the New York Times that have been painted on with acrylic pens, so they're very colorful, and most of the images are quite complex and very surreal, very strange. Also in the exhibition are monumental charcoal drawings that are more than four feet across. It's not a show to rush through. There's really a lot to take in. I would give myself time to linger with the drawings. You'll find unexpected and surprising connections emerge.”

Sculpture walking tours

Tony Austinson of Fridley got interested in public sculpture during the pandemic, when viewing art indoors wasn’t an option. Visiting the sculpture walks created by various Minnesota cities has turned into a hobby, and he likes to go with his literal art hound, Tillie, at his side.

Over time, he’s come to recognize and appreciate the work of individual artists, such as Tim Nelson of Bemidji, who makes sculptures from scrap metal.

Austinson recommends checking out the sculpture walks in a city near you. Here are links to self-guided walking tours in Mankato, Bemidji, Park Rapids, Fergus Falls, Hutchinson, Red Wing, and Delano, as well as Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Performance art meets political theater

Sarra Beckham-Chasnoff is a theater superfan in the Twin Cities. One standout theatrical performance from last fall—which she is excited to see return this weekend—is “In the Backroom,” created and performed by Michael Torsch. The show is 70 minutes without intermission and runs July 2-5 at 7 p.m. at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

Beckham-Chasnoff says this play-within-a-play surprised her at every turn, and its themes feel timely for the Fourth of July.

“Michael Torsch is just a local treasure, so he does a type of performance art that is very smart and funny, and simultaneously very accessible. He introduces some controversial 21st-century American figures. I think it just kind of has a more complicated view of what America is, and so with the 250th anniversary, I just think it will be a poignant piece to see.

“The [theater] is just a few blocks away from where the fireworks will be in Minneapolis, and so for folks going to the July Fourth show, they'll be able to walk over and watch the fireworks afterwards.”

Walk too fast, and you might miss the life-like crocheted fungi lining the hiking trails at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro.

The chicken of the woods and oyster mushrooms engineered with yarn are the handiwork of Rochester artist Lydia Hansen. They’re part of a fungi hunt that is meant to teach hikers about the mycology of southeast Minnesota — and to delight passersby.

“I have exhibited in galleries, but I really enjoy art where I can get up close and personal with it,” said Hansen. “A lot of my art, especially my public art, is very much in that spirit of saying let's get this where people can put their hands on it and be right up close with it.”

The crocheted mushrooms are affixed to stumps and tree trunks, and they’re tucked away under leaves. Each cluster is true-to-life in color, size and form and accompanying interpretive signs teach hikers about fungi commonly found in the southeastern part of the state.

Hansen was inspired to make crocheted mushrooms a few years ago, after taking weekly hikes in the region in and around Rochester. Hansen said they saw a lot of plants and wildlife on those hikes — but didn’t know the names of what they were seeing.

“I did this project to bring those two things together that I was experiencing when I'm outside, which is, I feel more connected to nature and more connected to where I'm from…when I know that's not just a tree, that's an oak; that's not just a bush, that is a grapevine; that's not just a flower, that's blood root,” said Hansen.

Hansen’s fungi hunts are ephemeral. Their first was installed near Chatfield on the Lost Creek Hiking Trail, another near Whitewater State Park. The hunt at Eagle Bluff in Lanesboro will be on display through October and features 12 different mushrooms along with interpretive signs.

Hansen is waiting on a grant to install another fungi hunt at Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester.

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Are you ready to believe a few impossible things? If so, Sue Zumberge of SubText Bookstore in St. Paul recommends the novel “Enormous Wings” by Laurie Frankel.

“The moment I mention that it is about a 77-year-old woman who becomes pregnant, people sort of back away from me,” Zumberge said. “I think it is best described by the epigraph at the beginning of the book, which is from Hilary Mantel's book, ‘Mirror and Light.’ ‘We know it is impossible. The question is, who can best endure impossibility?’”

The novel follows Pepper Mills, who moves into a retirement home at her grown children’s insistence. There, she falls in love with another resident and, to the shock of everyone, becomes pregnant.

They live in Texas, and a doctor threatens Pepper’s children and their livelihoods if she should seek an abortion.

Zumberge said this novel makes an excellent summer read, with themes that feel both timeless and urgent: “our relationship with our family, our relationship with our partners, our ability to make our own choices—not just about keeping a pregnancy, but whether we are able to live on our own.”

“The important aspect of this book is that it opens us, through this impossible scenario, to so many other possibilities within our lives. It is a beautiful book.”

The annual Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minneapolis kicked off Saturday with sunshine.

Rainbows — found in creative outfits, glittery makeup and all sorts of trinkets and flags — covered Loring Park.

Thousands packed the festivities across the 34-acre park, enjoying music, food and stops at over 650 vendors.

More than 500,000 people were expected at Twin Cities Pride events this weekend, according to programming director Kelsey Alto.

New this year was the world’s largest rubber duck: the 61-foot tall Mama Duck. She and her son, Timmy, made their Twin Cities debut at the Pride festival.

Alto said organizers brought the ducks to make attendees smile after the surge in federal immigration enforcement over the winter and legislation nationwide targeting LGBTQ+ people.

“We really wanted to just do something that is queer joy because queer joy is an act of resistance, and I think we all could use a little bit of joy right now,” Alto said.

The weekend’s events started with a reception Thursday for the 2026 grand marshal — represented this year by Minnesota's entire LGBTQ+ community — with a Youth Night for people under 21 on Friday. The festival included a full day of pet-centered programming on Saturday, in addition to a 5K run and parade set for Sunday.

Alto said this year’s theme was “Our Voices, Our Future.”

“It's a dark time for our community, but it's not our first dark time as a community. Pride gives our community a chance to come together, lift up one another's voices, celebrate our resilience especially after the events of the first few months of this year,” Alto said.

Twin Cities Pride 2026

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On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers across Minnesota and beyond to find out what books they’re most excited about right now

Jeff Danz of Zandbros Variety in Sioux Falls, S.D., was looking for some escapist fiction when he was drawn to the story of a traveling carnival. He calls Dan Chaon’s gothic horror novel “One of Us” an engaging read with compelling characters that felt like a darker version of a Mark Twin or Charles Dickens adventure.

Set in 1915, the novel follows 13-year-old twins Eleanor and Bolt, who have a flawless ability to read each other's minds. When their mother dies, leaving them orphaned, a rather terrifying man calling himself their Uncle Charlie shows up to adopt them.

They quickly realize Charlie is a con man who expects them to help with his schemes, and the children devise an escape. They find themselves on an orphan train, traveling through the Midwest with dwindling hopes of being chosen, when a man in a red waistcoat with gold epaulets appears and tells the children “I see you.”

He is Mr. Jengling, and he adopts them into the world of Mr. Jengling’s Emporium of Wonders. The traveling carnival world offers a new family in a sometimes-brutal American frontier, as well as opportunities that may cause the twins to grow apart.

And Uncle Charlie is on their trail...

“It ends,” he said, “in an unexpected way that is satisfying, in that it connects a lot of things. It kept me interested the whole time.”

Last month, the Wall Street Journal declared this summer to be the era of the “man band.” Those would be boy bands who’ve grown up — think New Kids on the Block, Boys II Men and the Jonas Brothers — along with their fans, who now have more disposable income to fork out. Exhibit A: The Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas last summer grossed more than $55 million.

But it’s about more than the money. It’s about the mostly middle-aged women who are no longer afraid of the cringe — and the mostly middle-aged boys-turned-men who are no longer afraid to embrace the passion of their fans.

Novelist Emma Straub saw that fandom first hand when she went on a New Kids on the Block cruise several years ago — and was blown away by the intensity and camaraderie of the now adult “Blockheads.” That visit inspired her new novel, “American Fantasy,” which is a deep dive into the lucrative world of a fictional ‘90s-era boy band named Boy Talk and the woman who still worship them.

Straub joins Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk about boy bands, the pleasure of enjoying them without shame and how aging changes our perceptions of our past — and current — selves.

Guest:

• Emma Straub is is a New York Times-bestselling author and the owner of a Brooklyn-based bookstore, Books Are Magic. Her latest novel is “American Fantasy.”

Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.

Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.

The Guthrie Theater will honor award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell Friday night with its Distinguished Artist Award as Pride celebrations take place across Minnesota.

Tazewell worked on costume design at the Guthrie from 1995 to 2008 and has gone on to become one of the most celebrated designers in theater and film.

In 2016, he won a Tony Award for his costume design for the hit musical “Hamilton.” More recently, he designed costumes for “West Side Story” and won the Academy Award last year for costume design in the film adaptation of “Wicked.”

With that win, Tazewell became the first Black man and the first openly gay man to win the Oscar for costume design.

Tazewell told MPR News that the Guthrie was his “creative home,” adding that his experience in theater shaped his career.

“I’m so pleased that my education and the way I developed was through theater because of its intimacy,” Tazewell said. “I’m able to carry that into my work when I am designing for film or when I am designing for television. I have a fuller, richer point of view on how to tell stories.”

He also spoke about how his identity as a gay Black man shapes his work.

“I choose to carry my authenticity into my creative work, because I think that it helps to keep my voice original,” said Tazewell. “I’m so grateful to have arrived at a place where I have fallen in love with who I am, and I can share that with other people.”

Tazewell will accept the award as part of the Guthrie’s second annual Fanfare celebration.

The World’s Largest Rubber Duck comes to Minnesota (twice), myriad ways to celebrate Pride, soccer on the silver screen, Park Point Art Fair turns 54 in Duluth and more in this week’s MN Shortlist.

‘Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait’ at Walker Cinema — June 26-27

Are you a fan of global sports and contemporary art? Then the Walker Art Center has the event for you. On Friday and Saturday evening, the Walker Cinema screens “Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait,” a documentary about the playing style of former Real Madrid footballer Zinedine Zidane.

The film about the French-Algerian player was shot on 17 synchronized cameras during a match on April 23, 2005, and set to a score by Scottish band Mogwai (this is just over a year before Zidane’s infamous head-butt at the 2006 World Cup).

Hot tip: If it’s your first film at the Walker Cinema, it’s free! (Alex V. Cipolle)

Andrew Walesch and his Orchestra at the Dakota in Minneapolis — June 27

To quote the musical “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “When you say Vegas, you’re saying the blues are always blue.” And the skies are certainly blue when jazz crooner Andrew Walesch steps up to the mic. The Minnesota native has a Bobby Darin quality to his voice, with a bit of Seth MacFarlane and Broadway leading man mixed in.

At the Dakota, Walesch brings his signature sound in a show titled “Vegas 1960,” which aims to evoke the feel of a Las Vegas showroom during the heyday of Sin City.

The show will feature songs made famous by the likes of Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, and with the setting of a cozy jazz bar like the Dakota, you’ll feel like ordering a Manhattan or a dry martini before hitting the casino after Walesch finishes out his set. (Jacob Aloi)

Mama Duck at Twin Cities Pride— June 27-28

What’s more than six stories tall, bright yellow and “filled with pure joy”? Well Mama Duck, of course, the World’s Largest Rubber Duck — and she’s coming to Twin Cities Pride.

The slogan for the 61-foot-tall ducky is, “The world is her bathtub,” and this weekend that tub is booth No. 159 at Loring Park, next to the shuffleboard court.

As TC Pride stated, Mama Duck is here “Because our community deserves moments of lightness. Because joy is part of resistance. Because sometimes, you just need to take a selfie with a 61-foot rubber duck.”

Post-Pride, big mama heads to New York and Ohio, but she’s back July 24-26 for the 20th anniversary celebration at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona. (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ with a live Shadow Cast — June 27

For some, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is the perfect oasis for the queer community — and I am among them. There’s something liberating about being in a room full of people who are celebrating a campy pastiche of low-budget science fiction films — full of fishnets, lace and lots of heels.

It seems fitting that the monthly screening of the movie put on by the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis is happening on Pride weekend, when hundreds of people will be celebrating the fight for queer visibility and rights. As always, the screening will feature a local shadow cast acting out the film in front of the screen with various gags and jokes. (P.S. listen closely for some Minnesota-specific callouts — they always make me chuckle.) (Jacob Aloi)

One Voice Mixed Chorus presents ‘Royalty’ concert — June 27-28

While Pride is a celebration of queer identity, it is also a commemoration of the struggle for civil rights and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community. Events like the Stonewall Uprising, the AIDS epidemic and the fight for marriage equality are part of the long history of why there is a Pride month. And that history serves as the inspiration for one of Minnesota Pride weekend’s most unique events: “Royalty,” a concert featuring drag, choral music and gay anthems.

“I think we kind of get into pride as a celebration — only as a celebration,” said Kimberly Waigwa, the artistic director of One Voice Mixed Chorus, who is presenting the concert. “Even though we know that [Pride] came from a lot of rebellion and a lot of covert-like attempts at freedom.”

For the program, Waigwa wanted to pay homage to drag culture, the cabaret nightlife scene and the pioneers of the queer movement. There are two performances of the concert, which features eight soloists and special guest Dick Von Dyke—a Minnesota drag king and a staple in the Twin Cities nightlife scene.

“I don't think there's anything quite like it going on in the Twin Cities this weekend, so I hope people come out and show up,” said Waigwa. (Jacob Aloi)

Park Point Art Fair in Duluth — June 27-28

There are likely millions of art fairs happening in Minnesota at this very moment, but I don't think there are any on a skinnier or prettier strip of land than Park Point in Duluth.

It’s the 54th annual visual art fair on this 7-mile sandy spit (the actual name for the type of landform Park Point is), and the work of 115 jury-selected artists from across the Upper Midwest will be on display, from woodwork and jewelry to painting, ceramics and, yes, “fantasy daggers” by The Guild of the Gilded Hilt out of Ely.

The free event offers free parking at the Park Point Recreation Area. (Alex V. Cipolle)

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above.

Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.

1967: Summer of Love

“Summer of Love-In,” presented by Adventures in Hostessville at the Hive Collective in St Paul runs June 25-28. Shows will run Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Jen Maren says: “This event is fascinating. Melanie Wehrmacher curates a themed evening that is part cabaret, part comedy, part TED talk, part cooking show, part trivia game, all with live music AND complimentary 1960s themed food and drinks. She takes a specific year and highlights food, music, style, trivia, and history from that year. There is also a deep dive into a specific event from that year, this one being Haight-Ashbury and the Summer of Love. It is one of the most unique events I have been to in a very long time.”

Kelly Schamberger’s scenes of the North Shore

Aurora Webster, an artist and designer who works at the Duluth Art Institute, was delighted to attend the artist reception of Kelly Schamberger. Schamberger was recently named the 2026 Artist of the Year by the Depot Foundation, and she painted this year’s official Grandma’s Marathon 50th Anniversary Commemorative Poster. Her solo oil painting exhibit, “International Attentions” runs through Labor Day weekend at the Great Lakes Aquarium gallery in Duluth.

Webster says: “All but the largest of the vibrant, dreamy landscapes on view were done en plein air, often over the course of days, weeks, or months of trekking out to a remote North Shore vista with the full oil painting setup—quite the accomplishment. The aquarium's gallery is a hidden gem, featuring shows that connect visitors to the beauty of the natural world, and Schamberger's work in the space feels like a literal breath of fresh air.”

Folk Dances from Latvia, Bulgaria, Ireland, and more

Rita Pelecis is looking forward to seeing “Land of 10,000 Ethnicities: Vol 2,” a folk-dance performance by Ethnic Dance Theatre. Shows are June 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and June 28 at 2 p.m. at the E.M Pearson Theatre in St Paul. A Q&A will be held with the company following Saturday’s performance; Sunday’s performance has ASL interpretation.

Pelecis says Artistic Director Donald LaCourse “has traveled the world to find dances and buy costumes from very remote regions, a lot of them Eastern European and Northern European. From the dance to the story to the costumes, their performances are just stunning. I love the storytelling that goes along with it.”

For decades, Native American women leaders in the Twin Cities helped build numerous organizations and contributed to the arts, education and community — now their story is being told.

White Earth Nation citizen Audrey Thayer co-authored “Weaving Community: Indigenous Women and Leadership in the Twin Cities” with Colette Hyman.

She says the nine-year project shares stories of women activists who founded and led around 25 organizations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, beginning as early as the 1950s — many of those organizations are still active today.

“They've evolved. They've changed to meet the needs of community, and we think about all the opportunities that they are gathering,” she said.

The book includes stories behind the Indigenous Peoples Task Force, founded in 1987 by Bois Forte Band of Chippewa citizen Sharon Day, and MIGIZI Communications, cofounded by Seneca journalist Laura Waterman Wittstock in 1977. The organizations have evolved to include youth and community programming over the years. They are both located in Minneapolis.

The authors included perspectives from over two dozen voices, including Dakota, Ojibwe and Ho-Chunk women.

“They were the powerhouse,” Thayer said.

Thayer was inspired to write the book due to a lack of readily available teaching resources on the subject. As an educator at Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, she says her curriculum includes Indigenous leadership, though there was little information available that focused on women’s leadership.

“When I went into our Minnesota historical archives at the history museum, I found lots of stories about women, but they had no first names,” Thayer said. She added that their names were more often than not written under their husband’s first name.

When she thought about her students, mainly the Indigenous women in her classes, she wanted them to feel encouraged to pursue their goals and dreams.

“I got very emotional about this book, because it's spiritual. It is entering into the lives of Indigenous women who've worked very hard in their lives to survive and make that path,” she said.

Thayer and Hyman shed light on the historical context of the urban Indigenous community. The book touches on the history of boarding schools and the influx of Indigenous community who moved from reservations to Minneapolis and Saint Paul for work and educational opportunities.

“I can't begin to tell you emotionally how significant it was to interview and listen to these women,” Thayer said.

“Weaving Community: Indigenous Women and Leadership in the Twin Cities” was published by Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Milkweed Books in Minneapolis invites the public to a conversation with the authors Wednesday night. The free event begins at 6 p.m. and will include a book reading and signing.

Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.

Following the murder of George Floyd, many asked the question: “How was Minneapolis, of all places, at the center of a global racial reckoning?”

For Minnesota-native Justin Ellis, it wasn’t surprising. And now, the journalist is out with a new book that lays out Minnesota’s long quiet history of racism to help answer that question.

The book is titled “The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America.” Ellis joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about it.

He’ll host a reading and discussion of the book June 30 at 7 p.m. at Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Have you picked up a new cookbook or craft book recently? You’re not alone.

More people are gravitating toward how-to and hobby books that get them off digital devices and away from their worries.

And summer is the perfect time to dive into a good book — whether you’re reading in a hammock, on your porch or listening on the go.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two booksellers about their recommendations and what Minnesotans are reading — from local nonfiction and “romantasy,” to stories that deliver courage and hope.

Guests:

• Kristin Nilsen is a bookseller at Big Hill Books in Minneapolis and a former children’s librarian. She co-hosts the podcast, “Pop Culture Preservation Society.” She also wrote two middle grade novels, “Worldwide Crush” and “The Scott Fenwick Diaries.”

• Jasmine Baker is a bookseller at Black Garnet Books in St. Paul. She is also a marketing and communications strategist and has worked as an organizer on college campuses in Wisconsin.

  These books were recommended during the show:

  “Big in Sweden” by Sally Franson

  “The Burning” series by Evan Winter

  “A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides” by Gisèle Pelicot

  “Meet the Newmans” by Jennifer Niven

  “The Wild Robot” series by Peter Brown

  “The Amari” series by B. B. Alston

  Graphic novel versions of: “The Diary of Anne Frank”, “The Hobbit” and “Tuck Everlasting”

  “A Year Without Home” by V. T. Bidania

  “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration” by Isabel Wilkerson

  “My Convoluted Life” by Narciso M. Salas

  “Score” by Kennedy Ryan

  “Bromantasy” by Máire Roche

  “The Murderbot Diaries” by Martha Wells

  “The Missed Connection” by Tia Williams

  “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout

  “Beard” by Kelly Foster Lundquist

  “The Girl with a Thousand Faces” by Sunyi Dean

  “The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America” by Justin Ellis

  “I Cheerfully Refuse” by Leif Enger

  “When the Rain Came” by Matthew Eicheldinger

  "Doorman Wanted” by Glenn R. Miller

  “This Tender Land” by William Kent Krueger

  “Revolutionaries Are Made of Love” by Mélina Mangal and Sun Yung Shin

  “The Vorkosigan Saga” series and “The World of the Five Gods” series by Lois McMaster Bujold

  “The Women of Wild Hill” by Kirsten Miller

  “The Change” by Kirsten Miller

  “Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books” by Kirsten Miller

  “Die For Me” by Amy Plum

  “Alex Six” by Vince Taplin

  “The High Mountain Court” part of the The Five Crowns of Okrith series by A.K. Mulford

  “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt

  “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir

  “All About Love” by bell hooks

  “Kin” by Tayari Jones

  “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke

  “Swordbird” by Nancy Yi Fan

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

A biography of Hannibal Lecter. A meditation on trees. A memoir by a child prodigy violinist. A treatise on the way we poop. We asked our NPR colleagues what nonfiction they've enjoyed reading so far this year, and these are the titles they shared. (You can also check out their fiction picks here, and sign up for our Books newsletter for weekly recommendations.)

A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides by Gisèle Pelicot, with Judith Perrignon, translated by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver

What could read like the marital tragedy heard around the world is instead brimming with empathy, for herself and others. True to its title, in A Hymn to Life, Gisèle Pelicot poetically retells the turn of events that led to a public trial in France exposing the breadth of nearly a decade of violent sexual abuse orchestrated by her husband of nearly 50 years and dozens of other men — most of which was filmed and all of which happened while she was heavily drugged and unconscious. In its pages, Pelicot trades sorrow for devotion and chooses love over and over again. — Adriana Gallardo, editor, Morning Edition

Backtalker: An American Memoir by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

True Story: When I launched my first show at NPR, Tell Me More, I wanted to have an audience feedback segment called Backtalk. My staff was horrified; they thought it was rude. Now, though, I think I was on to something. Remember the saying "polite women don't make history?" Law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw has lived it. If you've ever heard the terms critical race theory or intersectionality in the news, she is identified with both, and she explains what those terms mean here. But this is not a dry academic treatise. It's a raw, funny and, at times, heartbreaking account of how Crenshaw was born to be a "backtalker" — and she makes a compelling argument for why we could use more of them. — Michel Martin, host, Morning Edition

Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family — and the World by Gabriel Sherman

Dostoevsky's truism about all unhappy families being unique goes a long way in explaining our cultural fascination with the Murdochs. This account of the family behind the media empire expanded by Rupert — who took over a comparatively modest Australian operation from his father — gives fascinating insights into the mentality and dynamics that fueled their ascent. This is a read that's equally interesting for its dive into how Murdoch borrowed his way to dominance in a consolidating media landscape and for its look at the brutal ruthlessness that shaped his legacy as a businessman, husband and father. Journalism will never be the same. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production

Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Ordinary People Forging a Revolution by Anand Gopal

Anand Gopal gives us a magisterial retelling of the long and bloody Syrian civil war through the eyes of brave men and women in one tiny city. The death and sectarianism of the war, as it dragged on, became stultifying. But Gopal makes the banal intimate, masterfully re-creating the lives of the people who took part in the war by conducting literally thousands of interviews in Syria. And he is unsparing about how the war bends, even corrupts, the most idealistic. — Emily Feng, correspondent, International Desk

El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory by Jazmine Ulloa

Jazmine Ulloa, a native fronteriza (borderlander), documents key events that shaped El Paso through centuries. Through the stories of five families, she tracks the city from the arrival of Spanish explorers and Franciscan friars, to becoming the "Ellis Island of the Southwest," known for the major role it plays in migration to the U.S. The book also explores the aftermath of a fatal mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart in 2019 by a white man on a mission to stop what he called a "Hispanic invasion." Ulloa's book is a window to the authenticity and beauty of the border culture. As Ulloa shows, El Paso plays a pivotal role in the making of the modern United States. — Alfredo Carbajal, supervising editor, National Desk

Famesick: A Memoir by Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham writes about the period during and after the production of Girls with the candor and humor we've come to expect. Much of the book chronicles her experience of chronic illness and her journey with addiction and rehab. But even with serious subject matter, it's an enjoyable read (or audiobook listen — she narrates). Dunham is not always the easiest person to understand, but her humanity shines through. And even though most of us will never reach her level of fame, the book still feels relatable. After all, despite her success, isn't she still just one of the (original) girls? — Emma Klein, associate producer, Intake

Fonda on Film: The Political Movies of Jane Fonda by Nelson Pressley

Forever ago (meaning 1985), when I interviewed Jane Fonda about her then-upcoming movie Agnes of God, and also her still-controversial 1972 trip to North Vietnam, I asked what she hoped to be remembered for. Her reply was simple: "Making a difference." Nelson Pressley's deep dive into Fonda's 1960s-'70s film career — from Barbarella and Barefoot in the Park, to Coming Home and The China Syndrome — is a briskly fascinating exploration of how she did that. A wry, politically pointed, very of-this-moment portrait of Fonda as actor and activist, this book's insightful, connect-the-dots analysis bristles with wit and will leave readers eager to revisit her films and reengage with their politics. — Bob Mondello, senior arts critic, Society & Culture Desk

The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon

As conflict continues to roil the Middle East, this beautifully personal book is a welcome respite. Authors Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon are peace activists — one Palestinian, the other Israeli. Both have suffered the loss of family. Aziz's brother was killed by Israeli prison guards. Maoz's parents were murdered by Hamas militants. This book takes readers on the authors' journey through Israel and the Occupied Territories together. It is a personal travelogue of hope but not a road map to peace. There are no easy solutions, and the authors don't pretend to offer one. They do warm hearts and open minds to a different paradigm, away from violence, revenge and hatred, toward peace and mutual understanding. — Carrie Kahn, correspondent, International Desk

Ghosts of Fourth Street: My Family, a Death, and the Hills of Duluth by Laurie Hertzel

As an only child, I fantasized about the kind of large families that populated the books I read (Cheaper by the Dozen) and movies and TV shows I watched (The Sound of Music, The Brady Bunch). In her emotionally complex new memoir, journalist Laurie Hertzel departs from the usual rollicking "big family" story. The seventh of 10 children, Hertzel grew up more like an only child in 1960s Duluth, Minn., her birth order and temperament conspiring to make her lost in the crowd. But when sudden death claimed her oldest brother at 18, her noisy house grew still. — Maureen Corrigan, book critic, Fresh Air

Hannibal Lecter: A Life by Brian Raftery

It's been decades since I read Thomas Harris' Red Dragon or seen Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. I honestly hadn't really given Hannibal Lecter that much thought until 2024, when President Trump kept talking about him on the campaign trail ("He'd love to have you for dinner!"). Why Hannibal, why now? Brian Raftery goes deep in this "biography" of one of American pop culture's most notorious and (oddly) most beloved villains. Come for the fava beans, stay for a deliciously dark reflection in the mirror, and perhaps one of the most effective examples of cover art I've ever seen. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition

Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund by Molly Crabapple

From 1897 until the end of World War II, the Jewish Labor Bund was one of the most important institutions in Jewish life. In this beautifully written account Molly Crabapple tells the group's story and chronicles its fights against antisemitism, communism and Nazism. The Bund played a leading role in the Warsaw ghetto uprising. The Bund also was anti-Zionist, believing that Jews should work to build socialist societies where they lived, not migrate. Crabapple is open about her own sympathies, she clearly sees the Bund as a prescriptive model for today. But agree with her or not, she's provided an invaluable service by surfacing a history unknown to most modern-day readers. — Tony Cavin, managing editor, Standards & Practices

How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy by Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Bown

A book about international trade that's fun? Yes, please! These two have been getting nerdy about trade topics (like anti-dumping duties) since long before it was cool — or, um, deeply relevant. In this analogy-filled book, they take stock of the biggest problems in the pre-Trump trade system and offer some tactics on how to fight — or defend against — trade wars in smart ways, while not shying away from the downsides of those tactics. I know that doesn't sound fun, but it really is. They're funny people! — Nick Fountain, host/reporter, Planet Money

The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian Mallaby

On the surface, The Infinity Machine is a biography of British AI pioneer Demis Hassabis, but it's really a readable introduction to the nuts and bolts inside artificial intelligence. Hassabis took insights from his neuroscience studies to make better AI, and in doing so, formed a team that built models that played Atari video games, beat human Go champions, solved the mystery of how amino acid sequences fold into 3D structures, and paved the way for the current AI boom. Sebastian Mallaby tells the story of Hassabis' quest to learn the universe's secrets, and in doing so, reminds us of the beauty of scientific discovery. — Darian Woods, host, The Indicator from Planet Money

In Trees: An Exploration by Robert Moor

Recent years have been good to trees, at least in writing. We've seen their hidden lives, met their mother trees. With Robert Moor, we get a philosophy. Rather than just admiring trees, how might we live like them? He puts our growth, as individuals and a species, into tree-speak: branch, prune, gnarl (new favorite word). Moor relearns how to climb them and ends up in a sequoia with David Attenborough. He works to mend his family tree, discovering something vital about healing our roots. The book expands with its histories: of bonsai and treehouses, as well as race, anthropology and activism. It's earnest and passionate and has me looking at every tree like a teacher. — Matthew Cloutier, producer, TED Radio Hour

London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe

A 19-year-old man posing as the son of a Russian oligarch leaps to his death from a luxury apartment on the River Thames. That's the heart-stopping opening of Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling. Keefe investigates the death of the young imposter, as well as the role modern London played in his demise. I loved this book for literary and personal reasons. Keefe is an exhaustive investigative reporter who spins seamless tales. He also uses the man's mysterious death to explore the criminal culture that lies just beneath the glittering surface of Britain's capital. I spent seven years as NPR's correspondent in London. London Falling rings true. — Frank Langfitt, correspondent, National Desk

Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett

Mac Barnett is an author of many children's books — otherwise known as books. And he gets asked all the time when he plans on writing a "real" book — by which people usually mean a book for adults. Even though this question is pretty annoying, the U.S. national ambassador for young people's literature did decide to write Make Believe — a book for adults about books for children. One essay did draw some ire, but the book is still worth reading for its staunch defense of the value and potential of children's literature. Plus, you won't want to miss Barnett's close reading of the pure art form that is Goodnight Moon — it's illuminating. — Samantha Balaban, senior producer, Weekend Edition

My Mother's Daughter: Finding Myself in My Family's Fractured Past by Tracy Clark-Flory

When Tracy Clark-Flory was a teenager, her mother told her she'd gotten pregnant around her age and given the baby up for adoption. They didn't discuss it much again. But years later, after her mom's death, Clark-Flory decided to find her half-sister and figure out what really happened all those years ago. She learned that in 1965, her mom was sent off to a home for unwed mothers, where she and other women were coerced into giving up their children. Part memoir, part investigation, Clark-Flory uses her family's story to dig into a larger history of who is considered worthy of motherhood in America, and at what cost. — Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, reporter, NPR Music

Opioids and Organs by Arizona O'Neill

After her estranged father dies of a fentanyl overdose, cartoonist Arizona O'Neill reluctantly agrees to donate his organs to patients in need. Feeling guilty about the decision, she makes sense of it by diving into the world of organ donation and its origins, accompanied by an oafish Frankenstein ("Frankie") character and a cheeky lizard named Izzy. Darkly funny and heartbreaking, this graphic memoir will leave you laughing out loud — and questioning whether it's our bodies that really make us human. — Malaka Gharib, digital editor, Life Kit

Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare by Katrina Manson

Katrina Manson, a Bloomberg reporter, has written a tour de force of reporting where she tells the story of how a determined, dogged and secretive team that — in partnership with some of the world's biggest (and some not so big) tech companies — brought artificial intelligence to the world's most powerful military. After chronicling that early effort, she goes further, showing just how committed the U.S. military is, not just to AI-enabled targeting, but also increasingly to autonomous weapons. She also does a good job capturing the unease a lot of people — in and out of the government — feel about what can only be described as our terrifying new reality. — Nishant Dahiya, editor

Restrung: A Memoir of Music and Transformation by Vijay Gupta

Vijay Gupta offers a raw chronicle of his difficult journey: first as a child prodigy violinist, laboring under intense pressures from his impossible-to-sate immigrant parents, and then as a broken adult who ultimately transforms his own life through making music with people who need community the most. Gupta is the founder of the nonprofit Street Symphony, which brings live music to Los Angelenos experiencing homelessness, addiction and the incarceration system on and around Skid Row. His courageous narrative is brilliant, deeply vulnerable and ultimately exhilarating. — Anastasia Tsioulcas, correspondent, Society & Culture Desk

Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945 by Ian Buruma

When I was lucky enough to live in Berlin for a year in my 20s, I encountered a city both bursting with energy and haunted by the ghosts of its Nazi past. Ian Buruma's immersive Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945 renders that era in full color by focusing on the individual lives of Berliners as they coped with Allied bombers in the air, and their own genocidal government in the streets. Through archival newspapers, diaries, letters and interviews, Buruma follows the journeys of actors and musicians, Nazi fanatics and anti-Nazi resisters, and Jewish refugees and those who sheltered them, evoking the rhythms and vocabulary of life in a vibrant city hurtling toward disaster. — Tom Dreisbach, correspondent, Investigations Desk

The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War by James Verini

The Russian siege of the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol in early 2022 killed thousands of civilians. The siege included the deadliest attack of the war: the bombing of the Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theater. Hundreds sheltered there, including children, as Russian airstrikes leveled the city around it. In his wrenching, vividly written and meticulously reported book, James Verini introduces us to the Ukrainians who kept this sanctuary running while reconstructing, through interviews with survivors, the fullest account of the bombing to date in terrifying detail. It's an unforgettable work of investigative reporting and narrative storytelling. — Joanna Kakissis, Ukraine correspondent, International Desk

When It's Darkness on the Delta: How America's Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land by Ralph Eubanks

This is the story of the beautiful yet tragic pull of the Mississippi Delta, birthplace of the Blues and a landscape that produces agricultural riches. Yet it remains among the most poverty-stricken regions in the country. Ralph Eubanks examines why the place his father once thought presented opportunity for Black farmers has never lived up to that promise, despite generations who have tried to break free from the Delta's plantation economy. He argues real change will require grappling with the legacies of slavery, sharecropping and Jim Crow. And he finds hope in the work of resilient locals determined to revitalize the Delta. — Debbie Elliott, correspondent, National Desk

Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest by James Martin, SJ

A summer job has long been a rite of passage for generations of American teenagers. In Work in Progress, the Rev. James Martin — perhaps best known for his recurring role on The Colbert Report — recounts his resume before his pivot to the priesthood. From his tenure as a first-time busboy to his wholly unqualified work as a golf caddy, Martin mines his childhood journals and even details his time spent in corporate America. Told with humor and heart, Work in Progress is a beach read about labor and what it can teach us about dignity and decency. — Lyndsey McKenna, project manager, Podcast Strategy & Operations

You've Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy by Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH

Roughly 95% of U.S. adults are not getting enough fiber! That's going to affect how we poop, but people usually shy away from talking about it. Dr. Trisha Pasricha says that might be hurting our health. Her book was funny, extremely scientific and written to fill in the gaps modern parenting leaves behind — bathroom education that stops after potty training. Pasricha addresses questions like: What should your poop look like? How many times a day is it normal to poop? What is with the gut-brain connection, and what makes you constipated? Hint: It isn't just fiber. I learned so much, and I was smiling the whole way through. — Regina G. Barber, host/reporter, Short Wave

You've Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

You've Changed is an incredibly well-researched look at how we change (or don't) and why. From political identity shifters to people in therapy for personality disorders, and from trans people transitioning gender to seekers opening their consciousnesses on psychedelics, Benoit Denizet-Lewis follows how we experience these shifts with a curious, empathetic and introspective eye. A great read for anyone who wants to understand a change within themselves — or for people trying to engender a new one. — Liam McBain, producer, It's Been a Minute

Copyright 2026, NPR

In the early 2000s, people all over the country could get insight into their dreams by calling up a different radio program. The Dream Doctor was a nationally-syndicated show hosted by Charles McPhee. He died of ALS in 2011 at the age of 49.

His sister, Larkin McPhee, lives in Minneapolis. She’s won Emmys and Peabody Awards for her documentary films. But for her brother’s story, she turned to writing. McPhee is out with a book this month about their relationship. It’s called “I’ll See You in My Dreams: A Sister’s Memoir.” She joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini to talk about the book.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Between death and emigration, Ireland lost almost a quarter of its population in the mid 1800s to the Great Hunger. Entire villages starved to death after potato blight wiped out the island’s primary subsistence crop, and British overseers did little to help.

“Hamnet” author Maggie O’Farrell’s ancestors lived that history and stayed in Ireland. According to family lore, her great-great-grandfather was a map-maker who helped the British redraw maps of the island after the famine altered the land.

Inspired by that story, O’Farrell decided her next novel would be centered on her homeland of Ireland and the tragic era that marked both the place and her people.

“I think it’s hard for us,” she tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. “These days, we can look at the statistics [of death and people leaving]. But if you zero down to one or two people’s tiny little lives, you see the enormity of tragedy behind it.”

O’Farrell’s new novel, “Land,” tells the story of two such people, Tomás and his wife, Phina, who survive the Great Hunger and have four children. It’s a universal story told through the specifics of one family and one piece of land. She talks about it — and her work on the Oscar-winning adaptation of her novel, “Hamnet,” — on this weeks Big Books and Bold Ideas.

Guest:

• Maggie O’Farrell is an author and screenwriter. Her new novel is “Land.”

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Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Three picks for celebrating Juneteenth, a summer-long plein air art competition begins in Otter Tail County, “Come From Away” at the Guthrie, the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona and more in this week’s MN Shortlist.

‘Every(body) Wants to Be a Showgirl’ at Rose Academy of Burlesque in Minneapolis — Through June 21

This nationally touring exhibition – self-described as the “largest global celebration of Black burlesque artists – began in February in Washington D.C. and has arrived in Minneapolis for a special Juneteenth Jubilee Edition. The exhibition features a burlesque archive of costumes, photography, archival footage of Josephine Baker and stories of more than 100 “performers who have shaped American performance culture without institutional recognition,” including Minnesota performers like Red Bone, Foxy Tann, and Tré Da Marc.

Curator Aquarius Moon, a Somali-Nigerian performance artist who founded the D.C. Metro Cabaret Club, is in town for the event.

“There was a lack of an emphasis of capturing the history of Black people's contribution to the art form. It's always had heavy influences from the Black American experience as well as the Black diasporic experience,” Moon tells MPR News. “Minneapolis has a phenomenal burlesque scene.”

Moon says the exhibition’s Minneapolis stop will center the Twin Cities Black burlesque community that created Juneteenth Jubilee, a series of shows and workshops across Minneapolis now in its fifth year. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Soul of the Southside festival in Minneapolis — June 19

The free annual Juneteenth celebration “rooted in joy, belonging and Black liberation” is organized into four pillars: creative expression, education and reflection, wellness,healing and community wealth. This means there is a whole lot of activity and neighborhood-building in the span of the festival's eight hours.

Within a few blocks along Minnehaha Avenue, attendees can throw clay at Mudluk Pottery, shop an art market, attend a mini film fest featuring the work of local Black artists or cooking classes and mocktail samplings, get a free massage at the MN Wellness Center, visit the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder staff, help paint a community mural, and learn about how it all started five years ago with a “Soul of the Southside” exhibition at the Coliseum Building.

Founded by South Minneapolis community members Fancy Lanier-Duncan and Emmanuel Duncan, the celebration takes place in an historic spot at Minnehaha and Lake, where the former Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building burned in the uprisings after the murder of George Floyd.

A staple event is Ancestral Food Waves. “We partner with chef Lachelle Cunningham who is an incredible chef storyteller who really dives into the history of what nourishes our bodies,” says Lanier-Duncan. “What did our ancestors, what did our grandmas and our aunties, and our uncles and our grandfathers — what did they do to stay healthy, to nourish themselves? How creative did they have to get with the food that they were cooking?”(Alex V. Cipolle)

Twin Cities Jazz Festival in St. Paul — June 19-20

The event began 28 years ago and has grown into one of the largest free jazz festivals in the Upper Midwest. Over two days, dozens of musicians perform across two outdoor stages at Meers Park in downtown St. Paul, as well as more than 18 bars, restaurants and venues across the metro area, from Erta Ale Ethiopian Restaurant and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul to Berlin in Minneapolis and Crooner’s Supper Club in Fridley. Headliners include the Grammy-winning Yellowjackets band, the JazzMN Orchestra with Michael Mayo, and Peruvian-American saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento. (Alex V. Cipolle)

“Movement Werk” Juneteenth Celebration at the Capri in Minneapolis — June 20

Located in the heart of North Minneapolis, the Capri Theater is celebrating Juneteenth with a dance party, poetry readings and community. The event, “Movement Werk,” begins at 3 p.m. in the Capri’s community hall “Paradise at the Capri.”

Featured artists include A.E. Wynter (who's been involved with Minnesota literary organizations like More Than A Single Story and the Loft Literary Center) and Junauda Petrus, an award-winning author and Minneapolis’ current poet laureate. (Jacob Aloi)

“Come From Away” at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis — Through August 9

A musical about the most devastating day in recent American history certainly raises eyebrows. But “Come From Away,” now playing at the Guthrie Theater, isn’t exactly a musical about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Rather, it's a reminder of the good in humanity and how people can band together in dark times.

Following the terror attacks on 9/11, the U.S. airspace was closed, causing dozens of flights to be diverted. In response, the Canadian government enacted “Operation Yellow Ribbon.” Across Canada, communities welcomed stranded international travelers, one of which was Gander, Newfoundland. The experience of the people who were in that small town in the North Atlantic serves as the basis for “Come From Away.”

While it has been produced across North America, the Guthrie's production strikes a chord with Minnesotans. In one scene, the Newfoundlanders organized mutual aid networks in a matter of hours because “they can’t watch the news anymore,” echoing the similar networks that came together during the height of the recent federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. (Jacob Aloi)

‘Longest Day of Art’ in Battle Lake — June 20

This event in Otter Tail County is two-fold: A community photography project to capture the essence of Battle Lake as the town turns 135, and the kickoff to the Prairie Lakes Plein Air festival, which culminates with an awards ceremony in September. For the rest of the summer, artists will be painting the lakes country starting with an opening day plein air workshop event with artist Mary Boylan at Glendalough State Park. There will be plein air workshops throughout July, August and September. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Opening nights at Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona — June 24-25

When I was growing up, no summer felt complete without a visit to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah. There’s just something about summertime that calls for a production of one of the Bard’s plays—and the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona understands this.

Producing two plays each summer, the festival features a single acting company trading off between shows and roles at different nights of the week. This year’s offerings include the oft-produced love-farce “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Pericles,” an obscure play about a Levantine prince adrift at sea, giving audiences a nice variety based on personal taste. The cast for these shows is also full of great interpreters of Shakespeare that have graced Minnesota stages—including Will Sturdivant and Melissa Maxwell who had memory-making turns in the Guthrie Theater’s “Henriad” a couple years ago. While opening nights are on the 24 and 25, both shows run well into July. (Jacob Aloi)

An ex-Children's Theatre Company employee, Ricky McAllister, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of child pornography.

The new charges are stirring up dark memories of an explosive child sex abuse scandal from the 1970s and ‘80s.

Filmmaker Norah Shapiro spoke with survivors who broke their silence and told their story in the documentary “MAGIC & MONSTERS,” which debuted last year. Shapiro, who is also a parent of a child actor who worked with McAllister at CTC, joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Thursday.

“What stood out to me about what they had to say was the pain, not just from what happened to them originally, but from the erasure of what had happened to them by how the institution responded in the years following what happened to them,” Shapiro said about the survivors from the ‘70s.

CTC called the current allegations against McCallister “troubling and also very different from the historic abuse.” The theatre says it is cooperating with law enforcement, McCallister hasn’t been employed by CTC since June of last year, and that he passed all background checks “as recently as 2023, had a clean employment record at CTC for 24 years, and is not accused of having abused any CTC student or community member.”

Shapiro said McCallister interacted directly with her son in multiple productions.

“I was awakened by a text from a friend with a screen grab of the email that had gone out the night before to stakeholders. I, as a parent of a former child actor, did not receive that, but I can also tell you that my son did not receive that email. There was a tone in that email that was all about protecting yet again their reputation,” she said.

CTC told MPR News it’s aware of one parent “whose email address was unfortunately mistyped in the letter to parents and caregivers. We regret this error and thankfully had an opportunity to connect with the family in person to apologize.”

When CTC settled with survivors in 2019, they committed to creating a community council, being transparent about past abuse, annual child safety training and a “survivor fund.” From her vantage point, Shapiro isn’t convinced the culture has changed substantially.

“I can only respond to what I see and what I see again in this latest instance,” she said. “I think it's the same thing, which is giving lip service to caring ultimately about children's safety, but when push comes to shove, not doing the work.”

Listen to the conversation with Shapiro by clicking the player button above.

“MAGIC & MONSTERS” is available to stream through July 1.

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers across Minnesota to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.

Eric Plumb of Amazing Alonzo Bookstore in Duluth recommends the memoir "It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect" by fellow Duluthian Gaelynn Lea.

Lea is a composer, musician, speaker and disability advocate whose accolades include winning NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016 and composing and recording the score for “Macbeth” on Broadway.

Writing in a conversational style, Lea traces her love of music and the many paths on which it has taken her. Plumb enjoyed learning about Lea’s collaborations with other Duluth musicians, including Alan Sparhawk from Low and blues musician Charlie Parr.

If you can, Plumb says, listen to the audiobook, which incorporates some of her music interspersed with her story.

Listen to Lea’s interview with MPR’s Kelly Gordon, which aired on Minnesota Now.

Plumb recommended the memoir at a live Ask a Bookseller event at the Zeitgeist in Duluth last week. Find summer reading recommendations from North Shore bookstores and libraries here.

Multidisciplinary artist Lex Marie has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram for her artwork confronting discipline within Black households.

At Lex Marie's art studio, a belt is no longer just a belt.

I met the multidisciplinary artist in Washington, D.C., at the American University's Katzen Arts Center.

She led me to her studio, where some belts are stretched across a canvas in meticulously organized rows and columns.

Others are used as a tool. Marie dips them in paint and swings them like a brush, leaving thick, violent marks across a white canvas.

Marie says each piece of work carries a story about childhood, discipline, survival and the complicated ways love can be expressed.

She is building a body of work that confronts a topic many families know well but rarely discuss openly: corporal punishment in Black households.

"I'm critiquing discipline in Black households specifically," Marie says. "But I'm trying to tackle the history behind discipline in black households, behind spankings and whippings, and speak to the difference in how millennials are raising their children as well."

The work is personal for her. Marie is 33 and the mother of an eight-year-old boy. As her son continues to grow, she says the questions that shape her art often come directly from her parenting.

"Through motherhood, I'm starting to think about my own childhood, and I'm comparing and contrasting it. So some of these works are just speaking from my experiences with spankings, and they're also going from the perspective of how I feel."

One of the larger works in the series is called "Watch Your Tone." The six-by-six-foot piece is composed entirely of belts — dozens of them — arranged carefully across the canvas. They are an assortment of different shades of brown, black and pink to represent the color of flesh.

The title of the piece echoes a phrase many children hear growing up: "Watch your tone when talking to me."

But Marie says the belts also represent something deeper.

She explains that she created this piece to convey multiple meanings. The different skin tones help her explain the different ways punishment is tied to American history.

For some historians and scholars, the conversation around corporal punishment in Black American households cannot be separated from the legacy of slavery. During enslavement, physical violence, such as being beaten with whips, was used to control Black bodies. Over generations, those discipline practices have evolved into modern parenting practices.

Yohuru Williams, founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, believes that the link between corporal punishment and African Americans is rooted in slavery.

"This idea of whipping, this idea that black bodies require extreme punishment — that there's something about the constitution of blackness that requires excessiveness in terms of discipline — has deep roots. Roots that extend beyond slavery. But it [was] really reinforced by the enslavement of Africans. And then once they come to the United States, you have this adoption of punishment systems within slavery that continue after slavery; that continue that process with that practice of brutalization of … black and brown bodies," he said.

"Because I Love You, another piece in Marie's series, highlights the physical act of enforcing punishment.

Marie painted a wooden panel white, dipped a belt in acrylic paint and struck the surface again and again, leaving marks scattered across the piece like scars and welts.

"I spent hours just kind of beating the same thing over and over," she said.

The process left her physically sore the next day.

The piece's title comes from a phrase many children hear after a whipping: "This hurts me more than it hurts you" or "I'm doing this because I love you."

Marie explains how making this work has been cathartic and difficult. When the videos of her art began circulating online, the reactions were immediate.

Thousands of people commented on her post, sharing their own childhood stories. Some were painful and defensive, while others were grateful the topic was being discussed.

But Marie stands firm that the goal of this work isn't to accuse or shame. It creates space for a conversation that is often buried.

Williams says that in order to have these discussions, Black families have to reimagine how they think about discipline.

"I think a lot of parents — black parents — struggle with this because there is this inherent knowledge that this is the way that we came up. And there is this belief that, well, you know, … maybe we're more stable, maybe we're more durable, maybe we've been able to endure more. We've developed a particular type of grip because of this experience," Williams said.

Williams says it's time to have an "honest" conversation about the historical legacy of corporal punishment within the Black community. "That would be far more communal and affirmative of human dignity and the dignity of black life," he said. "Coming out of the Black Lives Matter movement, you kind of look back at this, and you go, 'We understand it from a historical standpoint.' But from a humanistic and community-centered, restorative justice practices standpoint, there's something that just doesn't sit right with me about this practice. And I think we owe it to ourselves as a community to revisit that."

Marie sees her art as a pathway to discuss extremely difficult and triggering conversations about childhood trauma, especially for people who might struggle to find the words themselves — just like her.

The project will continue to grow over the next year as Marie develops more pieces for a planned exhibition this fall. The series has nearly 20 pieces, and she has even sold two to filmmaker Spike Lee, who is known for his films Do the Right Thing and Malcolm

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Lex Marie has a solo show at The Bishop gallery in Brooklyn, New York this fall which will feature this series.

For Marie, the most important outcome isn't agreement. It's recognition.

This story was edited by Olivia Hampton and produced by Nia Dumas. The digital story was written by Nia Dumas.

Copyright 2026, NPR

From Jewish cantillations to 1990s power ballads, “Come From Away” is a musical that boasts an impressively wide-ranging score.

“They've got me playing some shakers … I get to play a cajon with a kick pedal,” said Ben Yats, one of the percussionists in the Guthrie Theater’s production of the show, who also plays instruments like the Irish bodhrán and West African djembe.

“I have 18 different instruments,” said renowned local Celtic folk musician Laura MacKenzie, who is also lending her talents to the production. “They’re mostly whistles, from very low bass whistles to little teeny high ones, and a couple of wooden flutes and Uilleann Pipes.”

The choice to have an eclectic range of instruments is in line with the show’s plot, which is based on the true story of international travelers stranded in a small town in Newfoundland, Canada, following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that caused the U.S. airspace to close.

“A lot of [the] instruments are not used in what I would presume is a traditional sense,” said Yats. He gave the example of the udu, a Nigerian instrument that resembles a clay pot, which he uses when an Egyptian character in the show is on stage. Yats said the score doesn’t have exact directions on how the instrument should be played, so he uses a technique he picked up from playing a South Asian instrument.

“[The composers] really found a clever way, I think, to sneak in a lot of different outside world influences onto this score,” Yats said.

At the core of the show’s music, however, is the English and Celtic-inspired folk music found in Atlantic Canada, which is why musicians like Yats and MacKenzie were brought on to play the show.

“The traditional music, from what I've heard in Newfoundland, is more of sort of the pub music, ballad singing tradition. So heavy Irish influence, a little Scottish and a lot of English influence as well,” said MacKenzie, who has been called a “High Priestess of Celtic music.”

The musical doesn’t shy away from some of those influences. In one scene, the characters coalesce at a local bar where they sing songs together—one of which is a sea shanty.

“I love this show, because it seems that the composers really wanted it grounded in the people's music, and so they have that flavor of Newfoundland folk music,” said MacKenzie.

Those more joyous moments of pub singing are contrasted with slower ballads and quiet moments of a cappella, all of which capture the rollercoaster of emotions some were experiencing in the wake of 9/11.

“There's such high moments, and all of a sudden you're just trying to hold it together,” said Ben Yats. “I think the musicians are reflecting that kind of emotional gravity on stage.”

“Come From Away"' runs through Aug. 9 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.