Mark Dayton, a prominent Minnesota politician, held a career in public service that spanned five decades.

He is well known for serving two terms the state’s governor, leaving office in 2019. Before that, Dayton’s career included stints as a state agency official, a state auditor and a U.S. senator.

Friday at noon, Dayton sits down with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst to reflect on his career and discuss his new memoir "Perseverance." In this conversation, Dayton recounts his personal challenges and his time as governor. He also revisits his call to increase taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans — a campaign promise he fulfilled— and his role in legalizing gay marriage in the state.

Also, election season is underway in Minnesota.

On the ticket is an open governor’s race, an open U.S. Senate seat and much more. Both of the state's major party chairs join the conversation to share their political lay of the land as voting begins.

Guests:

• Mark Dayton served as the 40th governor of Minnesota. He also served as the state’s U.S. senator and Minnesota State Auditor.

• Alex Plechash is the chair of the Minnesota Republican Party.

• Richard Carlbom is the chair of the Minnesota DFL Party.

• Dana Ferguson is a politics correspondent for MPR News.

• Peter Cox is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Marlon James new novel, “The Disappearers,” was published just 18 days ago, and already, this deeply personal novel about gay men in Jamaica has been declared “the novel of the decade, if not the century” by the New York Times. It has also been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize National Book Award.

James, a part-time Macalester College professor and full-time literary phenomenon, kicked off the 2026 season of Talking Volumes last week.

He joined Kerri Miller on the stage of the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul on Sept. 12. James told Miller, many of the themes in the book — violence, survival, shame, perseverance, masculinity — are culled from his own life.

Minneapolis singer-songwriter Annie Mack rounded out this deeply moving and intimate evening.

Tickets for the rest of the 2026 season of Talking Volumes are still on sale. Up next: Lucy Foley joins Miller on Sept. 25, to talk about her new novel, “Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel,” the brand-new Miss Marple mystery that brings Agatha Christie’s iconic sleuth to a glamorous, snowbound resort in the Swiss Alps.

MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations. This week’s picks include a crop art exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the 27th Children’s Book Festival at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, a 50th anniversary celebration of the Japanese Garden at Normandale Community College and more.

Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival in St. Paul — Through Sept. 19

Since 2019, the Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival has commissioned 80 murals across the South Saint Anthony Park and Midway neighborhoods of St. Paul. This year, the festival features six artists from Minnesota, Seattle and Los Angeles. Minneapolis public artist Daniela Bianchini, who participated in the inaugural festival, is back working on a mural on a brick building at 2336 W. Territorial Road.

“This is one of the great things about Chroma Zone: A lot of the artists get to have their own voice, and usually you don't do that in public art. You have to engage with the community and stakeholders and people with money and all that,” Bianchini told MPR News. “Here, we get to do pretty much whatever we want. So, I wanted to celebrate women in community and people being together for the sake of being together, celebrating the fact that we don't have to be working, producing, and doing things all the time.”

Artists have been painting their murals since Sept. 13 and, on Friday and Saturday, there will be a celebration of the completed artworks. Festivities include “alley jams” with local graffiti artists, mural bike and bus tours and a block party that takes place near Bianchini’s mural. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Comic Con at the American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth — Sept. 19

Duluth-based American Indian Community Housing Organization joins the lineup of fan conventions this fall with its free AICHO Comic Con. The event will be held at AICHO’s center on Saturday.

Organizers will host a cosplay contest, where people are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from movies, books, games and shows.

AICHO’s Indigenous First Art and Gift Shop coordinator and event co-organizer Khayman Goodsky said the no-cost event aims to make the event more accessible and better represent of Indigenous communities in media spaces.

“I think Indigenous people are very creative, and so when they do cosplay, I think they really go all out for it,” Goodsky said. The event also includes panels with local artists discussing publishing, mixed media and language revitalization. Breakout rooms will be held for social games and building social connections.

“I want to see everyone connect with everyone else,” Goodsky said.

AICHO Comic Con is open to all ages. It runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Chandra Colvin)

‘Cream of the Crop: The Second Harvest’ at Minneapolis Institute of Art — Sept. 19-Nov. 29

The Minnesota State Fair has ended but crop art mania continues, without the lines. This weekend, the Minneapolis Institute of Art opens its second annual crop art exhibition with 30 works of art chosen from the fair. The museum awarded four pieces with the “Hidden Gem at Mia” prize, which honors crop art that reimagines a lesser-known work in Mia's collection, including “La Petite Bergère – At Night" by Rochester artist Diane Klein.

The “Mia Favorite” prize, which recognizes artistry and creativity, went to “Twin Cities 2026 (Guernica 1937)” by Fridley artist Jennifer Nelson – a reimagining of a painting by Pablo Picasso, one of the most famous antiwar pieces in art history. Nelson made hers in response to Operation Metro Surge and featured imagery of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Liam Canejo Ramos, whistles and the rebel loon.

“Picasso's is very heavy on the anguish, and I wanted my piece to capture not only the difficulty that that time was, but also the way that people rose to the occasion,” Nelson said. “The loon I have isn't screaming in anguish, but it's stoic and standing firm and kind of putting itself on the line.”

Need more crop art? St. Paul has got you covered. Can Can Wonderland is hosting a “Deviant Crop Art Show” Sept. 20-Oct. 11 with pieces that were “too naughty” for the State Fair and the Boréal Art Loft is showing State Fair crop art through Sept. 28. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Minnesota Children’s Book Festival at the Anderson Center in Red Wing — Sept. 19

Minnesota has an incredible kid lit community, and one of the events that best puts that richness on display is the Minnesota Children’s Book Festival, held every year in Red Wing. Anderson Center executive and artistic director Stephanie Rogers notes that, at 27 years, the festival has been going on long enough that people who attended as children can now bring their own. Held outside (under tents!) on the Anderson Center lawn, the event features nine authors and illustrators of books for kids and preteens. A different author or illustrator will read from their work every half-hour. Visitors can meet the presenters and purchase signed copies; participate in interactive activities including art projects and face painting, or grab a bite from a food truck. This free event runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Emily Bright)

Japanese Garden 50th Anniversary at Normandale Community College in Bloomington — Sept. 19

The Japanese Garden is a hidden gem in the Twin Cities, located on the Normandale Community College campus in Bloomington. The 2-acre garden was designed by Tokyo architect Takao Watanabe and incorporates more than 300 plants and trees, including Japanese cherry trees that were specially developed in partnership with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to survive Minnesota winters. The Japanese Garden is free and open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset spring through fall; It closes for the year when the pond begins to freeze. Much, though not all, of the garden is wheelchair accessible (details here).

This Saturday afternoon from noon to 4 p.m., there will be a celebration of the garden's 50th anniversary that is free and open to the public. Following an opening ceremony at noon, events include Taiko Drumming and dance performances, a Japanese tea ceremony, garden tours and hands-on activities such as koi feeding, calligraphy and origami.

While you’re there, look for plaques commemorating the work of Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling during WWII. Their interpretation and translation work, at a time when their families were in internment camps, were key to the U.S. war effort against Japan. In the early 1970s, veterans from that school donated key startup money to create the garden.

20th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival in Minneapolis — Sept. 23-27

Mizna is a St. Paul nonprofit that highlights and supports contemporary art, literature and film made by Arab, Southwest Asian and North African,or SWANA,artists. One of Mizna’s annual cornerstone projects is the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, which runs for five days at The Main Cinema and Walker Art Center. Opening night is Sept. 23 at The Main with a screening of “The Stories” by Egyptian-Austrian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky. The festival also includes Minnesota-made films like “Woman Land” and “1001 Arab Futures,” an outdoor screening of a “mystery classic” and a closing reception at the Walker with the film “With Hasan in Gaza,” compiled by rediscovered 2001 footage from Gaza. (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.

Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.

An ice-fishing comedy at Commonweal in Lanesboro

It's an all-theater Art Hounds this week. Let's start with Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, which opens "Eelpout," written by Paul Kruse of La Crosse, Wis., on Saturday.

Writer Rayson Lorrey of Rochester saw a preview of the queer comedy about an ice fishing bachelor party gone awry. Its Lake Mille Lacs setting and take on Midwestern culture will feel familiar to audiences, Lorrey said. It runs through Nov. 1. Friday's preview show is County Free Night, where residents of Fillmore and Houston counties can attend free of charge.

Lorrey appreciated the icehouse set, the takes on Midwestern male bonding and the unique costumes:

"[The show] uses the conceit of a talking eelpout that interacts with the three main male characters: Sven, Ole and Lars. It's a hilarious idea that the Commonweal pulls off really well. There are beautiful eelpout costumes that most of the cast wears at one point, and Laurie Roberts does an amazing job of choreography. You get the idea that there is a school of fish under the ice, dancing. I've never seen anything like it."

Morton: The Forgotten (Finnish) Founder

As an immigrant to the U.S., actor Patrick Bailey of St. Paul says he's gleaned much of his knowledge of American history from books, screens and theater. He's looking forward to a new opportunity to learn a bit about a lesser-known founding father, John Morton, in a new historical play this weekend. Morton, of Finnish heritage, was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.

"Morton: The Forgotten Founder" was written by Laurie Flanigan Hegge and directed by Wendy Knox of Frank Theater. The free historical play with music takes place for one night only at the Minnehaha Park Pavilion, near the falls. The show is part of FinnFest, which takes place Thursday through Sunday in Minneapolis. The show is followed by live music and dancing with Twin Cities Finnish folk band Lauluaika.

Bailey says:

"It's kind of a gift from the Finlandia Foundation because it's a free show by Frank Theater, one of the most awesome theater companies in town. It's a fully rehearsed, fully staged [show], costumed with music, hour long. What's not to love?"

A staged reading of a new play in Moorhead

Derek Dahlsad of Moorhead loves the theater scene in his area, and he recommends seeing a staged reading by local playwright Em Christie.

Dahlsad says: “‘Living the Dream’ is about employees at four different businesses trying to get through their day and not go crazy at the end of the world.”

The reading is Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the FMCT Community Stage at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead.

The last time the Guthrie Theater presented “Waiting for Godot” — one of the most influential and beloved plays in theater history — was in 1973, only 20 years after it premiered in Paris.

Artistic director Joseph Haj said he has wanted to mount the modernist tragicomedy by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for decades.

“It's a hugely important play and a hugely influential play,” said Haj, who is directing the play for the first time. “It's just been on my bucket list for a really long time.”

“Waiting for Godot” opens Thursday on the Guthrie’s Wurtele Thrust Stage, kicking off the Minneapolis theater’s 2026-27 season. Starring are Guthrie veteran Jimmy Kieffer (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The History Plays”) and David Strathairn (of “Good Night, and Good Luck” fame) in his Guthrie debut.

While it seems there is never a bad moment to put on “Godot,” Haj said he finds the play, which Beckett wrote shortly after World War II, particularly poignant this year.

“Beckett writes this after the collapse of the European order, where people are questioning everything, including their own faith and religion because of what that war wrought,” Haj said. “This play sits in the hallway between the breakdown of systems and no new agreed-upon institutions and systems that we can all agree are reasonably good.”

Beckett originally wrote “Godot” in French. Beckett had settled in Paris in the 1930s, shortly after traveling through Germany as the Nazis rose to power. In 1940, he joined the French Resistance — what he deemed “boy scout stuff” — to fight the German occupation, for which the French government awarded him a Croix de Guerre.

When the play opened in Paris in 1953, and then in English in London in 1955, it caused an uproar, confusing audiences and critics alike with its minimalist and ambiguous plot. The majority of the play follows two main characters — the vagabond buddies Vladimir and Estragon — waiting by a barren tree for Godot. Spoiler alert: Their savior never comes.

“People practically rioted,” Haj said of the play’s early reception. Contemporary audiences, Haj said, no longer struggle with the stripped-back format.

“The play is filled with mystery of every kind, and it has baffled scholars and academics and intellectuals for ages,” Haj said. “What's beautiful about the play is even when academics don't understand it, folks actually do.”

The play has often been performed in prisons and war zones, two environments where people must wait, often with no hope of amnesty, respite or grace.

“It's no accident that this play shows up in Sarajevo during the war, played by candlelight with sniper fire in the background. Palestinians have made this play again and again,” Haj said.

“Waiting for Godot” runs through Oct. 11. On Sept. 26, the Guthrie hosts a free event “How’d They Do That? Workshop: Waiting for Godot” with the theater’s creative and production teams.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is bringing reality TV to the Twin Cities area.

He caused a stir this weekend when production for one of his reality television series was spotted in a northwestern Twin Cities exurb.

Fans heard the news and staked out Lake Cafe in Big Lake to snap photos of the British cooking star, who is behind long-running hit shows Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef and Kitchen Nightmares.

The restaurant closed for five days to film for the undisclosed show, according to Lake Cafe’s Facebook page.

Supportive comments flooded the restaurant’s Facebook update about the news with hopes that the menu wouldn’t change too much.

Tagging Ramsay, one person wrote: “Thank you for helping out! On another note, if you messed with my patty melt, we are going to have an issue!”

Lake Cafe’s Instagram page highlights classic American comfort foods: homemade meatloaf with gravy and green beans, broasted chicken and sizeable omelets with buttered toast.

Co-owner Tami Cox confirmed filming took place from Friday through Tuesday and that Ramsay was present. She declined to share more, citing a nondisclosure agreement.

Cox said there was a lot of excitement when Lake Cafe reopened Wednesday, especially among regulars glad to be back. The small, family-owned restaurant has operated for 58 years, she said.

Lake Cafe’s social media post mentioned a new, small menu with items Ramsay put together for the restaurant. Their regular menu is limited while they create a new menu and some items will return in the future.

Cox said an episode might air in three to six months.

According to social media posts, Ramsay is also filming at The Pizza Factory in North St. Paul and another restaurant in Wayzata.

Fox Entertainment, the production company behind Gordon Ramsay’s shows, hasn’t responded to an MPR News request for information.

While it’s not clear which of Ramsay’s shows will feature the Minnesota locations, the latest season of Kitchen Nightmares, the series where Ramsay seeks to revive businesses in crisis, focused on restaurants in the Midwest.

Ed Sheeran's tour of North and South America was plunged into chaos Tuesday when four of his supporting acts abruptly quit in solidarity with the rapper Macklemore, who was dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

Hours after Sheeran posted on social media about Macklemore's ouster and attributed the decision to the tour's promoters, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas posted on Instagram that they were leaving the tour.

Rowe and Lukas Graham would have been replacements for Macklemore on Sheeran's remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga had been performing several songs — including some the Irish folk band co-wrote — with Sheeran around the middle of each set. Finneas, who is Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.

"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas said on Instagram. "I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people."

Pressure mounts on Sheeran

The moves by his fellow artists put enormous pressure on Sheeran, who has tried to avoid politics and taking a side in the Gaza conflict, arguing that his fans don't come to his shows to hear politics.

Rowe and Beoga each cited their country's history in their statements explaining their decision. "We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be," Beoga said.

Rowe called Sheeran a friend and said the British singer-songwriter changed his life. "But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation," he said, adding that he couldn't "stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up."

Meanwhile, Lukas Graham, the band that had hits with "Mama Said" and "7 Years," expressed gratitude to Sheeran and called it "a difficult decision."

"Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge," the band posted, seemingly referring to billionaire Robert Kraft's role in Macklemore's removal from the tour.

Emails seeking comment were sent to Sheeran and the tour's promoter, the Messina Touring Group.

The crisis started with Macklemore being dropped

Sheeran weighed in on Macklemore being dropped after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments onstage during their tour, saying the decision was made by the promoters alone. The British singer also said he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.

"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. "I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."

Sheeran's statement came a day after Macklemore said he was kicked off the Loop Tour after exclaiming "Free Palestine!" during the Sept. 5 date at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium while introducing his protest song "Hind's Hall."

"To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you," he said during the concert.

Macklemore said Monday on Instagram that several U.S. venues told the promoter they would prohibit him from performing as Sheeran's opening act, rallied by Kraft, owner of NFL's New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play.

In a statement Monday, Kraft said the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments "and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community."

Kraft's representatives didn't immediately respond to a Tuesday email seeking comment about the other musical artists' actions.

Sheeran says 'I am not complicit'

A growing chorus of organizations and experts say Israel's wartime actions in Gaza amount to genocide — an accusation Israel vehemently rejects.

Macklemore was scheduled to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has remaining on his stadium tour, which is scheduled to resume Saturday in Philadelphia. Ahead are stops at Gillette Stadium, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

In his social media post, Sheeran said he "spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge," but that "the venue's and promoter's decision was final."

He wrote that he tries to use his music to "bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together" and that while he has personal views about "this devastating conflict," he chooses not to speak publicly because people who come to his shows "do not expect a political forum." He added: "I am not complicit."

"I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes," Sheeran added. "However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed."

Copyright 2026, NPR

On an ordinary summer afternoon, one could expect to see a line of cars form at the entrance of the Sky-Vu Drive-In theater and spill out onto the state road just beside it. As people in each vehicle drove by the marquee to pay admission, they’d park in front of the screen as the sun set and the film began.

But now, the two metal poles holding the marquee are bent so far back that the sign is facing the ground. Warped metal and broken wood lie where the screen once stood. It’s the result of a 75-mile-per-hour wind gust that blew through this part of the Red River Valley, according to local weather data.

Chris Novak and his father, Steve Novak, co-owners of Sky-Vu, tread around the wreckage. Two sets of speakers are crushed beneath a pile of wood that no longer resembles a screen. Steve said a worker was about to check the sound system in front of the screen mere minutes before it caved in.

“All of a sudden, boom, the drive-in's gone,” said Steve.

The wind was so strong that it lifted a chunk of concrete that anchored the screen off the ground and threw it 10 to 20 feet away. The destruction happened moments before the venue was set to open for the night. The venue announced on Facebook there would be no showing that night, or for the rest of the season, for that matter. Passers-by offered their condolences and prayers. Chris said he couldn’t sleep for the following five days.

“It was hard to eat. You're just sick to your stomach,” said Chris. “Just a crappy deal.”

Steve called his mom.

“As I was crying, I says, ‘I need you,’” said Steve. “I usually don't call her up, and she lives in Argyle. She came down. The first thing we seen each other, we started crying.”

The damage sets the pair back $250,000, according to their estimates. They expect insurance to cover some of the costs, and through a GiveSendGo account they’ve set up, they hope donations cover the rest.

The financial setback is tough. Especially since business has slowed down over the past couple of years, the Novaks say, and the drive-in industry has changed over the last few decades.

Drive-ins: Real estate disguised as a movie theater

Drive-ins used to be spread throughout Minnesota. Over a dozen could be found around the Twin Cities alone, and the state as a whole was home to over 80.

Dave Kenney, a freelance writer specializing in Minnesota history, said drive-ins were a big part of his childhood. As a teenager, he’d go to the drive-ins with friends — often in mischievous ways.

“Sometimes we would hide in each other's trunks of their cars and sneak in, which was a pretty common thing to do,” said Kenney.

He added drive-ins were a real estate business model at first. People bought plots of land, screened movies on them and waited for their value to grow.

“One of the big drivers of the demise of the drive-ins was the fact that the land underneath them just got to a point where it made sense for the owners to sell,” said Kenney.

The drive-in theaters that remained then had to compete with the rise of VHS, videocassette recorders and, as technology improved, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. The teenagers who used to frequent drive-ins now had the option to stay at home.

The clientele then transformed from teen posses to groups of families.

“[Drive-ins] had to make sure they had G-rated films or PG things that the parents could be comfortable showing their kids,” said Kenney.

But the family clientele brings its own set of challenges for drive-ins such as Sky-Vu. Many of these venues are far from metro areas, so it could take visitors hours to arrive. And when they do, they still have to wait for the sun to set and the movie to start.

“You can't start the movie in the midsummer until 10 o'clock,” Chris Novak said. “If you're going to start a three-hour-long movie, it gets done at 1 a.m. Most people, our clientele, are between 30 and 60 miles away. That puts them falling asleep around 2:30 in the morning. Who wants to do that?”

Steve Novak added that there was a time when business was so slow that they threatened to close the drive-in unless they received community support.

“We were going to put an X-rated movie out at 3 o'clock in the morning,” said Steve. “And we did. And they lined up and packed the place.”

The theater has since returned to showing family-friendly features, and its bond to the community has strengthened. Many say that without Sky-Vu, Warren simply wouldn’t be the same.

A cinematic beacon for northwestern Minnesota

Lance Pierce, who lives in Drake, N.D., had been looking for a drive-in for a while, with none left in his state. When he found Sky-Vu, he packed his family into their car and drove three and a half hours to get there.

“It was a real treat because not only was the movie going, but the auroras came out that night too. So it was a second show,” said Pierce.

It was a nostalgic night for Pierce, who grew up going to drive-ins in Sacramento, Calif. He called Sky-Vu a “gem” and hopes it rebuilds. If it doesn’t, he says it would be a huge loss.

Visitors to the drive-in, like Pierce, also means visitors to Warren, which is a mere four minutes away. Cody Kobetsky is the owner of Hank’s Sports Bar and Grill in Warren. He said that over the years, people have decided to stop by for a meal before visiting the drive-in. During the summer, he says they often see an uptick in clientele, especially in the hours leading up to a drive-in showing.

“I definitely appreciate that they're drawing people into our community,” said Kobetsky. “That results in us having more business as well.”

Sydni Schroeder, a server at Hank’s, said she used to work at the drive-in as a teenager. She remembers those times fondly, saying it was an opportunity to meet people from all over.

“I was actually flying out of Fargo, and somebody there was like, ‘Oh, you're from Warren?’ and they're like, ‘You know the drive-in?’” Schroeder said. “I just meet people out and about everywhere who have been there.”

Steve and Chris Novak say they have no plans to shut down for good. They say reopening will be a way to honor the memory of Steve Novak’s father, Leonard Novak, who passed away last year. Leonard rebuilt the Sky-Vu the only other time it was destroyed by a twister, in 1975, during a showing of Jaws.

“My dad grabbed me,” recalled Steve. “He threw me underneath the Ford Falcon next to that post there, and he held on to the post, and before you know it, everything was gone.”

The Novaks’ will to revive their drive-in after natural disasters seems to run in the family. Steve imagined what it might be like for his father to hear about the latest destruction of the theater.

“He's in heaven right now, looking down, shaking his head. Like, ‘What more can happen?’” Steve said. “I leave all of a sudden, we've had the projector go down three times, the screen go down twice. It's like, what is going on?”

Steve turned to his son, Chris. “What would he say, pal? What was it?”

“Better you than me,” replied Chris.

The two hope the drive-in will reopen next year. This time, they plan to install steel beams for the screen to prevent future falls.

When’s the last time you had a real, honest to goodness, no holds barred adventure?

Hopefully, the answer is something like yesterday, or at least pretty recently. And if the answer is “I honestly don't remember,” it might be time to start thinking about it — or it may be time to read “I Love You So Many: A Native Memoir of Adventure, Culture, and Family.”

Terria Smith’s new memoir is a tribute to living a full, adventurous life. She’ll be at Milkweed Books in Minneapolis for the book launch on Tuesday.

Smith is a tribal member of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and a proud Californian. She is the editor of news from Native California magazine and director of the Berkeley Roundhouse, Heyday Publishing's Indigenous storytelling program.

Adventure is something Smith has always longed for. She grew up in a rural reservation community in the California desert and always dreamed of something more.

“When you’re in an environment like that, it does something to your ability to dream,” she said. “You keep thinking that everything is going on someplace else. So you always want to be someplace else.”

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As a journalist, travel is now a big part of Smith's life, and she said traveling and having adventures is also a personal passion. Her travel-inspired memoir comes from her adventures in her ancestral homelands of Cuba, Iceland, Guyana and beyond.

She's hopeful, she said, to contribute to an emerging genre of travel books that focus on tribal and Native people.

“A lot of times Native people kind of get stuck with the idea that we're so sad, that we’re so tragic, you know, and all these other kind of ideas like that. That’s part of our history,” she said.

“There’s so much more to us than that. And I'm hoping that this book really shows a different dimension of tribal people and our interests. I hope that people come away. with that, thinking, oh, what a cool adventure, what a cool life.”

Smith said the title came from hearing a Spanish speaking couple use it.

“The title, it kind of symbolizes the people that I love, the places that I love, the experiences that I love. So it’s, I love you so many, so many places, so many people, so many things, so many experiences,” she said.

Smith said she took a memoir writing class, had a writing coach and put in a lot of work to write her book. But as hard as it was, she wrote the book with the idea of “fun” at the forefront of her mind.

“As fun as it is, you still have to go back to, you know, a lot of memories that maybe are unpleasant or painful, or sometimes they're not unpleasant and painful. Sometimes they’re happy memories ... but yeah, I did a lot of work. I’d really like to encourage people to share their stories,” she said.

Smith will share her memoir at Milkweed Books in Minneapolis with a book launch Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

These days, Natasha Howard is jersey No. 1 on the Minnesota Lynx. She returned to the team this season after nearly a decade of competing on other WNBA teams and internationally. The last time Howard played for Minnesota, they won the 2017 championship. She won two other titles with the Seattle Storm and was named the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. Howard is a three-time all star and now, she’s also an author.

Her memoir, “The Vision Through My Lens: My Life in Basketball and Beyond,” is out Tuesday. Howard spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about her new book and this Lynx season.

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.

With school back in session, we’re continuing to bring you recommendations for great reads for kids. Pallas Erdrich of Birchbark Books in Minneapolis says her favorite picture book of late is “The Inquisitive Raven,” written by Richard Wagamese and illustrated by Bridget George.

The Ojibwe Canadian writer was known for his novels and memoirs for adult readers, but Erdrich says this picture book, published years after his death in 2017, is pure delight, with illustrations by Bridget George that are “just so soothing.”

“The blessing of the book is about connecting with your ancestors and your grandparents and your parents and just being able to learn from the culture that you come from. Kids have a lot of questions about things, and this opens the door to say it's okay to ask questions about your family history [and] about the things around you; and that when you learn those answers, it can all become part of one larger story,” Erdrich said.

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The Inquisitive Raven

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The book follows Rueben, a curious raven, who asks questions and tries to imitate the other forest animals he meets. On the way, Erdrich says, readers learn Ojibwe words, legends, and lore.

“It’s a dense enough picture book that I think it would be good for reading a kid to sleep, but also one that they could read when they're between five to 10. It’s one that I would keep coming back to myself as a kid, especially because it just has such a beautiful story at the end.”

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The Pitt and Widow's Bay took home the top prizes in television at the Emmy Awards on Monday night. And actor Matthew Rhys became the first person to win in two lead acting categories in one night. Here are our takeaways from the 2026 Emmy Awards — and check out the list of winners and who wore what on the red carpet.

Widow's Bay was the hot comedy property. Drama series recognition was shared more widely. The Apple TV horror/mystery/comedy series Widow's Bay not only won outstanding comedy series, but also brought home awards for lead actor (Matthew Rhys), supporting actress (Kate O'Flynn), supporting actor (Stephen Root), along with writing and directing. The only "major" category it didn't receive an award in is lead actress (which went to Hacks' Jean Smart), where it didn't have an eligible candidate. On the other hand, while The Pitt took home outstanding drama series and Noah Wyle repeated last year's win as lead actor, Rhea Seehorn won lead actress for Pluribus, Allison Janney won supporting actress for The Diplomat, Tom Pelphrey won supporting actor for Task, Vince Gilligan won for writing Pluribus, and Saul Metzstein won for directing Slow Horses.

Matthew Rhys pulls off the double play. Rhys won for lead actor in both the limited series category (for The Beast in Me with Claire Danes) and comedy series (for Widow's Bay). This makes him the first actor to ever win lead performance awards in two categories in the same year. Rhys also won for lead actor in a drama series for his work in The Americans back in 2018, so he's won in three lead categories overall, and that's some serious versatility.

Rhea Seehorn wins an Emmy at last, while Jean Smart wins her last Hacks Emmy. For years, while she was on Better Call Saul, Rhea Seehorn was a frequently cited example of an overlooked performer. She was eventually nominated for her supporting role in that show twice, though she didn't win. In the Apple science fiction show Pluribus, creator Vince Gilligan's follow-up to Saul, Seehorn plays a miserable widowed novelist dealing with the end of humanity as she knows it. This time, she did not have to wait to be recognized. She won her first Emmy for lead actress in a drama for the show's first season. Meanwhile, Jean Smart completed an impressive sweep, winning lead comedy actress for the fifth time — meaning she won every year she was eligible for the now-concluded Hacks. Smart's character, the legendary comedian Deborah Vance, would likely enjoy having gone undefeated.

Host Mariska Hargitay had the time of her life. The opening number was corny and cringe — so much so that it almost came all the way back around to being endearing. But over the course of the evening, Hargitay made jokes about how long her show, Law & Order: SVU, has been on the air, she participated in skits, and she actually showed some chops with her delivery of standard awards banter. She is not a comedian by profession, but she was impressively game, and that may be the most important quality a host can bring. It was a strangely paced evening that ended with what seemed to be Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey trying to fill time, but Hargitay did what she could to keep the energy up.

2026 Emmy Award Winners

Outstanding drama series

WINNER: The Pitt
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors

Outstanding comedy series

WINNER: Widow's Bay
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Nobody Wants This
Hacks
Margo's Got Money Troubles
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking

Outstanding limited or anthology series

WINNER: DTF St. Louis
All Her Fault
The Beast In Me
Beef
Love Story

Outstanding variety series

WINNER: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

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

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

WINNER: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Zendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

WINNER: Matthew Rhys, Widow's Bay
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo's Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback

Outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

WINNER: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Claire Danes, The Beast In Me
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

WINNER: Matthew Rhys, The Beast In Me
Riz Ahmed, Bait
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac, Beef

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

WINNER: Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay
Dale Dickey, Widow's Bay
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo's Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

WINNER: Stephen Root, Widow's Bay
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Nick Offerman, Margo's Got Money Troubles
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

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

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

WINNER: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

WINNER: 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

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

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

Outstanding directing for a comedy series

WINNER: Hiro Murai, Widow's Bay
Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary
Christopher Storer, The Bear
Andrew DeYoung, The Chair Company
Lucia Aniello, Hacks
Mary Lou Belli, The Ms. Pat Show

Outstanding directing for a drama series

WINNER: Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
Salli Richardson-Whitfield, The Gilded Age
Hanelle M. Culpepper, Paradise
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Task

Outstanding writing for a comedy series

WINNER: Katie Dippold, Widow's Bay
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, The Chair Company
Michael Patrick King, Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Hacks
Anthony King, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat

Outstanding writing for a drama series

WINNER: Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Peter Ackerman, Debora Cahn, The Diplomat
Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman, R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt
Valerie Chu, The Pitt
Will Smith, Slow Horses
Brad Ingelsby, Task

Outstanding reality competition program

WINNER: The Traitors
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul's Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef

Copyright 2026, NPR

On Sunday evening, the Washington Post reported that the Kennedy Center administration told its board that the arts institution is on the brink of bankruptcy — and that it might be forced to close as soon as Tuesday. Both the majority of the center's administration and board were selected by President Trump.

The document detailing this plan, whose existence NPR has confirmed, was issued ahead of a board meeting slated for Tuesday. That's the same day as a status hearing set by Judge Christopher Cooper, who is overseeing the federal lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty to stop the renaming of the center to honor Trump last December. The Democrat from Ohio is an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board.

The status meeting previously scheduled by Cooper is essentially to set more deadlines and court dates. But critics of the Kennedy Center's administration said the timing of this report may not be a coincidence.

On Monday, Beatty filed two board resolutions with the court. One says it is planning to shut down the center immediately, calling it unsafe for continued occupancy. In a document accompanying the board resolutions, however, Beatty claims that the construction consultants the board brought in have never said any such thing. The board also says the Kennedy Center is in such a "precarious fiscal position that it will not be able to support its payroll obligations, nor routine maintenance contracts within a matter of weeks."

In the meantime, most of the center's staff have either been fired or departed, but those who remain are largely loyal to President Trump. Most of the Kennedy Center board was handpicked by the president, who now serves as its chairman.

On Sept. 5, the center's administration said that a portion of the ceiling in the main building's grand foyer collapsed due to rain damage. The Kennedy Center's argument regarding the institution's financials are that the center is in dire shape, and that President Trump is the only person who can fundraise at such a massive scale or successfully oversee such an extensive renovation project – and as such, he deserves his name to be on the building, just like how big donors at hospitals and universities, for example, get to see their names on prominent display.

The Kennedy Center did not respond to NPR's requests for comment on Monday.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — whose wife, Allison Lutnick, was named to the Kennedy Center board in Feb. 2025 — made that argument last month outside of a court hearing in the Beatty suit. Lutnick said: "Basically, it would cost four or $500 million if you do it over time or it'll cost $257 million if President Trump is the construction manager. He has the power and he has the expertise to get this done. He is the greatest builder in the world. And he will get it done on time and on budget."

Nevertheless, the institution faces real challenges. Large, legacy, not-for-profit institutions like the Kennedy Center generally depend on a balance of earned revenue, philanthropic giving and some amount of government grants.

The last president of the Kennedy Center, former Ambassador Richard Grenell, tried to insist that every performance be revenue-generating or at least revenue-neutral. Its current president and CEO, Matt Floca, was elevated from his position as head of facilities for the Kennedy Center. He has no experience in artistic direction, fundraising or arts administration, unlike his peers at similar centers across the country. No one else on the board has any known experience with similar performing arts institutions, either.

Both artists and audiences have fled the Kennedy Center over the past year plus, saying that it's become politicized under Trump. Its live event calendar is a small fraction of what it used to be. Donations have also dried up. It's unclear whether or not Trump's further imprimatur would change the situation.

Copyright 2026, NPR

Bob Mackie, a prolific costume and fashion designer whose dazzling, over-the-top creations helped define some of the most memorable moments in 20th century entertainment, died at 87 years old Monday of pneumonia in Palm Springs, Calif.

Mackie's official Instagram channel shared news about the designer's death.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today," the statement on Instagram said. "He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world."

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Mackie dressed generations of stars from Bette Midler to Taylor Swift. Some of his designs became as famous as the performers who wore them, such as Marilyn Monroe's risqué, rhinestone-encrusted sheath dress worn while singing to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 (which he sketched for his employer, French designer Jean Louis), and Cher's jet-black, bondage-inspired ensemble topped with a feathered Mohawk headdress at the 1986 Oscars.

"The way you dress is your way of telegraphing to the person that's looking at you, who you are and where you're coming from," Mackie told NPR in 1990.

While Mackie was celebrated as a haute couture designer, he was far more passionate about crafting one-of-a-kind looks for entertainers. "I think there are people who design runway fashion who say they're like telling a story. No, they're not. They're just making a cute frock and hope somebody buys it," he told the NPR-distributed podcast Bullseye with Jesse Thorn in 2025.

Growing up in Southern California, Mackie's fascination with glamour came from Hollywood, not high fashion. "I never looked in a fashion magazine when I was a kid. But I looked in all the movie magazines and theater magazines," he said on Bullseye. "That was more interesting to me."

Mackie dropped out of his studies at the Chouinard Art Institute — now part of California Institute of the Arts — when he was spotted by the legendary designer Edith Head and landed a job sketching for Paramount Studios in 1961. His career quickly took off, and he forged lasting relationships with such entertainment royalty as Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Carol Burnett.

For The Carol Burnett Show, which started in the late 1960s and ran for more than a decade, Mackie designed an estimated 17,000 costumes — about 50 per week. One of his most famous creations was the outrageous dress for Burnett's 1976 Gone With The Wind parody where she appeared as "Starlett O'Hara" wearing a green velvet dress made from curtains — with the curtain rod still attached. That dress now resides in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

"Not all of our sketches were gems. Some were bombs," Burnett recalled in a 2003 Fresh Air interview. "Sometimes he would put me in stuff that would literally save the sketch."

Perhaps nothing captured Mackie's theatrical sensibility more than the ludicrous Donald Duck costume—complete with webbed booties and oversized rear-end—that Elton John wore while performing at a 1980 concert in New York's Central Park.

"It was very difficult for me to play the piano, plus the fact I'd never walked in flippers before," John reminisced in Who Is Mackie?, a short film about the designer. "I was dancing across the stage, falling over myself, and I just couldn't sing for laughing – because it looked ridiculous, but it looked fabulous."

Mackie continued dressing major 21st century stars such as Miley Cyrus, Zendaya and Pink. He also collaborated with Mattel on a line of Barbie dolls. His awards included nine Emmys, a Tony Award, three Oscar nominations, and lifetime achievement awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America and RuPaul's Drag Race. He had served as the show's first guest host and jokingly referred to himself in some media interviews as "the patron saint of drag queens."

"I know exactly which outfits he did because there is a rhythm and a movement and a choice of proportions of color that no one else does like that," RuPaul said in the 2024 documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion. "That's how you know that someone is channeling the divine."

Copyright 2026, NPR

About 300 corgis and more than 600 people gathered in Andover, Minn. for the Midwest’s Largest Corgi Meet-Up.

Vendors, photo competitions, costumes and a derby race allowed lovers of the breed to celebrate their short-legged canine friends.

Organizer Terra Smith said it was the fifth annual event they have hosted, and each year they try to introduce new elements to the event. This year, a popular corgi derby race debuted at the meet-up, with more than 70 corgis participating.

In December of 2017, Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat was a mall in south Florida when a loud gunshot broke through the holiday shopping chatter. Believing that a mass shooting was underway, Danticat ran with her fellow shoppers in utter terror. Eventually, she learned the shooting was a hoax. But the trauma that experience provoked was very real.

She works some of that trauma out in her new novel, "Dèy." Taken from the Creole word for “mourning,” the story follows a young mother, Magnolia, who survives an actual mass shooting. But the story is more about what happens next. How do you carry on when your life is marked by a before and an after? How can trauma be contained when life, inextricably, goes on?

“Surviving isn’t the end of the story,” Danticat writes. “It’s where a different one begins.”

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Dèy: A Novel

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Danticat returns to Big Books and Bold Ideas this week to talk with Kerri Miller about why she wanted to weave joy into a book about grief and how trauma is processed best with those you love.

Guest:

• Edwidge Danticat is the author of many books, including “Breath, Eyes, Memory” and “Claire of the Sea Light.” Her new novel is “Dèy.”

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

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The Hispanic Heritage Awards took place outside of Washington, D.C., for the first time ever Thursday night with a ceremony hosted in Minnesota.

The White House established the awards nearly four decades ago to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month. The annual celebration honors the contributions and accomplishments of Latinos in the United States and Latin America.

Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan and Bad Bunny are among big figures to have received Hispanic Heritage Awards in the past.

Organizers said they wanted to hold the event in Minneapolis this year because of the federal immigration surge last winter.

Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, said a local man invited national leaders to visit in February. They came and left inspired by how people rallied to protect their neighbors.

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“We can’t ever allow a feeling of helplessness to become a feeling of hopelessness. And Minnesotanos are neither helpless nor hopeless,” he said. “They are an embodiment of solidarity, unity, resourcefulness, strength, brilliance, faith, bravery and ganas. And that’s why we’re here.”

Major Latino musical artists received awards in person at Orchestra Hall: Oscar D’León, Eladio Carrión, Ximena Sariñana and Mon Laferte.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas was also present to receive the Public Service Award. He thanked Minnesotans for their activism during Operation Metro Surge.

“The whole nation was inspired by how this community came together when it was under siege by ICE and the Trump administration, with thousands of agents on the street trying to pick up kids and their parents,” Castro said. “And so to have [the Hispanic Heritage Awards] here this year is very fitting.”

The final honor of the night — the humanitarian award — went to the people of Minnesota.

Over 30 Minnesotans took the stage to receive the award, reflecting a range of organizations, businesses and other entities that actively supported people during the federal immigration surge, according to a host committee member.

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The iconic California-based band Los Tigres del Norte presented the award to Minnesota and performed two songs meant to represent Latin Americans in the U.S.

Luis Hernández said the band wanted to send a message.

“We have to keep on going. We don't have to give up, especially in these moments,” he said.

A small group of Native youth gather after school at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, located west of Minneapolis. They dance, sing and recite lines from a script for an upcoming play.

Next week, Stages Theatre Company, in partnership with Native American-led theater company, Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble will premiere a new children’s play, “Bowwow Powwow.” The production features an all-Native cast.

The story, adapted from Brenda Child's book of the same name, follows a young girl from Red Lake Nation named Windy Girl as she attends a powwow, all while her imagination runs wild with imagery of dogs dancing and singing.

Siobhan Hellendrung, 13, plays the role of Windy Girl. “Bowwow Powwow” is Siobhan's fifth production. She started acting four years ago.

“This is something that I really enjoy doing. And once I knew that I was like, ‘okay, I'm gonna try out some more. I think this is really fun,’” she said.

With the play's cultural specificity and all-Native casting, Siobhan says it feels like one big family on set.

“I've definitely worked with Native kids in shows I've been in, but to be in an all-Native cast, all kids who are like me, I think that's really special,” Siobhan said.

The young actors, ages 7 to 18, were recruited from local area schools and surrounding community. “It's really fun to like make new friends and to be in a community with people,” Siobhan said.

Production director and co-founder of Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha says representation matters on stage. She describes Native theater as an honest representation of Native communities -- it brings people together through authentic stories.

“This is a way for I think young people to grow in confidence and to feel like, ‘This is where I'm from. This is my land. This is who my people are, and I deserve to get to be on stage here and tell stories,’” Pillatski-Warzeha said.

She says storytelling is central to Native culture. By bringing youth on stage to explore their creativity, she hopes the young actors feel empowered to embrace their identities.

“I really think that the best of what's coming for Native theater lives in them. I think I have a lot to contribute, and Mni Giizhik certainly feels like we have a lot to contribute, but the best of what's coming resides in the next generations,” Pillatski-Warzeha said.

Siobhan hopes seeing an all-Native cast will encourage other Indigenous children to imagine themselves onstage, too.

“I just feel really proud to be that Indigenous representation for all the kids [who] to come see this, all the audience [who] to come see this,” Hellendrung said.

“Bowwow Powwow” will run from Sept. 16 to Sept. 27 at Stages Theatre Company in downtown Hopkins.

Stages Theatre Company plans to take “Bowwow Powwow” on the road in October with performances at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, the Minnesota History Center and Minneapolis American Indian Center.

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 under-covered issues and communities.

MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations. This week’s picks include a monarch festival at Lake Nokomis, the Selby Avenue JazzFest in St. Paul, a new all-female tap dance company in Crystal and more.

‘Come From Away’ at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson — Sept. 11-27

Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Perhaps the best-known theatrical production inspired by the aftermath of the tragedy is the musical “Come From Away,” which ran on Broadway for more than five years. This summer, the Guthrie sold out its performances of the musical.

“Come From Away” is set in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, where 38 planes carrying about 7,000 passengers were rerouted when New York’s airspace was closed following the attacks. Due to the timeliness of the show and to production rights becoming more widely available, “Come From Away” was the most-produced play of the 2025-26 season, according to American Theatre.

On the anniversary, the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin, is opening its season with its own production of “Come From Away, which runs through Sept. 27. Executive director Ben Thietje said they counted on the Guthrie’s production to increase local awareness of the show. The cast in this community production worked with a vocal coach to fine-tune the distinctive Gander accent, which Thietje said “feels like a cousin to the accent you’ll often hear in and around the Twin Cities.” (Emily Bright)

The sixth annual Star Party at Voyageurs National Park — Sept. 11-12

Voyageurs National Park invites the public of all ages to discover the wonder of the night sky this weekend, rain or shine, at its sixth annual Voyageurs Star Party. The event starts Friday at Rainy Lake Visitor Center in International Falls and continues Saturday at Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center in Kabetogama. The astronomy celebration features speakers, a film screening, nighttime canoe paddles, telescope sessions and guided constellation tours.

Jesse Gates, an education and dark-sky specialist with Voyageurs National Park, says the party aims to not only reconnect people with the night sky but also to address light pollution. Skies above the U.S. have been getting increasingly bright — by about 10 percent per year.

“Many people have never seen the Milky Way in their life,” Gates said. “My favorite thing is just hearing people's visceral reaction to seeing something so amazingly beautiful.” (Chandra Colvin)

‘Waiting for Godot’ at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis — Sept. 12-Oct. 11

Previews start Sept. 12 (tickets are cheaper for previews!) at the Guthrie for the classic existentialist two-hander “Waiting for Godot” by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. It’s the first time the theater has mounted “Godot” since 1973, then under the tutelage of the Guthrie’s third artistic director, Michael Langham. This time Joseph Haj is at the helm, and the play has been on his bucket list for a “very, very long time.”

“For theatermakers, of course, it's one of the most important plays of the 20th century,” Haj told MPR News. The tragicomedy centers on two vagabond friends, Vladimir and Estragon, as they wait endlessly, haplessly and somewhat shoelessly (Estragon’s darn boots!) under a tree for a man who promised to turn their lives around.

This will also be the Guthrie debut for David Strathairn (as Vladimir), known for his roles in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Lincoln,” and my personal favorites: “Big Girls Don’t Cry… They Get Even,” “A League of Their Own” and “The River Wild.” Opening night is Thursday, Sept. 17, which will be followed by a celebration in the lobby. (Alex V. Cipolle)

The 18th annual Monarch Festival/Festival de la Monarca in Minneapolis — Sept. 12

The free, bilingual, family-friendly environmental and cross-cultural festival returns 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to the Lake Nokomis parklands for a celebration of the annual 2,300-mile migration between Minnesota and Mexico. Look for monarch stilt walkers, kids and dogs in butterfly wings, art activities, educational booths and performances by Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca, Kapulli Ketzal Coatlicue and more. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Selby Avenue JazzFest in St. Paul — Sept. 12-13

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Selby Avenue JazzFest, where free, live jazz shows take over the street in St Paul for the better part of a day. Staged in conjunction with Walker|West Music Academy of St. Paul, the Saturday event kicks off at 11 a.m. with a New Orleans-style brass parade down Selby Avenue with more performances scheduled through 7:30 p.m. Musicians who bring their instruments along will have two chances to jam: in a flash mob band immediately after the parade, and after the final concert, in an official JazzFest jam session that runs from 8 to 10 p.m.

Sunday’s event, a sold-out master class led by Stokely, is also part of the festival. (Emily Bright)

SoleArte Tap at Elision Playhouse in Crystal — Sept. 12

SoleArte Tap is a new, all-female professional tap dance company. There are two opportunities to see the company’s debut full production, “The Sound of Color,” Saturday, Sept. 12, at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Elision Playhouse in Crystal.

Annalise Maiers, a dance major at Gustavus Adolphus College, has been following the company since the start and says she enjoys “that the company combines concert-style tap with classic entertainment, and weaves storytelling into the show to create a memorable experience.”

Maiers adds: “In the tap world, typically men are held high and respected as ‘the greats,’ and as an all-women group, they challenge that notion with their incredible technical skill and performance quality.” (Emily Bright)

Wakpa Triennial Art Festival in St. Paul — Sept. 12-Oct. 11

Wakpa is Dakota for “river,” and the festival that bears its name returns to the Mississippi after its debut in 2023. A project of the nonprofit Public Art St. Paul, the 2026 triennial will use wheat paste (a flour-and-water mixture often used for poster art in the streets) to attach the work of nearly 50 artists along the East 2nd Street underpass in St. Paul, near the Union Depot.

Co-curator Angela Two Stars said the event is an opportunity to uplift both emerging and established Native and Minnesota artists. This year’s theme is “A Moment to Pause,” which co-curator Bob Cozzolino said is apt amid the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

“There’s just so much artists and everybody in the Twin Cities have been carrying for years and years and years and years,” Cozzolino said. “Artists are always, to me, the people who show us the way forward.”

At 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, the wheatpasting begins: 47 4-by-4-foot posters featuring unique artworks (by Cole Redhorse Taylor, Hend Al-Mansour, Mai Tran, Piotr Szyhalski and dozens more artists) will go up on the underpass. An opening ceremony and musical performance are set for 11 a.m., and the festivities will continue until all work is installed. There will be another celebration on Raspberry Island from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, with a poetry reading, live music and more. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Correction (Sept. 12, 2026): A previous version of this story incorrectly named Ben Thietje.

Physical media like vinyl, CDs and even DVDs are all coming back into fashion, but the ancient technique of bookmaking never went out of style in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts, known as MCBA, is one of a kind in the state and likely the nation. With over 12,000 square feet of room, the space itself is a combination of three buildings. Even the architecture was built with books in mind, said Laura Brown, resident instructor and partnership coordinator at the center.

“It was designed by architects that worked with a book artist who thinks a lot about buildings as books and sort of the combination of those two things,” she said of the building that bills itself as the largest, most comprehensive book arts center in the world.

So what exactly are book arts?

“We think of it really expansively here,” Brown explained. “It can be anything that has to do with the media of making the different parts a book.”

The letters, numbers and spaces in textbooks, novels and newspapers of a certain time used to all be set by hand and printed via a technique called letterpressing. Each letter was carved onto a block that teams of people would proof-read and then ink and press onto paper for mass production.

The center offers classes and studio workshops including letterpress printing, Japanese papermaking and screen printing. During the Immigration Customs and Enforcement surge this winter, it became a hub for printing posters.

While Brown facilitates tours and classes, she said her favorite part of the job is helping people discover different avenues to art.

“I love sharing things with people,” she said. “They get to understand that being an artist can mean a lot of different things.”

This conversation is a part of our Job Interview series, where we talk to everyday Minnesotans about the rewards and challenges of their work. This following interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity. Click on the audio player to hear the interview.

Official title: Partnership Coordinator and Resident Instructor

What I actually do: I give tours and teach workshops

What you love about your work: I love that I get to be here every day, and I have great coworkers, and I get to tell people about MCBA and get them excited about it, hopefully.

The hardest part: I mean, does anybody really love email?

The hardest thing is saying no, because I can't do everything. Trying to figure out ways to do as much as I possibly can without burning out or overdoing.

What I’ve learned: People think that they’re not artists because they can’t draw representationally, and people come here and they get to be creative and they get to do things that have nothing to do with drawing and they get to understand that being an artist can mean a lot of different things.

Listen to the audio version of this “Job Interview” by clicking the player above.

Correction (Sept. 10, 2026): An earlier version of the story misattributed a statement on the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

The careers of a Twin Cities mother-daughter artist duo have intersected in a new way: through a multimedia exhibition at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Peggy Thompson is a painter whose work often explores nature and our relationship with the environment. Her daughter, Maggie Thompson, is a multimedia artist known for her textile and beadwork.

Together, they've created an exhibition that brings those practices together, called "Inherited Ground." It is on view at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum through Sept. 30. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about their work together.

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.

Nicole Fedele spends her evenings in her Minneapolis studio, using a blowtorch to heat metal for hazy, atmospheric pieces made from steel and wood.

“The steel kind of floats over the paintings, and then with strong lighting, they create this beautiful shadowing,” Fedele said.

She moved to Minnesota from New York City in search of something increasingly difficult to find there: enough space and financial breathing room to make her work. Now she has a car, an apartment, a studio and the specialized tools she needs for her artwork.

But she still does not make enough from her art to pursue it full time.

“It's day job. Close the laptop at five. Go to the studio,” Fedele said, describing her daily routine. “Work on the art until you know — I try to cut it off around 10:30 at night, 11, so I can get a decent amount of sleep,” Fedele said. “The hustle is pretty exhausting. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.”

Minnesota wages have largely kept pace with inflation, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. But those statewide numbers do not mean every worker is keeping up.

Artists, whose incomes can fluctuate with commissions, sales and project-based work, face a particular squeeze. Their living and material costs have increased, while customers have become more cautious about spending money on art.

Those pressures also ripple through the businesses artists rely on.

Mike Menasco is one of the owners of Artistic Indulgence, a custom framing workshop and gallery serving mostly local clients. The shop has provided his sole income for 30 years.

“Our framing industry, it's all across the board. Everything's gone up at least 30 percent in the past few years,” Menasco said.

Joe Mahon, regional outreach director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said discretionary spending on things like dining out or buying art, tends to decline when prices rise or the economy feels uncertain.

“That's going to be kind of a double whammy,” said Mahon. “It's not just that the cost of living has gone up for them, but maybe their incomes are even a little bit more volatile.”

For artists and arts businesses operating on thin margins, that combination can be dire.

“I'm sitting here worrying about bills coming in, and it just it cuts into that, and you just stop being creative sometimes,” said Menasco.

Fedele said the price of the steel she uses has increased by 40 percent. The cost of silver for her jewelry has also skyrocketed.

“Just to make a tiny little simple, piece of jewelry or something could be $100 in material by itself,” she said.

Larger manufacturers can sometimes control costs by buying raw materials in bulk and storing them, Mahon said. Most independent artists do not have the money or space to do that.

Springboard for the Arts, a Minnesota nonprofit, offers resources intended to make creative careers more sustainable.

Anitra Budd, a copy editor and wordsmith, works for the organization as an artist career consultant. She hosts workshops designed to help artists turn their creative practices into careers.

“We really want artists to feel seen,” Budd said. “They get to talk to somebody who's like, ‘I know what it's like to have an uncertain income stream. I know what it's like to have somebody come into your carefully put together booth at a trade fair and say, ‘Oh, I could make that. Why are you charging so much for that?’”

Springboard also piloted a guaranteed-income program that provided payments to artists over five years. The organization also offers emergency relief funds for artists facing severe financial strain.

“It turns out, when you give creative artists the cushion, the knowledge, the certainty in their income that a portion of it is going to be taken care of no matter what, it allows them the headspace to clear their mind to actually be able to make more art,” said Budd. “And to be a more engaged member of their own communities.”

For Menasco, supporting artists and giving them room to create is not a luxury.

“It is a necessity. You need art in your life,” said Menasco. “If you didn't have art, what would make you happy?”

A long-standing independent Native American newspaper has entered a new era after more than 45 years of publication.

The Circle was founded at the Minneapolis American Indian Center in 1980. Starting as a community bulletin, the newspaper transformed into a free monthly publication covering Native voices and stories.

The Circle announced key changes in its structure earlier this year — first, it would be under new leadership, and second, its traditional monthly newspaper would move to quarterly magazine releases.

Robert Pilot, a St. Paul resident and citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation, took on the role of chief editor. Pilot is the founder and host of Native Roots Radio, a program launched on AM 950 nearly a decade ago. His background also spans teaching high school education and representing the Ho-Chunk Nation as an elected leader.

“My background is community and helping community,” Pilot said.

Leaders of The Circle say the move to a new model opens opportunities for innovation and creativity.

“I wanted to have it more like The New Yorker magazine, where people would save the art,” Pilot said. The Circle’s first volume featured Dakota artwork on its cover and Ojibwe artwork on the back cover.

The Circle’s most recent release nods to the Minnesota State Fair on its cover, showcasing imagery of popular fair foods. The overall theme, however, focuses on the start of the school year, which overlaps with the fair.

In addition to a quarterly magazine release, Pilot says daily news will be shared on the outlet’s website.

“There's so many people that are doing things and have been doing things for a long time that don't get noticed,” Pilot said. “We want to amplify that and amplify just what's happening in Indian Country.”

David Cournoyer is a board member of The Circle. He says the publication’s long-lasting relationship within the community has contributed to its longevity. Contributors and leadership are often seen in the community, fostering a foundation of trust.

“I think The Circle can say, 'We're not going anywhere.’ And that's a big deal,” Cournoyer said.

Pilot adds that he feels a sense of resurgence within the Native community, in which organizations and concepts are being revisited with inspiration from younger generations. While Pilot has stepped up as chief editor of The Circle for now, he hopes to move aside and let upcoming generations lead the way.

“I'm so excited to be able to, in a couple years, hand this off to somebody younger,” he said.

Alongside physical releases of The Circle, a digital copy will be available for download on the publication’s website.

“If you miss the magazine or if you're in a different state and you don't subscribe to it, you'll be able to see what's happening,” Pilot said. There is no charge to access the magazine in either physical or digital form.

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.

If you remember the first time you left your family to go to summer camp, you probably remember how that time marked you. You leave as a child, but after spending a week or two away from home and all that’s familiar, you return changed.

Chang-rae Lee’s new novel, “A Tender Age,” follows a young boy, almost 11, as he begins the shift toward adolescence. A few tumultuous events make Jeon-Gi very aware of his new and growing personhood — and then he leaves for summer camp, where he experiments with different wants to be seen and to act in his suddenly widening world.

Told through the now-adult Jeon-Gi’s memories, the story asks questions who how we become who we are.

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A Tender Age: A Novel

Go to MPR's Bookshop page to purchase this title and support local indie bookstores.

“We’re not just formed by the world,” Lee tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. “There’s part of us that’s ready to be forming on its own. So the world doesn’t only form us, it reveals us. There’s an interplay between those things, that sometimes can go in a direction we didn’t expect.”

Guest:

• Chang-rae Lee is the author of many books, including “Native Speaker,” which won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for first fiction. His new book is “A Tender Age.” When he’s not writing his own work, Lee teaches writing to students at Stanford University.

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

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

Tamara Sawyer fled her home Sunday after she was subjected to harassment and doxing after a piece she had entered in the Minnesota State Fair Crop Art Competition went viral. Sawyer told MPR News that her photo, home address, email, phone number and employer were shared online. The number “86” commonly means to remove or get rid of something, but some critics interpreted Sawyer’s use of it alongside “47” as a call to kill President Donald Trump.

“It was all veiled death threats, like, ‘Oh, let's 86 Tamara Sawyer. Here's her address,’ Sawyer said. “I'm not worried about 99.9 percent of the people. The ones that I'm worried about are the ones that mistakenly think I threatened their president, and now they're going to come pay me a visit and either kill me or hurt me or terrorize me or whatever, and that is terrifying.”

Sawyer said she had no intention of threatening the president. She said she was expressing her desire to see President Trump impeached and removed from office for sending thousands of federal immigration enforcement agents to Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge.

This is the first time Sawyer had entered anything in the fair. The Minnesota State Fair has declined to comment for this story.

Sawyer’s crop art submission said “8647” using mung, black and red beans as well as ground white corn. Sawyer said she was using the phrase "86” as the term that’s commonly used in restaurants and bars: to indicate that a menu item is no longer available, removing something from an order or eject an unruly patron.

“If you're at a restaurant and a customer doesn't want onions on their plate, the term for that is ‘86 the onions.’ It doesn't mean you go kill the onions; it's don't put them on the plate,” Sawyer said. “It was a direct meaning of ‘Impeach Trump.’ I don't want him dead. I actually want him impeached, and I want him in jail, and I want him to see the damage that he’s done.”

Each crop art piece displayed at the fair must have a legend card with the seeds and plant parts used. Sawyer said her card was difficult to see because the artwork hung high on the wall. The card explained the meaning of the artwork.

The grits that make up the slab of ice represented federal agents, and the different beans represented different communities targeted by ICE, Sawyer said.

“The mung beans represent the Asian population because they were definitely targeted. The black beans represent the Black and brown populations,” Sawyer said. “The red beans did represent blood. That's one thing that they had correct online. However, it did not represent President Trump's blood. It represents the blood that was spilled on the streets of Minnesota by crimes perpetrated by ICE, so that was hugely symbolic.”

The inspiration for the piece was two-fold. Sawyer was part of a group of community members who patrolled their neighborhood observing ICE activity.

“I did that for weeks, and what I saw on the news, and what I saw myself was very upsetting and heartbreaking,” Sawyer said. She got the idea for the design from the image former FBI director James Comey shared on his social media of shells on a beach spelling out “8647.” Comey has been indicted by the Justice Department for threatening the president.

Sawyer said she first learned about the backlash when a friend texted her on the first Friday of the fair with a link to a Facebook post by Alpha News about her crop art. That night she tried to shut down all of her social media but someone had already taken a screenshot of her LinkedIn page. Sawyer, a public employee, said the crop art was done in her personal time.

On Saturday, Aug. 29, Sawyer said that Marta Shore, the fair’s crop art and scarecrow superintendent, contacted her to see whether she was OK. Then her artwork went viral on X and other social media, and that’s when the doxing began.

On Sunday, Sawyer called Shore to request removal of her artwork because she was no longer feeling safe. Shore acted immediately, Sawyer said, and removed the piece from the wall, and people took photos of her doing it. Those photos also went viral.

“It just slammed me,” Sawyer said. “I didn't expect to see it on social media, and I didn't expect to see it in all these other places, and it hit the news magazines and the newspapers, that same photo, and that was really painful.”

Sawyer added, “I mean I was excited. I'd never put anything in the fair before, and this was really cool. And it was my statement against ICE. And then here I'm getting all these death threats, and now I'm seeing the picture of her on the ladder taking it down.”

Sawyer was not the only fair artist to respond to Operation Metro Surge. There were so many artworks on the topic that cropart.com created a new section just for tributes to what they are calling the “Minnesota Resistance.” In fact, artists and crafters across the fair responded to the surge, from the Fine Arts exhibition to the Creative Activities building.

There were also other political works. A piece that said, in stark black and white, “Fauci Lied” hung directly below Sawyer’s artwork, and another piece depicted President Trump as Jesus.

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Sawyer said her family, friends, employer, the fair and the crop art community have all been “extremely supportive,” so she is already planning the crop artwork she will submit next year.

“I’ve contacted a friend of mine who's really good at drawing, and she is drawing it up. I will be back next year,” Sawyer said.

Sawyer, however, said she hoped that the fair would update rules to shield crop artists from harassment.

“The protections that I'd like to see to protect crop artists would be the option to opt out of having their name on the piece or using a first name only to give them some anonymity,” Sawyer said. She said the city listed for each artist should also be optional.

In the meantime, Sawyer said she is not ready to return home.

“I need my life back, and I don't know when I’ll feel safe enough to go home,” Sawyer said. “I'm trying to take some steps, and do some mental health healing and other stuff, but it has totally disrupted my life at this point, and I don't feel safe going home.”

MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations. This week’s picks include a woodsy art exhibition at a Shoreview museum, art show for the 40th Duluth-Superior Pride and more.

‘Meet Me in the Forest’ at the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum in Shoreview — Through Feb. 27

After a record-hot sweltering summer, nothing sounds better than stepping into the cool, dark woods. The promo image for the “Meet Me in the Forest” exhibition is a glazed ceramic painting called “Trauma” by artist Amanda Michelle Smith. It’s an enticing rabbit hole, an artwork that feels part “Alice in Wonderland,” part psychedelia, and all woodsy fairy tale.

Wild, dark and sweet nature beckons in the exhibition’s artworks from oil paintings to glass sculpture, the latter of which the museum is known for. “Nature in this exhibition isn’t just a backdrop or landscape, but instead a main character in these stories artists want to share with us,” said co-curator Jill Ahlberg Yohe in a statement. (Alex V. Cipolle)

National Park System artist-in-residence at Grand Portage National Monument — Through Sept. 12

Grand Portage National Monument and the Grand Marais Art Colony invite the public to two free upcoming events with inaugural artist-in-residence Sofia Vanderlan. The Artist-in-Residence Program, which started this year, brings in local artists to create work inspired by the monument’s landscape, collections and Ojibwe cultural heritage.

Vanderlan, a descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a beadwork artist. She will hold a demonstration at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Grand Marais Art Colony. Vanderlan says she is excited to honor her family and heritage through sharing her artistic knowledge.

“Beadwork is a way for me to express joy,” she said. “My goal when I create pieces is for people to feel that as well and also find belonging in a way with the pieces that I create.”

Vanderlan will do art demonstrations at the monument 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, and Tuesday through Friday Sept. 8-11. (Chandra Colvin)

‘Nina Simone: Four Women’ at Pillsbury House + Theatre in Minneapolis — Sept. 5-27

Nina Simone wrote the song “Four Women” in 1966, at the height of the civil rights era. Here, the singer and activist tells the story of four Black women, which inspired the 2016 play of the same name, set in the aftermath of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, when four girls were murdered. Ten years after its premiere at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, the Pillsbury is presenting “Nina Simone: Four Women” with its original director Faye M. Price, a founding member of Mixed Blood and Penumbra theaters in the Twin Cities. Theatre artist and jazz vocalist Thomasina Petrus is reprising her role as Sephronia.

After living through the police murder of George Floyd, and everything after, Petrus says that Simone’s song is prophetic for our own time.

“Here we are in the climate we're in now, very racially charged. A lot of the same things are happening in newer clothes and in more contemporary places,” Petrus said. “It just kind of makes you crazy a little bit that these songs are still so relevant now, today, because it begs the question: How far have we come? And who isn't doing their work? Who isn't doing the work that it takes to change things?” (Alex V. Cipolle)

40th Anniversary Duluth-Superior Pride art shows — Through Sept. 21

Duluth-Superior Pride runs through Sunday, Sept. 6, marking its 40th anniversary. Events include a festival on Saturday at Bayfront Festival Park, a Sunday art crawl in downtown Superior, and a series of art shows and performances. Two Duluth galleries are launching group shows featuring local artists to celebrate the occasion: Prøve Gallery opens “The Queerest Art Show Ever” with a reception at 6 to9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, and the Zeitgeist Arts Atrium will feature “Portraits of Pride.” That reception, including a spoken word performance, is Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., so it’s possible to attend both. “Portraits of Pride” will remain on view through Sept. 21. Find a full listing of events here. (Emily Bright)

Little Thistle Brewing Co. Book Fair in Rochester — Sept. 5

It's almost fall which means curling up with a good book, a blanket and a cup of coffee. On Saturday Little Thistle Brewing Co. in Rochester is hosting a book fair where, of course, a coffee truck by Sugar & Steam Coffee will be on site but also a tap room full of brews. It is the second annual fair, but the first that assistant taproom manager Modesta Headle has planned. Literary vendors include Garden Party Books, Once Upon a Crime, Cream & Amber, Griot Books, Safe & Pink Feathers mobile bookstore, Bookaneer and the Rochester Public Library (you can register for a library card while you browse!)

Headle said she recently got back into reading and has used it as an outlet to relax when she feels overwhelmed by current events. Last year Little Thistle hosted a Pizza Hut BOOK IT! inspired program that was overwhelmingly popular, so Headle got to thinking after she saw other breweries host events that Rochester bookworms might appreciate another get together.

"Highlighting local businesses is a big one for me, and also bringing the community together. Everyone that is here has one thing in common: We love to read,” Headle said. “It's just a great way of bringing communities together and vibing with each other.”

There will also be blind dates with a book available to purchase, the Taco Lab food truck for lunch and treats from Bites by Kara. The fair runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m (Sam Stroozas)

World premiere of “Mothership” at Penumbra Center for Racial Healing in St. Paul — Sept. 8-Oct. 4

Penumbra is launching its 50th theatrical anniversary with the world premiere of a play that looks into the future, and to the stars. Billed as an Afrofuturist parable, “Mothership” follows five people who escape a broken planet on a sentient ship.

This play about healing was co-written by Twin Cities therapist Resmaa Menakem, who is best known for his New York Times best-selling book, “My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies,” and playwright Kristen Calhoun. The show runs from Sept. 8 through Oct 4. There will be post-show discussions with Resmaa Menakem on Sept. 17. and Oct. 1. (Emily Bright)

(Correction: Sept. 8, 2026): A previous version of this story misidentified the piece “When Trauma Comes to Town.” The above story is accurate.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with award-winning author Marlon James about his new book, “The Disappearers,”the story of a brutal attack on a group of gay men in Jamaica and its aftermath.

Community land trusts make it possible for land to be owned collectively while individuals own the homes and businesses on it.

The model grew out of the civil rights movement, when Black farmers in the rural South used collective ownership to build economic independence despite barriers to credit and land access.

Today, community land trusts help preserve affordable housing and commercial spaces while giving communities more control over their future.

The Rondo Community Land Trust in St. Paul is one example. It is working to rebuild community wealth and preserve the legacy of the historic Black neighborhood displaced by Interstate 94.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how community land trusts work, why collective ownership matters and what the model could offer communities across Minnesota.

Guests:

• Mikeya Griffin is the president and CEO of Rondo Community Land Trust, a nonprofit that creates permanently affordable homes and commercial spaces that keep land, opportunity, and legacy rooted in community. She grew up in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood and is the first African American woman to lead the 30-year-old organization.

• Debbie Montgomery is a community leader who grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul. She was the first Black woman police sergeant in St. Paul and the first Black woman elected to the St. Paul City Council. She also served as assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. At age 17, she became the youngest person to serve on the national board of the NAACP, an organization that works towards equity, political rights and social inclusion of Black people and people of color.

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.    

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.

A Teen Musical in the 4-H Building

Erik Ostrom of Minneapolis is an improviser, composer and musician—and he always makes a point when he goes to the State Fair to see the 4-H State Arts-In Musical. The program brings together teen thespians from around the state, who spend three weeks creating an original musical, including sets, props, and costumes. Ostrom describes the show as a half-hour song-and-dance production with a live band. They perform three-to-four times a day in the 4-H Building through Labor Day.

Ostrom loves seeing the kids’ passion for theater:

“I was a small-town theater kid, and I had friends who were other small town theater kids, but it can be isolating, and I like the idea that there are these theater kids coming from all over the state and meeting each other and finding new friends who are excited about the same things they are."

Meximalismo

Mary Thomas is an art historian and Deputy Director of US Latinx Art Forum. She recommends visiting the exhibition "Meximalismo" at Northeast Sculpture Gallery in Minneapolis, which runs through Sept. 12.

Here’s how she describes it:

“’Meximalismo’ is a lively and thoughtful exploration of maximalist aesthetics within Latinx art. Curated by Silvana Agostini and Maria Cristina Tavera, this exhibition features a wide range of artists working in mediums that span photography, painting, installation, and multi-media work. The exhibition brings forward multi-dimensional understanding of the social and political significance of maximalism that resonates deeply in a moment that has been overdetermined by narratives of fear and scarcity.”

Landscapes with unexpected points of view

Looking for a space of beauty to take a breather before the fall arts season swings into action? Doris Rubenstein of Richfield suggests visiting Laura Andrews’ exhibit The Transparent Eye. These “dreamlike” paintings often adjust the viewpoint of typical landscape paintings inviting viewers to look up at the tree canopy or consider the natural world in a new way. The show is on view at the Kolman & Reeb Gallery in the Northrup-King Building in Northeast Minneapolis through Sept. 26.

"No one is forcing you to buy a painting, but hold on to your wallet when you see these!”

An upcoming documentary looks to showcase the State Fair in a new light. Simply called "The Fair Documentary," it goes behind-the-scenes of fair favorites and highlights corners of the fair you may have never seen before.

Director and producer Alec Fischer joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the film, which is currently in production.

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.