If scary movies are a must for you this Halloween, TriLingua Cinema in St. Paul may have what you need.

On Friday, the brand new microcinema will host a Hmonglloween. The event will showcase horror films by local Hmong filmmakers.

Filmmaker Lucky Cha made a movie for the event and Kang Vang curated the lineup. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to share all the gory details.

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.

The new opera “The Many Deaths of Laila Starr” was set to premiere on Halloween night. Now audiences may not see it until late 2027 or early 2028.

The Minnesota Opera announced the postponement this week amid continuing negotiations about cost-of-living wage increases with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, which have been ongoing for five months and resulted in a vote to authorize a strike earlier this month.

“It’s disappointing,” said Ryan Taylor, the Opera’s president and general director.

“We're not at a place where I feel like we are within striking distance of an agreement just yet,” Taylor continued. “We really couldn't imagine getting to a place where we were standing on opening night, and critical members of our team decided they couldn't perform, so in this case, we felt like the best thing for us to do is to move ‘Laila Starr’ to a time period where we are certain about our ability to present the show.”

Taylor said the union — American Federation of Musicians Local 3073 — rejected a “temporary no-strike, no-lockout agreement” that would ensure the orchestra receives retroactive pay increases once a new contract is reached.

“There would be no loss for the orchestra and no loss for the 214 or so other artists working on the show, and we would get to present a world premiere without interruption while we continued to negotiate on that contract,” Taylor said. “And the musicians declined that offer.”

Cellist Rebecca Arons, the chair of the negotiating committee, said the offer did not make sense for orchestra members because leadership has shown no willingness to consider wage increases.

“It is rather disingenuous,” Arons said. “You are saying that you can provide increases and you are offering exactly zero at the negotiating table — to then demand an agreement such as that is not anything that any one would think was reasonable.”

Arons said a central issue is management treating the orchestra members as “per-service” musicians. In other words, an orchestra hired for individual performances rather than a community institution in itself.

“It's about preserving the professional orchestra that has been the foundation of the Minnesota Opera's artistic excellence for 63 years,” Arons said. “There has been a trajectory of artistic growth, of trust, of shared vision between the orchestra, other creatives and the top leadership, and that has been eroded.”

The Orchestra will host a free concert starting 7 p.m. Sunday at the University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis.

“It will be all of your favorite opera arias,” Arons said. “Regardless of how things are going for the negotiations, we need to do things to remind us, and in community with people who want to see live music, why we have dedicated our lives to this.”

Taylor said the Opera will pay all the artists, including the orchestra members, for their work on this season as originally contracted, regardless of the postponement. Ticketholders have the option to use their ticket next year, transfer it to a performance later this season or get a refund.

The Opera’s next scheduled production is “My Name is Florence” Jan. 8 and 9.

Halloween is just around the corner, and Minnesotans are getting ready with costumes, decorations and plenty of candy. From trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins to haunted houses and costume parties, Halloween traditions have evolved over generations.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a Halloween historian about the history of the holiday. She’ll also talk with a longtime community volunteer from Anoka about why the city calls itself the Halloween Capital of the World.

Guests:

• Lisa Morton is an author and Halloween historian who researches the holiday’s origins, traditions and cultural significance. She has written several books about Halloween, including “Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween” and “The Halloween Encyclopedia.”

• Karen George is a longtime Anoka resident and volunteer with Anoka Halloween, Inc. She is grand marshal of the city’s Halloween parades this year.

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.    

Comedian Chloe Radcliffe stood on a St. Paul rooftop last Friday, yelling about her unrequited crushes.

“Why won't you notice me?” she yelled, a few floors up from Black Coffee and Waffle Bar at the crossroads of Cretin and Marshall avenues.

Behind her is a billboard with a photo of her that says “Do you have a crush on me now, Tyler?” There are two more billboards just like this in Minneapolis, but they’re directed to “Matt” and “Seth.” Each has a Comedy Central logo in the corner.

“I guess there's no subtlety to it,” Radcliffe said, laughing. ”I'm really desperate that my old crushes finally notice me. They never paid attention to me when I was younger, and now I'm hoping that now that I have a Comedy Central special and a billboard in St. Paul, and two in Minneapolis, now they'll start noticing me.”

Based in New York, the Prior Lake native has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and appeared in Bradley Cooper’s 2025 film “Is This Thing on?” — a film about standup. She also recently taped her debut comedy special, “Eyes Down Here,” which premieres at 8 p.m.. CDT Oct. 27 on Comedy Central, the first full-length special the cable channel has released in more than five years.

Her friend comedian Patrick Susmilch, who produced the special, is preparing a drone to get a shot of the billboard.

“Chloe told me about the billboard. I was like, absolutely, we should do that. That’s insane,” said Susmilch, who is from White Bear Lake. “And now we see it, and yeah, it's insane like we thought, and that makes it hilarious.”

The billboards tie into the themes of the special — dating, self-esteem and “how the way that we see ourselves affects the way other people see us.”

Radcliffe didn’t reach out to her past Minnesota crushes to alert them about the marketing stunt, but she says, through the internet and “friends of friends of friends,” she figured out the general vicinity of where they lived and placed the billboards there.

Radcliffe said she knew the three men from high school, college and one of her first jobs at Target Corp.

“I spent so long feeling like the truly hot, truly cool, attractive people would never be into me because I am weird, but mostly look weird,” Radcliffe said, pointing to the birthmark on her face. “I have a huge thing on my face that has hair on it, like there's no getting around it, you know. I spent so many years feeling insecure about that.”

And does that insecurity linger now that she has a special coming out?

“People go, ‘Oh, you're killing it,’ and I'm like, ‘Am I?’” Radcliffe said. “I don't know. Currently, I'm in my hometown begging a man who never paid attention to me to like me.”

Regardless, there is something to learn from all this, Radcliffe said.

“The lesson is: Ask for what you want, and you might not actually get exactly that thing, but you might get something close.”

Bonnie Garmus's debut novel, “Lessons in Chemistry,” published when she was in her 60s, hit the New York Times bestseller list and sparked a miniseries on Apple TV in 2023.

Garmus’ new novel “Peck & Peck” features characters who are equally single-minded about their passions, though the subject is not chemistry but poetry, said bookseller Kia White of Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake.

“Peck & Peck” is set in 1980s New York City, where recent college grad Batter Gray has one real passion and skill: poetry. He lands what he thinks is his dream job at the prestigious poetry magazine “Peck & Peck,” where he winds up as a copy boy in the basement, which he refers to as the "bomb shelter." He quickly becomes embroiled in office drama. The magazine, for example, is run by twin brothers who hate each other.

White appreciated the “next level ridiculous” names of the characters, whom she describes as “both larger than life and super relatable.” Batter's mother, for example, is a typeface expert and designer.

“She treats her career and her passion so seriously, but also with so much joy, and I think that runs through the whole book,” White said. “There’s sort of humor in how seriously everybody is taking poetry and art, almost like they’re running it like a big corporate business. But also, the seriousness of that makes it all really beautiful.”

Neon blue lights circled a girl with blonde hair and glasses as she stood on the dark stage of “The Voice,” holding her guitar. An ethereal chorus filled the room, and she began to sing Olivia Rodrigo’s “traitor.”

All four coaches, with their backs turned, listened intently. On “The Voice,” the coaches judge the singer on just their voice, not their appearance.

If they’re impressed, they press a button to claim the artist for their team. Their chair turns around so they can meet the performer they chose.

In mere seconds, Queen Latifah pressed the button on her chair and turned around. Not long after, Kelly Clarkson followed suit. Once the performance ended, Clarkson, shocked, exclaimed, “What!?”

Before them stood Brooklyn Marie, a Minnesotan who, at just 14, earned two coaches’ votes to compete on the show.

The choice was now Marie’s. Would she join Team Kelly or Team Queen? Marie had an answer from the start.

“It’s always been Kelly,” Marie announced. Clarkson rejoiced and joined Marie on stage for a hug.

“Brooklyn has this really special tone, and it’s got a purity to it that we haven’t heard, and man, her voice is incredible for just a singer, let alone a 14-year-old,” Clarkson said in a testimonial on the show.

A songbook of life

Marie’s journey on “The Voice” has just begun, but she told MPR News her story with music began long ago.

Marie, whose full name is Brooklyn Marie Ostlund, says before she could walk or even talk, she sang. From the backseat of her family car, melodies flowed out of her as a toddler.

At age 3, she took the stage for the first time at a local telethon in her hometown of Alexandria. Her musical curiosity snowballed; she learned to play different instruments and performed at places around her region.

It wasn’t until one fateful night, watching her favorite musician, Josie Nelson, perform at a local winery, that she realized music could be more than just a passion.

“One day I just thought, what if I could do that?” said Marie. “Like, I love singing so much. I sing in the shower. I sing when I'm sleeping. I sing 24/7. I wondered if I could do that.”

Marie approached Nelson and asked for advice on entering the music industry. Nelson said Marie would have to be quite prepared for the job.

She’d need equipment, endurance to play for multiple hours with no breaks, improvisation skills and enough songs in her repertoire to keep the show from being repetitive.

Marie said she spent her entire summer practicing her guitar to prove she could pull it off. She was 11 and built up a list of a hundred songs that she could perform.

“My fingers started bleeding from playing guitar so much; I just loved it so much,” said Marie. “My dad finally was like, 'Are you actually serious about this?’ And I was like, ‘Yes! Like, I've been working all summer. I need this.’"

Her first gig was playing at her elementary school’s picnic. From there, she scored gigs at wineries, vineyards and breweries.

“It’s really cool to see the progress that I've made from being this little kid who sang outside every night in the summer to being able to perform for people regularly,” said Marie.

A small-town girl dreams of Manhattan’s lights

Marie has released two singles so far: “Tired” and “i miss u.” Both feature her guitar heavily. She altered her vocals to add spatial depth. The songs deal with loss.

She said she often draws inspiration from her emotions and writes things down whenever something bad happens. She looks up to Taylor Swift, whose lyrics resonate with her as emotionally weighty.

Marie said that Swift’s song “Clara Bow” has special meaning to her. The song references the extra obstacles girls and women in the entertainment industry face. It also mentions a small-town girl who dreams of seeing Manhattan's lights. Marie sees herself in the song.

“I'm from a small town. Like, it's not even in anyone's possibility for me to go to ‘The Voice,’” Marie said.

Throughout all this time performing, she dreamed of competing on “The Voice.” Her father suggested she apply after seeing how far she’d already gotten in her music career.

They submitted an audition tape, then NBC asked for another one until she eventually landed a blind audition.

Now, she moves on to “The Battles” component of the show. Here, two contestants of the same team are paired to perform the same song together. The coach must choose the artist they're most confident in. That contestant will move on to the next round.

Marie’s battle round airs Monday, and if she wins, she will advance to an audience vote round on Monday, Nov. 2. There, viewers will decide whether she can advance to the live show stage of the competition.

She’s also working on an album she hopes to release next year.

Music is Marie’s passion, but if it doesn’t work out, she has a plan B: becoming an ear, nose and throat doctor. When she was a kid, she had tubes placed in her ears to help reduce infections.

Then, those tubes exploded her eardrums.

“They were like, ‘We don't know if she's going to be able to hear normally ever again,’” said Marie.

Before each operation she had to go through, a doctor would sing to her to calm her down. She remembers it vividly. It’s why, if all else fails, she hopes to become a doctor and keep a guitar with her to sing to patients who are scared like she once was.

“I really wanted to be able to have the same impact,” she said. “Not only for the parents but also for the children who are going through that.”

Barbara Kingsolver is a lauded writer. But the art doesn’t stop there. She’s also a pianist.

Like Livia, the main character in her new novel, “Partia,” Kingsolver also left her humble roots in Appalachia to go to college on a piano scholarship. In part, it’s what inspired her to write this book.

“Very few people have written about music from the inside,” she tells host Kerri Miller on Big Books and Bold Ideas. “I’ve never read a novel about a pianist from a pianist point of view. I loved the challenge of translating one art form into another.”

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Partita: A Novel

Go to MPR's bookshop page to purchase this title and support indie booksellers.

Kingsolver composed “Partita” like a musical partita — a series of parts that makes a whole. Livia is enthralled with her music during her early days at college and has big dreams. But then she falls madly in love for the first time, and her path is forever changed.

“Partita” is a reflection on the “what ifs” of life, but even more, it’s a story about redemption, love and the power of music.

Guest:

• Barbara Kingsolver the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including “Demon Copperhead,” “Unsheltered” and “The Poisonwood Bible.” Her new novel is “Partita.”

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.

MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations statewide. This week’s picks include a new exhibition by Frank Buffalo-Hyde at Northfield Arts Guild, a a textile arts group exhibition at Lanesboro Arts and more.

Twin Cities Horror Festival in Minneapolis — Through Oct. 31

The 15th annual Twin Cities Horror Festival has returned to the Crane Theatre for a total of 16 days of live performance. Artistic director Nissa Nordland says it’s the largest live performance horror festival in the country, which means stages full of horror-themed theater, dance, music, improv, puppetry and more.

“Kalinga: Feast of the Fallen,” a dance performance about the horrors of war by South Asian Arts & Theatre House (aka SAATH), is one of the buzziest shows this season, Nordland said.

“It is a really visceral production, and our audiences have been really speaking about that one and how it showed up differently in their minds of what horror can be,” Nordland said. “One of the things we love about this festival is that we believe horror is for everyone, and one of the things that unifies us as humans is fear, and we can share our nightmares and learn from each other by them.”

The fest has everything from kid-friendly shows to adults-only, from an alien invasion and a haunted ice shanty to body technology horror and a 19th-century sapphic vampire tale. The website provides a handy rating system for suggested ages and gore levels. Single tickets are $15, a five-show pass is $70, and all ticket sales go to the artists. (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘State of Grace’ by Frank Buffalo Hyde at Northfield Arts Guild — Through Nov. 12

Northfield Arts Guilds present artwork by Indigenous creator Frank Buffalo Hyde in its main gallery. Buffalo Hyde, who is Onondaga and Niimíipuu, paints Indigenous life through vibrant colors and themes of satire. His pieces have been shown in galleries from Sante Fe, N.M. to Syracuse, N.Y.

“State of Grace” will open Friday, Oct. 23, and will run through Thursday, Nov. 12.

The gallery is open Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An opening reception will be held Oct. 29 starting at 6 p.m. (Chandra Colvin)

Moomin mini prints debut at Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul — until supplies last

Mini print machines have been popping up all over the state this year. Inciardi Prints, a well-known national brand, announced an exclusive collaboration with the lovable Finnish character Moomin. Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul installed an Inciardi machine last year and is now one of only eight stores in the nation with the prints.

The $1 prints come from a machine that only takes quarters, and customers won’t know which design they’ll get. Bookseller Kelsie Pates said after releasing the new design on Monday, 500 prints had been purchased by Wednesday. Each order from Inciardi has 2,000 prints, and Red Balloon has placed a second request. Customers are limited to 10 prints and yes, you can exchange cash for quarters at the register.

“This is so closely related to the blind box craze,” Pates said of the mini prints. “We’ve had a lot of people coming in specifically for it. It feels like even since we got the machine, we’ve had more people who are collectors of mini prints come in.”

Pates said she hasn’t heard of an end date for the release, but the store will likely keep it up through the holidays. (Sam Stroozas)

‘A Common Thread’ textile exhibition at Lanesboro Arts Gallery — Oct. 24-Dec. 20

For 25 years, the Minneapolis Textile Center has hosted a biennial exhibition featuring the work of its member artists, and for the first time that exhibition will be hosted at Lanesboro Arts. On view are 30 artworks – of quilting, knitting, needlework, basketry, sculpture and more – by some of Minnesota’s most skilled textile artists.

A favorite of gallery manager Maggie Schwarz is a quilt called “And Another Door Opens" by artist Emily Chesick that has cinematic qualities. It features an arched hallway with a dark passage at the end.

'A Common Thread' at Lanesboro Arts

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“It really draws your eye all the way down to whatever's in that dark room,” Schwarz said. “You can see that the artist has really taken care to get the palette and the color of the piece to a certain tone, which is just really inviting, and it's amazing to get to witness that creativity.”

Lanesboro Arts hosts a free opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘Time Travel Through Art and Letters’ at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery in Grand Marais — Oct. 24

Earlier this year, the Cook County Historical Society launched a project called “Letters to Our Future” as a way to document the community’s response to Operation Metro Surge. With a recent grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, the project is expanding to capture experiences about the summer wildfires, the U.S. Semiquincentennial, mining ban reversals, elections and other major events.

This stage of the project kicks off with a free event from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery where the historical society will give a presentation on how letters help tell histories and a hands-on letter-writing session for Cook County residents to write their own. The event will also host a Q&A for its open call for artist proposals to create a physical time capsule that will hold the community letters. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Unlabeled Theatre Company usually fills the basement of St. Peter’s Church in Edina with musical rehearsals. This time, the company is preparing for a drama.

The tiny Twin Cities-based theater company is rehearsing for what will be the U.S. premiere of the British drama “Jellyfish.” The show follows Kelly, a young woman with Down syndrome who falls in love with her first boyfriend, a man who doesn't have an intellectual disability.

“It’s really an exploration of the intersection of consent and guardianship and autonomy when it comes to people living with cognitive disabilities,” said Unlabeled Artistic Director Jessica Froehlich.

Unlabeled primarily casts actors with physical and intellectual disabilities. Froehlich said British playwright Ben Weatherill said the lead character of Kelly must be played by an actress with Down syndrome, a condition he set for licensing the play.

Maeve Linkert will be the first actress to portray the role in a U.S. production.

Unlabeled has always wanted to take on shows about people with disabilities, but this show will be its first foray into the field. Froehlich said the company has spent years developing ways to support actors living with disabilities, onstage.

“We're constantly working on how do we make accommodations and supports look artistic and professional. So, it's taken us years to figure this out,” she explained.

For years, the company has primarily done musicals, with large casts, where actors with disabilities perform with what’s called a shadow partner, an actor without disabilities who’s also performing choreography and lines.

“And they create the role together. It's a collaboration,” said Shanan Custer.

Custer has been a shadow partner with Unlabeled for years, including being paired with Linkert in the company’s production of “The Addams Family.”

“This is so fascinating and so different from any kind of theater I've ever seen. And what I've seen it do is it allows everyone to find their voice and shine,” she added.

Custer will now take on the role of Agnes, Kelly’s mother, in a cast of only four main actors and one shadow partner.

Linkert said she thinks her character will get the audience talking.

“And the people say, ‘what is Kelly doing?’” Linkert said.

“Yeah and how is she doing it? Right? And I think that this play really sits right in that discomfort and doesn't let it up at all for the audience, and we really have to think about it. Kelly's a person.” Custer added.

Froehlich said this show will ask more of the audience than the musicals the company is known for.

“We want audiences to come to our shows because they're good, and because you're going to see good theater. And to open your eyes to see that artists with disabilities can make good theater too, if not better," she said.

“Jellyfish” opens Friday, Oct. 30, at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul.

In a bright white gallery at the Walker Art Center, curator Joseph Grima stands in front of a chair that appears to be charred to a crisp. Next to it is a grainy photo of the same chair lapped by bright orange flames, on the cover of the July 1974 issue of Casabella, a famed Italian design magazine. The image was as viral as one could be in the pre-internet age.

“This is something that all architecture students and design students have sort of burned into their memory because it was one of those iconic images,” Grima said. The Brit is a renowned international design figure who has been commuting to the Walker from his home in Milan.

The chair is the first object Grima wants to show me among the 100 or so pieces that create a bizarro world filled with off-center objects of domesticity and the built environment at the Walker's inaugural design triennial, “Beyond Materialism.” Grima and Asli Altay – the Walker’s artistic director of design programming – brought in the work of 26 major designers from around the world, from Nigeria to South Korea, Taiwan to the Netherlands.

The Walker also commissioned Spanish artist Lucas Muñoz Muñoz to make a piece about Minneapolis. More on that later; first, back to the chair.

The medium is not the message

The chair, or rather the journey of the chair – the chair and fire and aftermath as performance art – is called “Lassù,” Italian for “Up There,” by Italian designer Alessandro Mendini. It’s a conceptual exercise. The chair itself is a platonic ideal, not something anyone would ever sit on comfortably, and Mendini is sending that idea up in flames.

“Lassù marked the beginning of a certain ritualistic idea of design,” Grima said. As he explains, it created a before and after in the design world: Design should also serve conceptual and spiritual purposes, not just those of practicality, affordability and convenience prized in the consumer boom after World War II.

This idea, that design could serve a higher or spiritual purpose, is at the heart of the entire exhibition. To drive this point home, “Lassù” has been placed next to a wooden American Shaker chair made in 1820, the kind of sturdy spindled seat found at a kitchen table.

“The Shakers were one of the first movements to acknowledge that design could have a dimension that transcends the material,” Grima said. “For the Shakers, making beautiful objects was a form of devotion.”

As Grima points out, beyond the Shaker chair, none of the design objects are practical or useful in a conventional sense.

“We really wanted to start the exhibition by showing that as an example of an object that speaks to a physical need and to kind of everyday use, but also to a secondary purpose that addresses the sort of the realm of the spirit,” Grima said.

Who is the designer now?

Altay, who came to the Walker from Turkey in 2021, has been dreaming up the triennial since she arrived. She wants to track how design has changed and will change in response to technology, climate, trends and new habits, and reconnect the museum to its storied design history.

“The triennial will be coming back to the same question every three years: What is design, and who is the designer now?” Altay says.

The answers that the exhibition presents vary wildly, but a common response is the fountain. For one, “System of Atonement” is a 6-foot-tall fountain made of stacked plastic jerrycans – a form originally designed for the German military in the 1930s – by Korean designer Jonghoo Jeong. As a designer, Jeong had long worked with synthetic materials that are harmful to the environment, using jerrycans to dump their liquid waste into the sewer system, Grima explained.

“He decided to create this fountain as a way of actually atoning for his sins as a designer and somehow acknowledging that the process of design, in his case, carried with it externalities and consequences that were not necessarily positive,” Grima said. “It's a reflection on the trade-offs of trying to do good things, but also being caught in a system of production that is almost inevitably harmful.”

As the water trickled through the thin plastic, Altay added, “What I love about this is the fact that it speaks to how guilt works, so it’s closed circuit.”

The object dreamscape continues with an iridescent alien-like seesaw by Greek design duo Astronauts, a spartan and glistening chrome tableware set by the design group Ananas Ananas, based in Los Angeles and Baja, Calif., and the “Migration Columns” of American architect Germane Barnes, which reinterpret the classic Greek form through the lens of the African diaspora. Here Barnes has broken the column free of its smooth Western molds (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and so on), replacing it with rippling, jagged and rough surfaces.

"Beyond Materialism"

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“Each of the works – they're very personal,” Grima said. “They speak to the dilemmas of the designers themselves. So they're almost a form of self-reflection and self-therapy.”

From Minneapolis to the world

In an intimate corner at the end of the exhibition's chain of galleries is a work more personal for Minnesotans, too. Spanish designer and sound-system artist Lucas Muñoz Muñoz paid multiple visits to Minneapolis over the past year to create a commission for the Walker called “ALL EARS.”

Altay and Grima stand amid the interactive fleshy sonic environment that is “ALL EARS.” Altay operates a soundboard, sending the sounds of birds, waterfalls and city streets through the installation.

“What happened with Lucas was Lucas was going to build us a broadcasting-speaker sort of work, but he'd seen what happened during the ICE invasion, so he really pivoted,” Altay said.

“The moment of the surge, and he was very touched by the stories that he was hearing, people's experiences in this very, very difficult moment,” Grima added. “And so he decided to create a piece dedicated to the idea of listening. He built a series of, you could say, big ears.”

On a video call from his Madrid apartment, Muñoz remembered how, on a cold December day in 2025, he visited Cheapo Records, the iconic used music store on Eat Street in south Minneapolis. Weeks later, after Muñoz had returned to Spain, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti on the same street. A friend notified him that the shooting happened next door to Cheapo.

“It's quite impressive as a foreigner,” Muñoz said, “that a month before a very, very history-making event, I was in the place that that happened.”

“Now when I go to that place, it feels like there is a wound on the social tissue of the city,” added Muñoz, comparing it to the “Upside down” in the sci-fi show “Stranger Things.” “Everything looks the same, but it feels weird. It feels different. It feels that there is something open that is historical and it's still finding its place in history.”

Minneapolis, Operation Metro Surge and the killings of Pretti and Renee Good were all over the news in Europe, Muñoz said.

“Minneapolis was in the mouth of everybody in all the newspapers because of the very, very contestatory society it has that stands for its rights and stands for its ethics,” Muñoz said.

"ALL EARS"

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Birds, whistles and ‘La Migra, La Migra’

At the next meeting with the Walker, Muñoz informed them that he was changing the design of his commission from speakers to microphones: “This is a moment for microphones. This is a moment to give voice to the people, give voice to the street. I think it’s a moment of listening.”

On return visits in June and September, Muñoz roamed the city with his massive fleshy latex microphones, capturing everything from the street sounds of Nicollet Avenue to the Heron Rookery, Minnehaha Falls to Karmel Mall, Mercado Central and the personal stories of Minneapolitans filled with memories of helicopters flying over south Minneapolis, “whistles and ‘La Migra, La Migra.’”

Now, visitors can go to the Walker to see the “ears” and listen to and mix the sounds and memories of Minneapolis in 2026.

“Beyond Materialism” runs at the Walker through Feb. 14, 2027.

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.

Rourke Museum's Art Ghoullery in Moorhead

Derek Dahlsad is a filmmaker, actor, and writer in Moorhead. Recently he visited the The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum in town to check out its ninth annual Art Ghoullery. Artists answered the call for Halloween-themed art of all varieties. This year's theme was "Nine Lives to Live." Unsurprisingly, cats featured prominently in a number of the pieces. The exhibit runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, with a masquerade artist reception taking place on the evening of Halloween from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. That reception is free and open to the public.

Dahlsad said the themed art ranges from cute to creepy, including "a stack of zombie doll heads, sculptures welded from tractor parts, and paintings of a variety of devils and spirits and vampires."

Who better to give life advice than stand-up comedians?

Patrick Strait of Minneapolis is the owner of MNComedy.net and the author of two books about Twin Cities stand-up comedy from the Minnesota Historical Society. He recommends marking your calendar for "Advice Column," a series that takes place on the fourth Wednesday evening of each month at 7 p.m. at Sisyphus Brewing in Minneapolis. Hosts Sam Schedler and Lahiru Samarasinghe welcome a rotating cast of four comedians to join them at each show to give advice, win prizes, and keep the audience laughing. Their show on Oct. 28 is a Halloween edition, and costumes are welcome. Audience members must be 18 or older .

Strait notes that November marks the show's one-year anniversary:

"Really, they've found their stride,” said Strait. “They've got a lot of really cool people who want to be a part of this, and it's a well-oiled machine as well as I guess you can be when you have a couple of comics giving you therapy on a weeknight."

Worthington celebrates its Steinway’s 120th birthday

Kristine Stewart says she was very involved in the arts community in Worthington, where she lived until recently. She recommends the Sundays on the Steinway at the Memorial Auditorium for the Performing Arts in Worthington. There are three concerts remaining in the series designed to celebrate the 120th birthday of the auditorium's Steinway piano. The piano could have been lost to time, but 30 years ago a group came together to raise the money to have the piano fully refurbished.

The free concerts each take place at 2 p.m. This Sunday, Kurt Haag will perform. Charlie Albright performs Nov. 15, and on Dec. 6 community piano teachers take the stage.

Stewart adds a bonus tip: on Nov. 14, on the day before Charlie Albright’s solo concert, he will perform with the Worthington Area Symphony Orchestra.

"They end the concert every year with holiday classics. It's kind of a kickoff to the holiday season, so it'll be a fun time. An amazing concert,” said Steward. “They always are."

A new anthology brings together Minnesota women over age sixty-five to reflect on what it means to age and continue to be creative. It's called "Nick of Time: Women Write about Art and Aging."

The collection was edited by Morgan Grayce Willow, Julie Landsman and Debra J. Stone. Landsman and Stone joined MPR News host Kelly Gordon with a look inside the book and the story behind it.

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.

For most of her life Shelly Ahrens lived in deep rural Minnesota, where putting up Halloween decorations just didn’t make sense.

“When you’re on a farm isolated in the country you can enjoy them, but no one else is going to see them,” Ahrens said. “But here is a prime opportunity. We’re on a corner, we’re in a neighborhood that enjoys Halloween — we kind of moved to the right spot by accident.”

Ahrens is talking about the neighborhood of Royal Oaks in Woodbury, known as The Haunted Oaks during the month of October. Over 100 houses in the area decorate for Halloween, and no display is quite the same. Residents liken it to a slice of Salem in the Midwest.

On a Saturday night a few weeks before Halloween, Ahrens and her mom Linda are sitting on their driveway in lawn chairs watching small crowds mill about from house to house, snapping pictures of decorations and admiring the intricacy.

Ahrens usually works nights, so it’s a special treat getting to see the soft launch of The Haunted Oaks.

“I go off the rails, because you can’t be classy on Halloween. There’s just no point in that. I tried to start with the gravestone theme, but then we moved on to spiders. We’ve added witches, we’ve added ghouls and, of course, the lights. You can’t just stop with a few items. We just keep adding and adding and adding because people keep coming, and I’m glad they do,” Ahrens says.

How The Haunted Oaks came to be

The big night for The Haunted Oaks is, of course, All Hallows’ Eve. In 2025, about 2,200 trick-or-treaters came; but they expect to beat that number this year, says Derek Schmidt, a lead organizer and self-proclaimed “PR guy” of the event.

According to Schmidt, the neighborhood was created in the 1960s for employees of the nearby 3M headquarters. In the last five to 10 years, as original owners have decided to move out and downsize, younger families have entered the neighborhood.

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Starting in 2019, a handful of neighbors got together to team up on displays, and The Haunted Oaks was born.

“We never told the neighbors that they needed to decorate or had to decorate. People kind of just added on year after year. We’ve had people move to the neighborhood just to be able to participate. We’ve had people that have attempted to sell in the past decide to stay. Our neighborhood doesn’t do a big ‘National Night Out’ or a block party. Halloween’s kind of our jam,” Schmidt said.

Neighborhood bands together to make Halloween special

Schmidt says he thinks about The Haunted Oaks all year — it’s hard not to when he’s deep in planning and attending City Council meetings for logistics. This year, for the first time, the city of Woodbury agreed to close the streets in The Haunted Oaks to traffic on Halloween night. Schmidt compares the parking and traffic situation to a Minnesota Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Because the event is free for people to attend, Schmidt and others have had to brainstorm funding to pay for overtime for police officers for safety patrol and renting out nearby school parking lots. The rest of the money all goes into a candy fund, so if any owner in the neighborhood wants to participate but can’t afford to do so, they are guaranteed at least one big bag of candy.

Some local businesses have also donated money, and bars are naming drinks in honor of the event — like The Haunted Oaks martini — and donating a portion of the proceeds to the group.

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“We’re just a bunch of homeowners that decorate,” Schmidt said. “We’re not a business. We’re not a formal organization. We’re just people that want to decorate for the community.”

Joe Briol and his husband John Pundsack have been living in Royal Oaks since 1996. They’ve watched the neighborhood change and remember a time when, at the most, they had maybe 50 trick-or-treaters. Now they serve as the official counters on Halloween and also as candy runners.

If a house is low on candy, Briol, Pundsack or another volunteer runs to the house in need with a wagon full of candy from the candy fund. A trail of kids usually follow, eager to see where it is dropped off.

“There were a lot of just-in-time moments last year where we rolled up and people were literally on the last thing in their candy bowl, and they said, ‘You are letting me stay open another half hour because of this,’” Briol said.

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One yard features a real Cessna plane

Schmidt has met several of his neighbors from being involved in The Haunted Oaks, like Sarah Anderson. She’s always had a knack for pumpkin carving and a decade ago started carving foam pumpkins, which she can reuse each year to grow her collection. Her famed “pumpkin wall” has over 70 on display.

It’s a way to connect with her neighbors, she says, and a conversation starter.

“When we’re handing out candy on Halloween, people really talk about it. We’ll just chit-chat. And it’s really nice to build that community,” Anderson said. “This is significantly less messy, and then I just get to grow and grow.”

At Katie Rust’s house, there’s the haunted afterlife of flight 1031, including a real Cessna plane that was formerly sitting in a local boneyard (and will return there after the display is over). She isn’t a fan of the scary parts of the holiday, opting to indulge in creative storylines through her decorations.

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A question that many of the Haunted Oaks residents face is storage. Some have rafters riddled with displays and tightly packed tubs lined in the basement. For Rust, it’s two storage lockers. Last year she got the call that one was broken into. She knew she had to warn the police things weren’t exactly what they seemed if they opened it up.

“We had to tell the police, ‘Before you walk in, just be careful. You know, that there’s nobody dead in there. It’s really like 25 skeletons,’” she said about the locker.

The public is welcome to visit The Haunted Oaks every evening through Halloween, with lights and animatronics on nightly until 9 p.m.

Christina Applegate, who has candidly shared raw details about her journey with multiple sclerosis for years, revealed Monday her doctor says she doesn't have the autoimmune disease and was misdiagnosed.

“I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me,” the actor said on the latest edition of her podcast “MeSsy,” along with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has been public about her own battle with MS.

Applegate first publicly announced in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with the disorder that causes the immune system to attack the cells in the central nervous system.

On Monday's podcast, Applegate revealed that despite the misdiagnosis, she still has “every symptom of someone with MS,” adding, “I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. I can’t walk from the car to the room.”

There is no single test for MS, and a diagnosis usually involves ruling out other causes. It can take years and seeing multiple doctors before one puts the clues together.

Applegate said the news had put her in an odd place since she and Sigler have become prominent advocates for people with MS.

"It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down,” she said. “It’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me.”

Most autoimmune diseases, especially in adults, aren’t caused by a specific gene defect. Instead, a variety of genes that affect immune functions can make people susceptible. Scientists say it then takes an “environmental” trigger, such as an infection, smoking or pollutants, to set the disease in motion.

On the podcast and earlier this year while promoting her memoir, "You with the Sad Eyes,” the Emmy-winning Applegate has been candid about unpredictable symptoms that have forced her to use diapers and scoot down stairs on her butt.

“My life has in some ways shrunk to the size of my California king,” she writes in her book.

We can't let the Halloween season go without featuring one horror book, and Sarah Gerton of Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior said her pick is “Between Two Fires” by Christopher Buehlman.

The setting is medieval France: The black plague era. A disgraced ex-knight named Thomas encounters a girl who tells him of her visions of a war between heaven and hell that will be raged over control of Earth. Are her words the ravings of a person gone mad, or is she expressing saintly visions? Thomas himself has lost his faith, but he finds himself accompanying the girl and a priest across France to help her with her quest.

"I would definitely recommend [this novel] for adults with a strong stomach," cautions Gerton. "This a very, very dark book, so all the trigger warnings [apply]."

And yet, this book has garnered a following. It was originally self-published in 2012, and over the years it gained such a devoted social media following that earlier this year, Tor — part of major publisher Macmillan — released a hard cover edition with black sprayed edges.

Gerton said she was struck by the tone, which to her felt epic and “almost biblical,” like the translation of an ancient tale. She'd love to see this story make its way to film.

“Some of the monsters that they encounter are, like, crazy, and like I would love to see this adapted. But at the same time, I don’t know how they could translate some of the battle scenes,” says Gerton.

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Amber Blaeser-Wardzala is Anishinaabe from White Earth Reservation — spending most of her early years on the reservation — and she comes from a long line of storytellers.

“I grew up being surrounded by

Anishinaabe stories, oral stories were some of my favorites as a kid, and they really impacted the way that I tell stories and the way I think about stories,” Blaeser-Wardzala told MPR News.

The narrator in her new book “Another Name for Red” is “Middle Sister.” She's not in a good place after her oldest sister disappears from the community. And in the wake of that tragedy, the whole family has fallen apart. Middle Sister is barely holding on and is consumed with guilt over her last words to her sister, not to mention her rage at the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the country.

With a father who has checked out in front of the television, a mother who spends her time at marches and protests, and two younger siblings who need support and protection, Middle Sister is determined to find out what, exactly, happened to Oldest Sister. And, while she ultimately does find an answer, it comes with a steep cost.

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Another Name for Red: A Novel

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There are almost no real names mentioned in the book; Blaeser-Wardzala says that was a deliberate choice on her part to try and connect the story back to the traditions of the Anishinaabe language and culture.

“Another Name for Red” is Amber Blaeser-Wardzala's debut novel. You'll find more of the author's work in a much-lauded compilation from 2023, “Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology.” Blaeser-Wardzala will be at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis on Wednesday and at Content Bookstore in Northfield on Thursday.

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Min Jin Lee was disappointed she didn’t get to come to Talking Volumes in 2017 to talk about her novel “Pachinko.” She says that’s probably because it struggled initially. Her editor quit just three months before the book was published. Her husband lost his job the day “Pachinko” was released. And besides The New York Times and USA Today, no media companies would review her book.

But that slow burn eventually ignited into a blazing inferno. The New York Times named it one of the 10 best books of 2017 and, by 2022, it had been made into a TV series by Apple — which propelled another waves of global sales.

So it was with great pleasure that Lee came to Talking Volumes this year, to talk about her new novel, “American Hagwon.”

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American Hagwon

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During her time on stage at The O'Shaughnessy with host Kerri Miller, Lee talked about her years of researching hagwons — a type of cram school, common in Korea — and how they change education. In particular, she sees an intense global competitiveness in Korean students, which stands in sharp contrast to students in American falling further and further behind.

Talking Volumes: Min Jin Lee

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But Lee and Miller also talked about Lee’s path to becoming a well-known author and how Lee’s own childhood of being an exceptional student who struggled socially influences her work. For one thing: she’s learned to hold her own and fight back, if necessary.

“Asian American women are not considered strong,” she told Miller, “but they're wrong. I mean, if you really just like look at the data, it's like: are you kidding me? Do you know any Asian American women? But I think we're perceived to be weak, and they clearly don't know any history. This doesn’t happen in Asia. But here in the U.S., I've had I've had some people do some very stupid things, and I will do what I need to do.”

It was a dazzling evening, highlighted by musical guest Sophie Hiroko.

There are only two more Talking Volumes shows of the 2026 season: Emily St. John Mandel on Nov. 4, and Colson Whitehead with special guest host Catharine Richert on Nov. 11. Get your tickets online.

Artist Sam Zimmerman, who is a descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, returned to Minnesota's North Shore in 2019 after working out of state for years.

"There's nothing that compares to the North Shore. The beauty of it, the ever-changing landscape. Its spirit and personality is so amazing. Even the air changes from Duluth to Cook County,” Zimmerman said.

After returning to Minnesota, Zimmerman released a series of paintings from his first year back home. His newest collection features more than 80 artworks organized by season, accompanied by stories in English and Ojibwe. It’s called “Walking My Ancestors’ Path.”

"My ancestors have walked this shore for hundreds of years, and so this is me following in their footsteps of being back home in northern Minnesota,” he said.

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Walking My Ancestors’ Path: A Collection of Paintings and Stories

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Zimmerman paints landscapes and animals in bright acrylic colors. He blends styles, including Woodland art, which uses strong outlines, vivid colors and x-ray views of subjects.

"As an Indigenous creator, I use a lot of dots, which isn't unique, but in some ways, they're very abstract,” said Zimmerman.

One painting honors his grandfather. It shows a buck with intricate patterns covering its body.

"It's titled ‘Runs Through the Woods Like Deer’ because that was his Ojibwe name. He was incredibly fast in the woods, and it is a buck running through a winter scene with four pine trees in the background, and those four pine trees represent the number of children that he had. He had four sons. My dad was the youngest,” he said.

The scene also shows a fire tower under a sunset sky filled with oranges and reds. Stars represent the years his grandfather and uncles lived.

Zimmerman said he created the piece to honor the man who taught him the importance of storytelling.

"It allows for traditions and culture and lessons learned to be passed down from elders and others. And so I'm a storyteller using art, and stories are important. They share our history, they share our values,” Zimmerman said.

Those connections to family and community guide his life.

“Having the elders and the community that I have around me, both family and blood and also relationships, has allowed me to walk a path that has helped me grow and learn,” he said.

Zimmerman’s experiences of growth and learning are shared in "Walking My Ancestors' Path."

A book launch event will be held Thursday, Oct. 22 from 6-8 p.m. at Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. The event is free and open to the public.

An accompanying exhibit with paintings featured in Zimmerman’s book will be on display through March 28, 2027, during regular public museum hours.

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.  

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MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations around the region. This week’s picks include a culminating semiquincentennial exhibition at the Duluth Art Institute, the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota’s remembrance for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, a book conversation with Patrick Hicks and more.

Twin Cities Film Fest in St. Louis Park and Edina — Through Oct. 24

The 17th annual festival returns with more than 100 films screened over 10 days at Marcus West End Cinema in St. Louis Park and Edina Mann 4 Theatre. Founder and executive director Jatin Setia says that these include the Midwest premieres of studio and independent films, and that 30 percent of the lineup has a Minnesota connection. Setia said 2026 highlights include a documentary shot over 10 years following the refugee experience of a Syrian child (“One in a Million” screening on Oct. 17) and many Minnesota-centric films, such as “A Month in Minnesota,” a documentary that’s already sold out.

“I think it's going to do very well,” Setia said. ”We had a screening; it sold out. We added a second, sold out. We added a third, and it sold out.” The good news is that the film, like many others, is available to stream for $10 during the festival.

Actress Frances Fisher (“Titanic,” “Unforgiven,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”) will also be in attendance because she is the recipient of the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. There will be a conversation with Fisher on Oct. 20, and the Midwest premiere of her 2026 film “Out of the Woods” on Oct. 21.

“As soon as I saw the film, I knew that I had to have Francis here,” Setia said. “She's one of those actresses that always delivers, and she hasn't gotten recognized in the industry as much as I think she deserves.” (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘Swingposium’ by Theater Mu and TaikoArts Midwest at C.S.P.S. Hall in St. Paul — Oct. 16-18

San Jose Taiko’s “Swingposium” tells the story of how young Japanese Americans found hope during their unjust incarceration during WWII. The story is brought to life in an immersive theater production making its Midwest debut this weekend. Co-presented by TaikoArts Midwest and Theater Mu, the show invites audiences to move around and dance.

Performances are 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and Oct. 17-18 at 2 and 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $35, or $25 for ages 17 and younger. Tickets at the door are $40. (Annie Russell)

‘Walker Design Triennial: Beyond Materialism’ at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis — Oct. 17-Feb. 14, 2027

MPR News got a sneak peek of Walker's first design triennial “Beyond Materialism” and it’s one hell of a show. There are almost 100 large-scale design objects by designers, architects, artists and artisans from around the world, and each one seems to challenge the quotidian purposes of furniture and other items — a chair on fire, a surrealist seesaw, a fountain about guilt.

“The one thing that unites all of the pieces in this exhibition is that none of them are useful in a conventional sense,” said curator Joseph Grima, who is in town from Milan. “They're not useful in the sense of giving you a place to sit down and eat your dinner, but they are useful because they address existential questions of our time.”

The Walker hosts a free opening day panel (registration required) with Grima and designers at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Bloodcurdling Book Bash in Bloomington — Oct. 17

Trying to get into the spooky mood? The Bloodcurdling Book Bash is sure to help. Horror and thriller authors as well as gothic crafts, tarot readers and themed drinks will all be present. As locals know, Minnesota is not shy when it comes to book events. Rachel Silberman from Adventure Awaits Events is one of the lead curators.

Silberman is also the creator behind the Fables & Flames Romantasy Gala, Rewind Book Fair and the founder of the Book Fair for Grown-Ups (which she no longer organizes). She said her goal with the events is to support smaller businesses that may get overlooked in the mainstream.

“That’s what this is all about. Horror authors kind of get the short end of the stick. Romance is huge, but other genres kind of get forgotten,” Silberman said. “I’m really all about community, that is the biggest thing I want out of this.”

Ghoulish Books, a small local press that focuses on “transgressive spookiness,” will be tabling at the bash. Publisher and editor Max Booth recently relocated the business from Texas to Minneapolis. The bash will be their first event since moving to Minnesota.

“They can find the type of stuff that they might not have a good time finding at the typical Barnes & Noble,” Booth said of what’s available from the press. “Some really niche stuff that they might not even know is a thing.”

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree in Bloomington. Tickets can be bought ahead of time online or at the door for $5. (Sam Stroozas)

‘Concert for Peace’ at Sundin Hall in St. Paul— Oct. 18

The Chamber Music Society of Minnesota is opening its season this weekend with performances both in a formal setting and on the streets of Minneapolis. The full “Concert for Peace” will be held at Sundin Hall at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. Among the peace-themed musical selections will be the world premieres of two new chamber works by Minnesota composer Steve Heitzeg. His works, “Variations on Peace” (for clarinet, strings and violin) and “Lament for the Martyrs of ICE Violence” (for strings) respond to the federal immigration enforcement surge last winter. Heitzeg said in a press release that he “wanted to pay tribute to the brave upstanders bearing witness to these injustices and to anyone traumatized by ICE.”

This Saturday, Oct. 17, musicians will perform a preview of Heitzeg’s “Lament for the Martyrs of ICE Violence” at the memorial sites of Renee Good at 4 p.m. and Alex Pretti at 4:30 p.m. (Emily Bright)

‘Truths of Self and Materials’ at the Duluth Art Institute — Oct. 19-Dec. 21

At the beginning of 2026, the Duluth Art Institute kicked off “We Hold These Truths,” a yearlong series of quarterly exhibitions marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Christina Woods, the DAI executive director (and the institute’s first Anishinaabe leader), said the DAI team wanted people to grapple with what makes something American art, and settled on a theme that “enables artists to express their truths and give opportunity for community members to come in and talk about their truth as citizens of the United States.”

The final installment, “Truths of Self and Materials,” features the work of woodworker Andrew Webster, painter Robb Quisling and textile artist Lauren Faherty.

“They're each sharing their unique lived experience with how objects hold memory,” Woods said. “A scrap of wood can hold an entire history of a building” and “a quilt can hold generations of knowledge.” (Alex V. Cipolle)

Annual Book Conversation Series featuring Patrick Hicks, University of Minnesota Crookston — Oct. 19

This year marks the fifth annual book conversation held on the University of Minnesota-Crookston campus. Patrick Hicks is an English professor and writer-in-residence at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, and his latest book, “Greater Minnesota: Exploring the Land of Sky-Blue Waters,” is a travelogue love letter to his home state. Describing the book for Art Hounds last year, author Chris Vondracek said, “I came away from it feeling just this absolute sense of how large and how boisterous and how impossibly contradictory sometimes Minnesota can be.”

The conversation, hosted by Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Rosemary Johnson, will be held at 4 p.m. at the Bede Ballroom on campus, with a Q&A, refreshments and book signing to follow. The event is free and open to the public. (Emily Bright)

A new film by a California-based filmmaker chronicles the actions of Minnesota neighbors and immigrants who faced Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last winter.

Patrice O’Neill is the filmmaker and activist behind the film, “Minnesota Neighbors.” It’s part of a decadeslong movement spurred from a PBS documentary she created in 1995 called “Not in Our Town” about neighbors standing up to a series of hate crimes in Billings, Mont.

O’Neill said her latest documentary mirrored that piece.

“It resonated so deeply with me as I was looking at what was happening in Minnesota. It was again a community saying we cannot allow our town to be taken over.”

The film premieres at 7 p.m. at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis.

Listen to the conversation by clicking the player above

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.

Dreamlike landscapes in clay

Annie Dugan teaches art at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, where she also runs the Kruk Gallery. She wants people to know about a retrospective of Jim Grittner's ceramic work at Duluth Pottery that opens this weekend and runs through November. There's an artist reception Sunday, Oct. 18 from 2-4 p.m.

Grittner spent 47 years teaching at the University Wisconsin-Superior. "He taught artists that are now teaching the next generation," says Dugan.

Now 92, Grittner's recent work is his strongest yet, says Dugan:

"He works in this specific technique called terra sigillata. It's from Roman times. He's doing these abstract landscapes on these vertical pots or vases. They have this sort of ethereal quality, like landscapes from your memory or landscapes from your dreams. There's just this quiet power to his work that I think is really wonderful to see."

Explore studios and galleries at the St. Paul Art Crawl

Andy Lehner of St. Paul recommends that fellow arts appreciators check out the St. Paul Art Crawl this weekend. The event runs Friday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 18, at 31 venues across the city, including studios, galleries and other art-centered spaces. Find a map of locations here.

People who want to contribute to the event — and to St. Paul's Halloween spirit — can enter their carved jack-o'-lanterns in a competition at Mears Park. Jack-o'-lanterns can be dropped off between 10:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday, and visitors can vote on their favorites through 5 p.m. that day.

If you’ve never been to an art crawl, Lehner says it’s an easy, drop-in event that lets you choose how much or how little you want to do:

“It really is eclectic. You can choose something in your neighborhood because it's all throughout St. Paul. You can take in as much or as little as you like!”

A documentary traces Minnesota’s mental health reforms

Bill Adams of Fergus Falls is looking forward to attending a world premiere screening of the new Pioneer PBS documentary “Lost Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Health Institutions.” The screening is Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Fergus Falls Center for the Arts. Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Susan Bartlett, author of “The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Institutions, 1946-1954,” on which the documentary was based; the Pioneer PBS producers behind the film; and Chris Schulke, retired director of the Otter Tail County Historical Society.

Adams offers a bit of background:

“The reason that it's happening in Fergus Falls is because one of the people whose story is told in the book is Anders Schey, and 100 years ago, he became a resident at the state hospital in Fergus. His daughter, Engla Schey, began working in state hospitals — not in Fergus Falls, but in other communities in Minnesota — and she saw things that needed reforming.”

The film follows the work of Engla and others who pushed for fair treatment of institutionalized patients in Minnesota and beyond.

Minnesota has a rich choral music tradition, with composers and ensembles creating new works all the time. But how does that music find its way from a composer’s desk to a choir director looking for something new to perform?

Twenty years ago, Twin Cities composers Tim Takach and Jocelyn Hagen set out to help answer that question. They started Graphite Publishing, a company that gives composers a way to distribute their sheet music while retaining a bigger share of the royalties.

Today, the business represents composers from Minnesota and around the world, while Takach and Hagen continue to write music themselves. They joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about their work.

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.

Editor's note: This story contains explicit language.

Michael Che loves Minnesota.

“I love that it’s cold. I love everything about it,” the comedian, “Saturday Night Live” writer and “Weekend Update" anchor told MPR News. “It's such a dope spot to do shows. They receive everything well, and I just think with the political climate of the past five years, so many things happening there that they would probably appreciate it.”

Che released his third Netflix special, “Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota,” Tuesday. It was filmed in August over four shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The title is tongue-in-cheek, Che said.

“It is kind of hinting at the subject matter,” Che said. “It felt inclusive. It felt like whether it happens in Minnesota or Missouri or New York or any place that we've been seeing a lot of violence and seeing a lot of tragic sort of rebellions — it could happen to any of us. It could be anybody. It could be me.”

The special opens with black-and-white footage of downtown Minneapolis and the exterior of First Avenue with its wall of painted stars. Over 59 minutes, Che spends about 60 seconds discussing Minnesota.

After an extended opening bit about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the mental capacity of President Trump and his continued use of a slur for people with intellectual disabilities, Che mentioned the state for the first time.

“You know what I’m talking about, ‘cause every time I turn on the news, Minnesota is fighting some group of retards,” Che said to cheers from the crowd. “Meaning regressive. Bunch of motherfuckers trying to take all our rights away.”

Many in Minnesota may think a comedy special titled “Shot in Minnesota” would cover the police killings of Daunte Wright and Philando Castile, or the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents earlier this year during Operation Metro Surge.

Che said the title is meant to be taken more universally.

“It's not necessarily about those people individually,” Che said. “You have to be very careful, and making jokes about things like that, and keeping the mood up for a special — you know, it is a comedy special — I didn't want to invoke those names in a joking way and sort of kill what we were trying to do. But it's really more about the frustration of what's happening, as opposed to the nuts and bolts of everything that's ever happened.”

In the special, Che made another Minnesota reference.

“I also do a lot of business in Minnesota. Y’all don’t know this, but I own like three daycares,” Che said, pausing for cheers. “Say what you will, it’s a great no-show job, I promise you.”

The joke referred to allegations of fraud against the childcare centers run by Somali people in the Twin Cities, but Che told MPR News it was more of “a wink at the people in the crowd.”

While the special is meant for the world at large, Che said he wanted to let people know “I am paying attention and I do know where I am, and something to catch them off guard.”

Minneapolis comedian Comrade Tripp watched the special and noted the joke seemed like a throwaway line.

“I’d love more than a wink. A wink is a dog whistle that even less people can understand,” Tripp said. “That stigma of corruption and fraud — propagating that is not helpful.”

Tripp said he views the special as more narrow, an exploration of Che’s own celebrity identity and relationships.

“Any reference to Minnesota is limited. It's more of a personal comedy special. It's not an hourlong ‘Weekend Update’ segment,” Tripp said.

Tripp said he’s also seen how Che has formed a personal connection to Minnesota.

“Whenever he is in town, he does support the local, independently run comedy venues,” said Tripp, pointing to Che’s past stops at Sisyphus Brewing and The Comedy Corner Underground in Minneapolis. “The same can't be said for any other comedian of that caliber.”

Che recalled the time he came to Minnesota in 2022 to do a “college gig” at Winona State University and stayed in Minneapolis, dropping in at local comedy clubs and bar shows.

“It was a really good time. It was sort of the start of this material, a lot of the bones,” Che said. “Feels good to have that full circle.”

Author Jack el-Hai is a master at identifying lost historical moments and turning them into fascinating nonfiction books.

The Minneapolis-based author did it with "The Psychiatrist and the Nazi," which was adapted into the film "Nuremberg,” which starred Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring and Rami Malek as the psychiatrist sent to evaluate whether high-ranking Nazi war criminals were mentally competent to stand trial.

Now, el-Hai is back with another true story centered around a high-profile relationship. "The Case of the Autographed Corpse" follows an Apache spiritual leader who was convicted in 1933 of killing his wife. Silas John Edwards insisted from the beginning he was wrongfully convicted. But it wasn't until he reached out to mystery writer Earl Stanley Gardner that his case got attention.

Gardner is best known as the creator of Perry Mason, the fictional detective at the center of scores of books and a hit TV series. He was also deeply committed to investigating possible cases of wrongful convictions. In the 1940s, he started an organization called the Court of Last Resort, similar to today's Innocence Project.

When Gardner got a letter from Edwards pleading for help, he was struck by the confidence of the Apache man and agreed to take the case.

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Known for his meticulous research, el-Hai was able to trace Gardner’s path as he traversed Arizona to find witnesses and clues. In the end, he was able to get Edwards freed. But his work also revealed the racial tensions inherent in Edwards’ wrongful conviction.

"Silas John was proud of the Apaches' history and spiritual past, and he wanted them to be able to determine their own lives and fates while living on these Apache reservations of Arizona, and it was very difficult for them to do so,“ said el-Hai. “Gardner, in the same vein, was exceptionally proud of the American system of justice and, as a result, determined to identify its flaws and fix them. So [pride is] really the common denominator between these men. And I think pride is something we all feel, and that I hope will will resonate with readers today."

To mark the launch of "The Case of the Autographed Corpse," Magers and Quinn Booksellers is hosting a conversation Thursday night, Oct. 15, between el-Hai and James Mayer, the legal director of the Great North Innocence Project. The event is free, but registration is recommended.

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A library in Minneapolis is celebrating 40 years of collecting and lending LGBTQ+ books, movies and other materials.

Quatrefoil Library started in 1986 as a personal collection shared among friends. Today, it has more than 25,000 items and more than 11,000 library card holders. And the library says that number doubled just in 2026.

Iggy Gehlen is the board vice president and programming chair at Quatrefoil. He talked with MPR News host Nina Moini about the importance of the library and its recent enormous growth in members.

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.

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Generations of children have run and climbed their way through the Minnesota Children’s Museum.

They've shopped for plastic food at the pretend farmers' market, launched ping-pong balls, whooshed down the giant spiral slide and blown bubbles at the wacky car wash.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the museum’s president Dianne Krizan about how the museum is doing following its post-COVID attendance slump, why play is so important for kids and how the museum is trying to help address anxiety in young children.

Guest:

• Dianne Krizan is the president of the Minnesota Children's Museum and a champion for children's wellbeing and play. The museum announced earlier this fall that she'll be retiring in June 2027 after leading the St. Paul institution for more than 17 years.

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.    

Amy Erickson of Bluebird Books in Detroit Lakes loved the novel “Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt” by Ben Reeves, but it’s a difficult one to describe. The book is about a man named Travis, who lives in a normal apartment with a cat and has a job he takes seriously: he is literally Death.

“Please don't let that put you off, because it is actually really fascinating,” says Erickson.

Giving Death a name is not a punchline, nor is it morbid. Travis visits people in their final moments, offers comfort, and delivers them to where they go next (which is not specified in the book). Because Travis is constantly aware of everyone, everywhere, the novel is filled with vignettes and snippets of the lives of ordinary people in a way that reminded Erickson of Allen Levi’s blockbuster novel, “Theo of Golden.”

Travis does not intervene with a person’s fate. He avoids making friends with the living until he is drawn into the lives of the woman and her two daughters living across the hall, who invite him to take part in the precious moments of everyday life.

“It is so well written. I just fell in love with this book,” says Erickson.

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Giant pumpkin growers and their massive gourds will converge on Monday in Northern California for an annual pumpkin-weighing contest, competing for the top prize and a chance to challenge the world record set just last week in England.

At least 30 growers of giant pumpkins have signed up for the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, said event spokesman Ronan Fowler.

Among the participants is four-time champion Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota, whose winning streak ended last year after he was unable to participate because his pumpkin broke while it was still growing.

Gienger, who this year had to deal with temperatures that dipped below freezing, grew a pumpkin whose circumference is so big it could be a world record contender, Fowler said.

Fowler said last week that Gienger and his father planned to take turns driving 30 hours over the weekend to get the pumpkin the size of a small car to California.

The new world record was set by Ian Paton, of Lymington, on England's south coast, with a giant squash weighing 2,857 pounds. That's heavier than two and a half concert grand pianos.

Paton grows his giant gourds in a greenhouse, while Gienger grows them in the pumpkin patch in his backyard in Anoka, a city on the banks of the Mississippi River north of Minneapolis, Fowler said.

“The fact that Travis can weather the elements, like 30-degree weather, and still grow this massive pumpkin is pretty unbelievable,” the spokesman said.

Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, California, who won the top prize last year with a behemoth of a pumpkin weighing 2,346 pounds, will also compete.

The pumpkin champ this year will win $9 per pound of pumpkin and have their lumpy gourd showcased during a parade through Half Moon Bay this weekend. If they break the world record, they will take an extra prize of $30,000.

Monday’s festivities, which will kick off the city's fall celebration, will also include a special appearance by pumpkin carver Mike Valladao.

Sadly, these giants are grown for their size, not flavor, so there will be no giant pumpkin pies at the end of the festival.

Indigenous Peoples Day is a time to celebrate the history, cultures and contributions of Native people. But it’s also an opportunity to reflect on what’s happening in Native communities today.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two Native leaders about the ways Native communities in Minnesota are thriving, the challenges they continue to face and what the future holds for the next generation.

Guests:

• Amber Annis is the executive director of Native Governance Center, where she works to support Native leadership and tribal sovereignty. She is a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

• Nikki Love is the executive director of the Tiwahe Foundation, a Minnesota-based organization that supports Native leadership, cultural preservation, and economic opportunity through grants, leadership opportunities and community programs. She is Bois Forte Anishinaabe.

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.   

Hundreds of people lined the St. Croix River to watch four “pilots” race down the river in giant, hollowed out pumpkins Sunday.

The Pumpkin Regatta at the 21st annual Stillwater Harvest Fest is one of only a few across the country. This year, the weather was especially favorable for viewing and racing.

Stillwater native Tim Brown, who has competed every year for the last decade, took home the first place trophy for the third time.

“I think the first time I won was in 2016 so to be able to do it in my mid-40s is pretty cool,” Brown said.

The regatta is a family affair for Brown who was competing alongside his cousin and past winner, Matthew Schmidt.

“Happy to beat my cousin — that’s the biggest goal,” said Brown.

For first-time racer, Laura Fairchild, it was less about winning and more about honoring her son, Justin Ross Fairchild who served in the U.S. Army and died in 2007.

No matter who took home the trophy, though, the four racers all walked away with a unique experience — and perspective into what it takes to navigate a giant pumpkin down a river.

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Brown said. “Who would’ve thought a pumpkin could float and be paddled?”

A growing get-together

The Stillwater Harvest Fest began as a giant pumpkin weigh-off more than 20 years ago. It’s since grown into a two-day event that now includes live music, food trucks, vendors and, of course, the regatta.

Cassie McLemore, director of events for Summer Tuesday, Inc, says as the festival has gotten bigger — so have the pumpkins.

For perspective, in 2010, a pumpkin at the Stillwater Harvest Fest weighing around 1,800 pounds broke the world record for largest pumpkin. The largest pumpkin at the festival this year weighed-in at 2,305 pounds.

“[The St. Croix Growers Association] has a really robust group of growers that have been doing it a long time,” McLemore said. “They use the seeds from the year before to grow bigger pumpkins the next year.”

When the pumpkins used in the regatta were hollowed out before the race, event organizers shared the seeds with lucky spectators.

By this time next year, there will be a whole new crop of giant pumpkins to weigh and paddle in.