Hello all,
Sometimes you just need a good story. Since you can’t go out to hear them on stage (or anywhere), we’ve collected a few from writers around the area. If you know of others, please send them to LesterLiteraryUpdate@gmail.com!
best,
Lester
Stories:
The Book War, by Wang Ping:
Prinna Boudreau is a writer and an adjunct English professor at Minnesota State University. Prinna and her husband Chris continue to be strong advocates for Faith's Lodge, a healing retreat in Wisconsin, that serves families who have lost a child.
Grandma’s Ghosts: Pam Colby connects with her grandmother in Minneapolis.
Pam is a filmmaker based in the Twin Cities. She teaches cinema and documentary filmmaking at the Independent Filmmaker Project in Minnesota. Her current doc project, "Not in My Lifetime," is about growing up queer, marriage and the impact it of becoming legal.
My Sister's Keeper: A Somali immigrant struggles to keep her troubled sister in the country.
Fathia Absie is a Somali-American filmmaker, essayist, poet and activist based in Eden Prairie, MN. Her first documentary film, Broken Dreams, is about the Somali American youth that left Minnesota to return to their war torn homeland of Somalia. Fathia is now working on a feature film called The Secret Recruit.
Tristan Jimerson is a freelance copywriter living in Minneapolis. His award-winning work has been featured in publications such as Creativity magazine and The Egoist. He has written copy for everything from exercise equipment to electronics. In fact, if you've been inside Best Buy within the last 6 months you've probably read something he wrote. Tristan grew up on the rolling plains of rural Iowa, and after deciding that it wasn't cold enough, moved to Minnesota.
Beaver in a Box, by Kevin Kling
Good Daughter: A beloved dog takes a walk on thin ice.
Lisa Schuldt is originally from Akin, Minnesota and but now resides in Wawatosa, Wisconsin with her husband Mike, the dog (or the good daughter) Sadie, and their cat Isis. They have four amazing children, six seriously awesome grandchildren, and her iPod is filled with books and stories, including The Moth.
September Light: A perfectionist finds strength and self-acceptance after an assault.
Barbara Wiener has been a filmmaker working in Minneapolis for 26 years. She finds it hard to believe, too. She is the founder and executive director of TVbyGIRLS, which works with teen girls making media and trying to change the world. Her work focuses on cultural documentaries and arts. She's got a bunch of awards like Emmys and Cine Golden Eagle and Sundance and international screenings, but they do not help to pay the bills, so she won't mention them here.
Jail Lessons: Javier Morillo's life takes an unexpected turn when he becomes the leader of a union of janitors. AND Ricardo: Javier Morillo faces some ugly memories while preparing for his 30th high school reunion.
Javier Morillo is an activist, writer, pundit and all-around loudmouth. He often plays the part of the passionate progressive on local political talk shows and blogs about whatever gets his goat as Thug in Pastels. He created and cohosts the podcast "Wrong About Everything," a fun, irreverent and bipartisan look at Minnesota and national politics. He also advises political campaigns, enjoying a reputation as a dogged strategist and a really sore loser. In a past life, he was a longtime, debt-ridden student and taught at Macalester and Carleton Colleges. He lives on the West Side of Saint Paul with his partner John and their brood: Diego the Dog and his cat brothers Nacho, Stevie, and Raheem.
Michael Perry reads "The Sewer Snake"
Shabbat in Iraq: Daniel Sperling attends Shabbat services while deployed in Iraq.
Daniel Sperling grew up in Queens, New York, surrounded by animals that his father, a biology professor, liked to bring home from his laboratory. After law school, he served as a JAG in the United States Army for six years. He left the army and moved to Minnesota in 2014, where he lives with his wife, Kristina, and their dog, Bowie. Daniel and Kristina are expecting their first baby, a girl, in December.
A Shoulder (Bag) to Cry On: Laura Zimmermann loses herself...and her stuff in Portugal.
Laura is a writer, a reader, and a maker of cheesecakes. You might find her at a softball game, a jazz concert, or a nonprofit board meeting, but you'll never find her on a ladder or entering a triathlon. Since she discovered live competitive story slams, you should probably not say or do anything ridiculous in front of her. Or wait--please say and do a lot of ridiculous things in front of her. She lives in Minneapolis with her three favorite people, who show up in her stories whether they like it or not.
Kay lives with her family in Stoughton, WI. She is originally from England and has also lived in Canada, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Costa Rica. Formerly a public school teacher, she discovered storytelling as a fun and useful teaching tool. She has since been performing primarily around the Midwest. She says, “Stories are for everyone, young and old. We live our lives by communicating through stories with others. I tell stories to share humor, language, culture and life with others. It is a wonderful way to directly involve people in something you love to do.
Steve Anderson is the Director of Disability Resources at Hamline University in Saint Paul. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Access Press and Upstream Arts.
Thanksgiving: John Cayton shares his gratitude for his grandfather on Thanksgiving.
John Cayton lives in Mound, Minnesota and is enjoying being recently married.
Last word:
The Bridge Collapse by Kevin Kling