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Creativity & Connection

recommended reading, arts, events — for relationship building, lifelong learning, and historical context

Thanks to Minneapolis Institute of Art for underwriting arts coverage

ARTS: “Paris Couture” dazzles at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

  Stepping through the emerald green and gold…
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When “Home” Is Complicated: A Reflection From the Book “Remember the Bees”

Where to live is not a simple question. Everyone has to make difficult decisions in prioritizing certain aspects over others: a beautiful view or cost, safety or family, economic stability or culture. No one can tell my husband whether living in Thailand or the U.S. is a better choice, just as no one can tell the family in "Remember the Bees" whether to stay in Inzerki — home to the world’s largest collection of managed beehives — or to try life in the city. 
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Publisher’s Commentary: “A Work in Progress” Documentary by Robert Reich

The conversations we can have with each other are not about telling people what to think, but by creating more places to think together. More opportunities to explore the essential ingredients of collective health and personal fulfillment, and to ask what we owe one another as neighbors and citizens. This feels more consequential to me than the horse races, outrage, and gossip that so often define the media landscape.
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What Dolly Parton Taught Me About Mutual Aid 

When I read of Dolly Parton’s recent death, the first thing I thought about was when I celebrated her birthday with hundreds of fellow Minnesotans in the heart of Operation Metro Surge.
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Somali Panelists Answer: What Does Home Mean to You?

"I've had so many opportunities to move — to go to school somewhere else. Every time I've traveled, I've always missed Minnesota. There's no other community that has given me a sense of belonging like here."
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Commentary: What to know about the sulfide mine proposed in Minnesota’s headwaters watershed

With Talon’s proposal, Minnesota now has sulfide-mining proposals in all three of its major watersheds: the Mississippi River, Lake Superior, and the Boundary Waters. A public comment period for one of them ends September 14.
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COMMENTARY: What a Fentanyl-Free America Means to Me

"What should be prioritized in the fight against fentanyl is youth involvement prevention and education. The involvement of young people is the key to maintaining consistent awareness."
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What Data Says About Violence in Minnesota: A Reflection After the Latest Mass Shooting

“Despite widespread media attention to mass shootings committed by estranged people, the majority of homicides are committed by individuals known to the victims.”
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What I Wish Were Different for Survivors Like Me

The question I wish people would ask is not, "Why did you go back?" It is: "What was missing that would have made it possible for you and your children to stay safely gone?" ... The system fails survivors when it only recognizes danger at the moment of crisis. Safety has to last longer than the emergency.
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Compulsory Safety, Continued: What Black Rural Families Are Building Now

School has begun in Minnesota. For many families, this is…
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Convergence: National Conversations About Defending Democracy Held in Minnesota

National leaders for defending democracy gathered at the Minneapolis convention center August 21 to 23, partly to talk about how Minnesotans organized to protect neighbors from federal agents, and partly to prepare for the next onslaught of federal occupation, likely related to the upcoming November elections. A central message: True power comes from cross-sector collaboration between labor, faith communities, nonprofits, and other community leaders.
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Gloria Steinem, an iconic voice of feminism, dies at 92

"The life and legacy of Gloria Steinem: A woman who changed the landscape in terms of what it meant to think about women’s power and agency, most notably through the written word."
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Insights About Co-Operatives

Policymakers, Indigenous leaders, and Black collective participants discussed the long-time benefits of a collaborative, co-operative system at the Minnesota Cooperative Summit in Duluth. "Community wealth is collective."
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In Chile, a Group of Women Embroider to Keep Memory Alive 

The Bordadoras have influenced my thoughts on the politics of memory, the power of textile art, and the significance of the space that a group of people gathered together creates.
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Collective Power Is Key

There are insights in these pages about how collective solidarity builds far more for our health, prosperity, and happiness than any single government agency or corporate structure can provide.
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