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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241210T080000
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DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
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SUMMARY:practice event
DESCRIPTION:This is a test event
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/practice-event/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250116T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250116T200000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20241204T180454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T180454Z
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SUMMARY:Writer to Writer: A conversation between Mary Moore Easter and Christopher P. Lehman
DESCRIPTION:*This is a virtual event* \nRegister Here \nPanelist Bios: \nMary Moore Easter is the author of a memoir The Way She Wants to Get There and four books of poetry including Free Papers\, inspired by the testimony of Eliza Winston. She was the Founder and Director of Carleton College’s dance program. In 2022\, Carleton College named their new studios in the Weitz Center for Creativity to honor her legacy: the Mary Easter Dance Studios. Now emerita professor\, she continues in her performance and written works the overlap of movement\, words and song sourced from African American culture. \nChristopher P. Lehman is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at St. Cloud State University. He is the 2023 winner of the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Ruth Riester Award and the 2020 winner of the Minnesota Book Award in the Minnesota Nonfiction category for his book Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State. He has been a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. His latest book is It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/writer-to-writer-a-conversation-between-mary-moore-easter-and-christopher-p-lehman/
CATEGORIES:Writer to Writer
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250201T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250201T150000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250108T194854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250108T195021Z
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SUMMARY:Embracing Our Roots: Rooted and Rising with Dr. Haki Madhubuti and Chaun Webber
DESCRIPTION:Join Dr. Haki Madhubuti and Chaun Webster in a conversation about self-determination in Black writing\, publishing and distribution. Elder Madhubuti a widely published author and poet\, and is the founder of Third World Press\, the oldest Black Publishing house in the world. Chaun Webster is also a widely published poet and graphic artist. This event continues a series of intergenerational discussions between African American creatives and is co-sponsored by More Than a Single Story\, The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life\, the In Black Ink publishing arts initiative\, Givens Foundation For African American Literature\, and University of Minnesota MFA Program in Creative Writing Program with funds from the Edelstein-Keller Endowment. \nThis is an in-person event at the following address: \nElmer L. Andersen Library  \nGivens Conference Suite 120  \n222 21st Ave S\, Minneapolis\, MN 55455 \nPlease Register here: Click Here \n  \nPanelist Bios: \nHaki R. Madhubuti is an award winning poet\, author\, and educator. Widely regarded as one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement (BAM)\, he is the founder and publisher of Chicago’s Third World Press\, the oldest independent Black book publishing company in the world (1967).  Madhubuti holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He has authored more than 37 books and has been awarded five Honorary degrees. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Chicago State University where he founded and directed the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing. His poetry and teaching have been recognized by numerous awards\, most recently the “Living in her Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award” given by the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in recognition of his lifetime of service and exemplary art activism.    \nChaun Webster is a poet and graphic designer living in Minneapolis whose work is attempting to put pressure on the spatial and temporal limitations of writing\, of the english language\, as a way to demonstrate its incapacity for describing blackness outside of a regime of death and dying. Webster’s books include\, Gentry!fication: or the scene of the crime (Noemi Press\, 2018)\, and Wail Song: wading in the water at the end of the world\, (Black Ocean Press\, 2023).  Both books were awarded the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/embracing-our-roots-rooted-and-rising-with-dr-haki-madhubuti-and-chaun-webber/
LOCATION:Elmer L. Andersen Library\, 222 21st Ave S\, Minneapolis\, MN\, 55455\, United States
CATEGORIES:Embracing Our Roots
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250508T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250508T150000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250401T195946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250401T195946Z
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SUMMARY:An Afternoon with Jason Reynolds
DESCRIPTION:More Than a Single Story is excited to be bringing Jason Reynolds\, #1 bestselling children’s and Young Adult author and MacArthur Genius\, to the Twin Cities for a stimulating conversation with our own Shannon Gibney and two 15-year-old readers\, Boisey Corvah and Asher Parks. Minneapolis Poet Laureate\, Junauda Petrus will open with a poem. \nReynolds has written over 20 books that depict the rich inner lives of children of color and offer profound moments of human connection. Beyond the page\, he is a dynamic champion of storytelling who inspires reluctant readers and the adults who teach and care for them. \n\nIn order to ensure that the event is accessible to educators and their students\, it will be in the afternoon.\n\nThursday\, May 8\, 2025\, 1-3 pm\nGuthrie Theater Wurtele Stage\n\nThe event is free and open to the public. All are invited but you will need to register. ASL interpreters available upon request.\nRegister Here: Click Here \n\nMany thanks to the MN Humanities Center for their sponsorship\, and Hennepin County Library for partnering with us. We couldn’t have done it without you.\nWho Should Attend?\n\n\nWriters and readers of all ages and communities\nSchool groups\, after school groups\, and other interested groups\nParents and adults who want to hang out with a young person for an afternoon\n\nAll other interested persons\n\n\nRegistration Tips\nThe Guthrie Theater is taking registrations for this event.\n\nIf you want to register your group\, click on the registration link\, scroll down to Student Groups and fill out the form provided\n\nIf you want to register as an individual\, click Register\, then click Select. Then select your seats from the highlighted sections\, Orchestra Center or Orchestra Left.\n\nIf you have special needs\, call or email the Guthrie Box Office\n\nBox office hrs Tues-Fri 1-8pm\, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm\n612.377.2224 or 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free)\nEmail: boxoffice@guthrietheater
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/an-afternoon-with-jason-reynolds/
LOCATION:Guthrie Theatre\, 818 South 2nd Street\, Minneapolis\, 55415\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250531T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250531T160000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250515T193648Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250515T194235Z
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SUMMARY:Songs For Our Fathers: Fathers Shaping the World
DESCRIPTION:  \n \n  \nFathers shape the world. Through their love\, labor\, lessons and sometimes through their absence\, they leave a legacy that lives on in us. Join More Than a Single Story and The Friends of the Saint Paul Library for a series of 2 panels that aim to bridge cultural\, racial\, and generational divides as single fathers\, married fathers\, stepfathers\, and grandfathers gather to explore the songs and silences passed down by our fathers\, and the stories we’re crafting now as we raise\, support\, and stand beside the next generation. \nCo-Moderators: Suleiman Adan and Ben Weaver. \nTo Register Click Here \nPanelist Bios: \nImam Makram El-Amin is a respected religious and civic leader whose work for over two decades has centered on human dignity and community uplift. He leads Masjid An-Nur in Minneapolis and Al Maa’uun Community Outreach Services\, addressing food insecurity\, housing\, career support\, and mentorship. A student of Imam W. Deen Mohammed\, his balanced approach to Islam has led to global interfaith work including meetings with Pope John Paul II\, the Dalai Lama\, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. He served as advisor to Keith Ellison and was once called the “congressman’s imam” by The New York Times. Imam El-Amin has lectured internationally\, served as a police chaplain\, and currently chairs the Urban League Twin Cities. He earned his MDiv from Bayan Islamic Graduate School and is pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership there. He is married to Sharon\, and together they have three children and three grandsons. \nLars Kommienezuspadt is an internationally recognized photographer\, videographer\, and illustrator. For over a decade\, he has documented times of social crisis. His work has captured pivotal moments such as the killing of Philando Castile and George Floyd in Minneapolis\, the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock\, and the ongoing Palestine movement during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. \nLong Vang is a father of three sons and has worked in the Human Services Field for more than 25 years. He has worked with front-line staff\, case managers\, mental health practitioner and upper management as well as Executive Director. He is currently with Oyate Hotanin (One People). As one of the co-designers for the Repair Circle Process. Oyate Hotanin is looking for alternatives to incarceration and system reform to improve lives and communities. He also pioneered and developed one of the first aftercare programs for youth and families for the Hmong community in the early 1990’s when families were struggling with adjudicated youth in Minnesota. As a member of the Hmong community\, Vang mentors young adults finding their career journey and serves his civic duties to inform and educate families struggling to navigate our currently broken system. \nJosh Tecumseh Wabaunsee is a lighting designer/director\, and is currently the Lighting Supervisor at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota.  He is an enrolled member of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi and currently live in Annandale\, MN. He is father to three children: One biological\, Forest Tecumseh\, 18\, and two step children\, Maddie\, 23 and Abhram\, 21. Abhram was adopted from Ethiopia.  He and Forests mother divorced when he was 3. She had the majority of parenting time initially\, but Forest has been living with Josh full time since he was in 6th grade. \nModerater Bios: \nSuleiman Adan is a writer\, poet\, and writing teacher whose work has been published in the anthology We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. In addition to his creative pursuits\, Suleiman is a dedicated systems builder\, community advocate\, and DEI trainer with over a decade of experience empowering teams and building capacity through grassroots trainings and organizing efforts. Passionate about youth education\, he has operated a free tutoring company focused on increasing literacy and proficiency in BIPOC youth\, while also serving on Education and Arts boards. As an experienced project manager and fundraiser\, Suleiman has led diverse global initiatives across sectors. A skilled trainer\, he has mobilized volunteers in 8 countries for social justice causes and facilitates critical dialogues on diversity\, equity and inclusion. Suleiman currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR MN\, the nations largest civil rights organization. \nBen Weaver is a father\, caregiver\, songwriter\, poet and hide tanner\, who travels by bicycle. He uses music and poetry to strengthen relationships and culture between human and non-human entities. He has released nine studio albums of music and five books of poetry. Given the choice he will side with the animals\, lakes\, rivers and trees. Relationship is the repair.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/songs-for-our-fathers-fathers-shaping-the-world/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library\, 461 Dale St N\, St. Paul\, MN\, 55103\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250607T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250607T160000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250515T195245Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250515T195245Z
UID:18744-1749304800-1749312000@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Songs For Our Fathers: The Glory That is Fatherhood
DESCRIPTION:  \nFathers shape the world. Through their love\, labor\, lessons and sometimes through their absence\, they leave a legacy that lives on in us. Join More Than a Single Story and The Friends of the Saint Paul Library for a series of 2 panels that aim to bridge cultural\, racial\, and generational divides as single fathers\, married fathers\, stepfathers\, and grandfathers gather to explore the songs and silences passed down by our fathers\, and the stories we’re crafting now as we raise\, support\, and stand beside the next generation. \nCo-Moderators: Ben Weaver and Suleiman Adan. \nTo Register Click Here \nPanelist Bios \nAlexei Moon Casselle\, known on stage as Crescent Moon\, is a father\, educator\, and artist who first discovered the power of words at age 12—thanks to a teacher who turned classroom outbursts into creative writing assignments. By 15\, he was writing rap lyrics and performing at South High School\, launching a music career rooted in Hip Hop that remains at the core of his work. As a former member of the group Oddjobs and current member of Kill The Vultures\, he has toured internationally and shared stages with artists like Snoop Dogg\, Shock G of Digital Underground\, and De la Soul. Over the years\, his creative expression has expanded to include Folk/Americana\, Spoken Word\, and experimental music that resists easy categorization. Alexei is the proud father of a teenage daughter\, and together they write and perform as the duo DoubleDragon. His journey as a parent deeply shapes both his songwriting and his work as a secondary educator\, where he helps amplify young voices. \nNick Metcalf is Sicangu Oyate – Burnt Thigh People – Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Nick has lived in the Twin Cities for 30 years where they’ve made a life filled with lots of friends\, family\, and community. Nick is a proud Parent and Grandparent. Nick is a Poet and Writer. Nick participated in the Loft’s 2024 year-long Poetry Apprenticeship with Heid E. Erdrich. Abdirahman (Abdi) Mukhtar is passionate about the health of the young people in his community. A leader\, coach for numerous sports teams\, mentor\, and passionate youth worker over two decades\, he is widely known on the West Bank of Minneapolis and in the Somali American community in Minnesota for his community work. He founded Daryeel (the Somali word for “care”) Youth to be a non-judging beacon of light for young people in the throes of active addiction. He welcomes all to his Friday night gatherings\, where he supplies food\, clean clothing\, personal hygiene products\, a first aid kit with Narcan\, and dressing for wounds. His compassion has earned him the trust of his community\, especially parents who are trying to help their children reclaim a healthy life. \nMohamud Nur has been living in Minnesota since 1998. He is a proud father and grandfather. While raising his children\, he worked double shifts to support them and ensure his familys survival. Raising children\, especially boys in the United States\, and particularly in Minnesota\, comes with many challenges. It requires time\, space\, and most importantly\, presence. Mohmed made it a priority to not just be a parent\, but also a friend to his children. \nModerater Bios: \nSuleiman Adan is a writer\, poet\, and writing teacher whose work has been published in the anthology We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. In addition to his creative pursuits\, Suleiman is a dedicated systems builder\, community advocate\, and DEI trainer with over a decade of experience empowering teams and building capacity through grassroots trainings and organizing efforts. Passionate about youth education\, he has operated a free tutoring company focused on increasing literacy and proficiency in BIPOC youth\, while also serving on Education and Arts boards. As an experienced project manager and fundraiser\, Suleiman has led diverse global initiatives across sectors. A skilled trainer\, he has mobilized volunteers in 8 countries for social justice causes and facilitates critical dialogues on diversity\, equity and inclusion. Suleiman currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director at CAIR MN\, the nations largest civil rights organization. \nBen Weaver is a father\, caregiver\, songwriter\, poet and hide tanner\, who travels by bicycle. He uses music and poetry to strengthen relationships and culture between human and non-human entities. He has released nine studio albums of music and five books of poetry. Given the choice he will side with the animals\, lakes\, rivers and trees. Relationship is the repair.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/songs-for-our-fathers-the-glory-that-is-fatherhood/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library\, 461 Dale St N\, St. Paul\, MN\, 55103\, United States
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250624T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250624T200000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250526T171448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250621T155246Z
UID:18749-1750789800-1750795200@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Writer to Writer Queer Voices: Curators\, Past and Present
DESCRIPTION:Writer to Writer is a series featuring conversations between BIPOC (Black\, Indigenous and people of color) writers. \nQueer Births & Queer Battles: A Panel Discussion with Queer Voices Curators \nThe four curators of Queer Voices\, past and present\, have been honored to celebrate the queer literary community of Minnesota and create space for all voices across our big\, beautiful\, and bold rainbow. This Pride month founding curators\, Andrea Jenkins\, and John Medeiros\, along with present curators\, LM Brimmer and Sherrie Fernandez-Williams will share their work and discuss their writing lives\, while providing some stories around Queer Voices’ 32-year history. \nThis program takes place at Quatrefoil Library. \nTo register please Click Here \nPanelist Bios: \nAndrea Jenkins is a soulful poet\, educator\, artist\, respected historian and  political powerhouse. In 2017 she became the 1st out Black Trans woman elected to public office in the United States. She serves on the Minneapolis City Council. She holds a Masters Degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University\, a Masters of Fine Arts from Hamline University\, and Bachelors Degree from Metropolitan State University. Additionally she completed the Senior Government and Executive Leadership program at Harvard University. She has been featured in TIME Magazine\, Essence\, Teen Vogue\, The New York Times\, The Guardian\, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine. In 2022 she was named on the OUT100 list by OUT Magazine\, Twin Cities Business 100 People to Know\, and Fast Company Top 50 Queers. \nJohn Medeiros is a poetry\, memoirist\, and lawyer living in Minneapolis. His is the author of couplets for a shrinking world (North Star Press) and co-editor of Queer Voices: Poetry\, Prose\, and Pride (Minnesota Historical Society Press). His work has appeared in several anthologies\, including Squares and Rebels (Handtype Press)\, Poetry City\, USA\, vol. 2 (Lowbrow Press)\, Collective Brightness (Sibling Rivalry Press)\, Other Words: A Writer’s Reader (Kendall/Hunt)\, and Gents\, Badboys\, and Barbarians: New Gay Male Poetry (Alison Publications). His writing is featured in numerous journals\, including qarrtsiluni\, Midway Journal\, Marco Polo Quarterly\, Two Hawks Quarterly\, Raging Dove\, Second Run\, Swell\, Sport Literate\, Hot Metal Press\, Water~Stone Review; Gulf Coast; Willow Springs\, The Talking Stick\, and Evergreen Chronicles.  He is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board grants; Gulf Coast ‘s Nonfiction Award; and the AWP Intro Journals Award.  He has an MFA from Hamline University (St. Paul)\, and his work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize\, and as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays (2006). He co-curated the Queer Voices Reading Series with Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis\, Minnesota\, from 2005 to 2018. More information about him can be found at his website\, www.jmedeiros.net. \nLM Brimmer is an interdisciplinary artist living on Dakota land in Minneapolis\, MN. Co-editor of the anthology Queer Voices: Poetry\, Prose and Pride\, their poetry have appeared in Colorado Review\, Voicemail Poems\, Impossible Archetype\, Gasher Journal\, The B’K’\, Quarterly West and are forthcoming from Sonora Review.  A Randolph College MFA alumni\, they are Artistic Director of Queer Voices of Minnesota – a reading series that since 1993 has celebrated and supported queer lives and the writers living them. They teach at Century College and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. \nSherrie Fernandez-Williams is a Black\, Queer writer who earned her MFA from Hamline University. She is the author of the book of poems\, Goddess of the Whole Self\, and the memoir Soft. She has published poems and essays in New Limestone Review\, Aquifer: The Florida Review\, Duke University Press\, We are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World\, How Dare We Write: A Multicultural Creative Writing Discourse\, and The Poverty and Education Reader. Her grants and awards include a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship\, a Black Voices in Children’s Literature award\,  Minnesota State Arts Board\, The Loft Literary Center\, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature\, Intermedia Arts\,  SASE: The Write Place\, and The Playwrights’ Center. Sherrie is Operation Director of Queer Voices.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/writer-to-writer-queer-voices-curators-past-and-present/
LOCATION:Quatrefoil Library\, 1220 E Lake st\, Minneapolis\, 55407\, United States
CATEGORIES:Writer to Writer
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250923T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250923T200000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250902T221207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T221207Z
UID:18832-1758652200-1758657600@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Writer to Writer with Marian Hassan and Ahmed Ismail Yusuf
DESCRIPTION:  \nWriter to Writer is a series featuring conversations between BIPOC (Black\, Indigenous and people of color) writers. \nIn Somali pastoral tradition\, a genre of writing that depicts an idealized rural life\, language is the richest possession – carried like water\, full of poetry\, memory\, and heritage. Join Somali American writers Marian Hassan and Ahmed Ismail Yusuf in a conversation of how their writing is a way to remember\, resist\, and make meaning of stories shaped by migration\, tradition\, and the shadow of war. \nThey will explore language as both a bridge and barrier and discuss the challenges of transferring fragmented oral stories to the page\, balancing truth with craft\, and searching for home in memory and language. Q&A session to follow. Collaborator: More Than a Single Story. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. \nThis is a virtual event please Register here \nPanelist Bios: \nMarian Hassan is a writer\, educator\, third culture adult\, and advocate for bi-literacy and educational equity. Her work focuses on creating inclusive learning materials that honor students’ heritage languages and cultural identities. Hassan is the author of several bilingual children’s books and the editor of Crossroads: An Anthology of Resilience and Hope\, a collection of youth writing. \nAhmed Ismail Yusuf was raised in a nomadic upbringing and is the author of three books: Gorgorkii Yimi\, The Lion’s Binding Oath\, Somalis in Minnesota\, and Maana-faay (translated from Somali into English). Two new books will be released in 2026. He holds a BS in Creative Writing and Psychology from Trinity College in Hartford\, Connecticut and an MPA (Master of Public Affairs) from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/writer-to-writer-with-marian-hassan-and-ahmed-ismail-yusuf/
CATEGORIES:Writer to Writer
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251002T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251002T190000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20250921T170725Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250921T170725Z
UID:18841-1759424400-1759431600@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Our Stories Ourselves with Crown Shepard
DESCRIPTION:Our Stories\, Ourselves (OSO) is our legacy series which include a panel discussion and related writing workshops led by BIPOC writers. Each cluster of OSO events are shaped around a specific theme and a set of BIPOC writers. \nLocal author Crown Shepherd shares how writers can bring stories to life with bold characters\, exciting plots and kid-friendly dialogue! Learn how to write engaging comics that capture children’s imaginations. From crafting compelling narratives to understanding pacing and tone\, you’ll gain the tools to create a comic that entertains\, educates and connects with young readers. Collaborators: More Than a Single Story\, MN BIPOC KidLit Creators. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. \n*This is an online event* – Please register here \nPanelist bio \nCrown Shepherd is a prolific author with ten published books to her name and many more in the pipeline. She is a seasoned marketing manager at Wise Ink Creative Publishing\, a dedicated owner and bookseller at Liberate Your BookShelf\, and an unwavering advocate for reading. \nBorn and raised in the vibrant community of North Minneapolis\, Crown Shepherd has always been passionate about literacy and education. Her life’s mission revolves around reducing the illiteracy rate within the Black community. She firmly believes that reading is the key to unlocking a world of knowledge and opportunity. \nWith the firm conviction that if you can read\, you can learn; if you can learn\, you can grow; and if you can grow\, you can be anything\, Crown Shepherd has tirelessly worked to inspire and empower individuals through the written word. \nIn addition to her literary pursuits\, Crown Shepherd actively contributes to her community by serving on several non-profit boards in the Twin Cities. Her commitment to fostering positive change has not gone unnoticed\, and she has been recognized as a publishing fellow for Wise Ink. \nCrown Shepherd’s dedication to the arts and literature has also earned her accolades in the form of several prestigious Minnesota Arts grants. These grants have allowed her to further her mission of promoting literacy and making a lasting impact on her community. \nAs an author\, marketer\, bookseller\, advocate\, and community leader\, Crown Shepherd’s multifaceted contributions continue to leave an indelible mark on the world of literature and education. Her passion for storytelling and her commitment to the betterment of her community make her a true literary force to be reckoned with. \nFor more about Crown Shepherd\, visit www.crownthewriter.com
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/our-stories-ourselves-with-crown-shepard/
CATEGORIES:Our Story Ourselves
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251101T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251101T150000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20251004T214308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251023T171230Z
UID:18851-1762002000-1762009200@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Embracing Our Roots: Rooted and Rising with Dr. John S. Wright & Davu Underwood Seru
DESCRIPTION:Embracing Our Roots consists of monthly conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s literary history within their community. The series started with a collaboration between More Than a Single Story\, Black Table Arts and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations. \n*This is an in-person event* please register here \nPanelist Bios \nJohn S. Wright– Morse-Amoco Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of African American & African Studies and English at the University of Minnesota. Born in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis\, Wright earned degrees in three different fields from the University: his Ph.D. (American Studies / History of African Peoples\, 1977)\, M.A.\, (English & American Literature\, 1971)\, and B.E.E. (Electrical Engineering\, 1968). Before leaving in 1973 to build a program in Afro-American & African Studies at Carleton College\, he participated in the student movement that helped found both the University’s Department of African American & African Studies and its Martin Luther King Program\, which he subsequently administered for three years. After returning to the University in 1984\, he chaired the AFRO Department\, spearheaded the acquisition of the Archie Givens Collection of African American Literature & Life\, and served on the CLA faculty for thirty-five years before retiring in 2019. \nWhile serving as senior editor of Coffeehouse Press’s Black Arts Movement Reprint Series and Simon & Schuster’s Givens Collection Series\, he published the critically acclaimed intellectual biography\, Shadowing Ralph Ellison: Art\, Freedom\, and Technologies of the Spirit; and he has consulted for such television documentaries as Africans in America; Midnight Ramble: the Cinema of Oscar Micheaux; and PBS’s Free to Dance series. His extended essay on African American Intellectual Life for the Macmillan Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History remains a scholarly landmark. As performer\, he headlined revivals of Langston Hughes’s Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz at Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center on a double-bill with Imamu Amiri Baraka\, and on stage with John Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band in its 2000 production. \nDavu Underwood Seru is the Curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life and co-author of the book Sights\, Sounds\, Soul: The Twin Cities Through The Lens of Charles Chamblis\, which was a finalist for the 2017 MN Book Award. He has published articles on literature\, music\, history and culture in American Book Review\, The Waker Art Center online magazine MnArtist.org and the French jazz magazine Les Allumés du Jazz. He is currently working on a book project with the artist Seitu Ken Jones. \nIn 2023\, before leaving the English Department at Hamline University\, where he had taught since 2011\, Davu was awarded the Dr. Colleen S. Bell Outstanding Faculty Award. He continues to teach on- and off-campus. \nDavu is also an improvising musician and composer known primarily for his work on drums. His compositions often emphasize interdisciplinarity and draw from archival research. This work has afforded him an international reputation and awards from McKnight Foundation (2020 Composer Fellowship)\, Jerome Foundation (2017-18 Composer/Sound Artist Fellow) and commissions from Walker Art Center and Zeitgeist ensemble. \nDavu remains the longest-serving teaching assistant to Dr. John S. Wright and the longest-serving graduate research fellow to the Givens Collection.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/embracing-our-roots-rooted-and-rising-with-dr-john-s-wright-davu-underwood-seru/
LOCATION:Elmer L. Andersen Library\, 222 21st Ave S\, Minneapolis\, MN\, 55455\, United States
CATEGORIES:Embracing Our Roots
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260228T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260228T150000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20260201T231509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260201T231509Z
UID:19452-1772283600-1772290800@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:EMBRACING OUR ROOTS: ROOTED AND RISING -A conversation with Mary Moore Easter and Leslie Parker
DESCRIPTION:Embracing Our Roots consists of conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s history within their community. The series is a collaboration between More Than a Single Story\, The Givens Collection of Literature and Life\, and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations. \nDon’t forget to register here \nPanelist Bios \nMary Moore Easter\, author of five poetry collections and a memoir\, continues to comment on her world\, inner and outer. Her most recent collection\, Dancing on the Precipice\, a good description of not falling over the edge\, chronicles healing to dance\, travel\, family\, politics and new love following core-opening surgery at 85. Honors: Cave Canem Fellow; recipient of book and dance awards; Carleton College’s Mary Easter Dance Studio in honor of her legacy in that place. Poetry Memberships ongoing: Penchant\, Twin Cities Black Women Writing and others. \nLeslie Parker was born in the traditional homeland of Dakhóta and Ojibwe and raised in the Rondo neighborhood which led her to refining her dance practice in her second art home base of the Lenape people (aka Brooklyn\, NY). Parker\, a dance artist\, educator\, performer\, improviser\, organizer\, choreographer\, and director is a 2017 Bessie award recipient\, a Jerome Hill Artist\nFellow 2019-2021\, 2022 Mcknight Choreographer Fellow and 2024-2026 Jerome@Camargo artist-in-residence in Cassis\, France. She holds a MFA from Hollins University in partnership with Dresden Frankfurt Company and Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt\, Germany. She lectured\, choreographed\, improvised\, and taught dance at Spelman College\, Florida State\nUniversity\, TU Dance Center\, University of Michigan\, Sarah Lawrence College\, University of Minnesota\, Alabama School of Fine Arts\, Keshet Dance School and Performing Arts\, Carleton College\, Point Park University\, Temple University\, and Hollins University. Parker has worked and studied with local\, national and international choreographers globally.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/embracing-our-roots-rooted-and-rising-a-conversation-with-mary-moore-easter-and-leslie-parker/
LOCATION:Elmer L. Andersen Library\, 222 21st Ave S\, Minneapolis\, MN\, 55455\, United States
CATEGORIES:Embracing Our Roots
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260404T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260404T150000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20251218T220613Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T040742Z
UID:19005-1775307600-1775314800@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:EMBRACING OUR ROOTS: ROOTED AND RISING -A conversation with Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little
DESCRIPTION:This event has been rescheduled to April 4th \n  \nJoin beloved artists and culture bearers\, Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little in a wide ranging conversation as they reflect on the paths that led them to where they are today in their lives and careers; paths that have often been lit by unseen and unexpected sources. Embracing our Roots: Rooted and Rising pairs Black artists and arts activist Elders with next-generation arts leaders in conversation\, mining the continuum of cultural knowledge and experience that built today’s arts community. It is a partnership between More Than a Single Story\, The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life\, and the In Black Ink publishing arts initiative. \nEmbracing Our Roots consists of conversations where young arts leaders will join our elders in conversation about their histories of significant milestones in Minnesota’s history within their community. The series is a collaboration between More Than a Single Story\, The Givens Collection of Literature and Life\, and In Black Ink to highlight conversations between Black artists across generations. \nDon’t forget to register here \nPanelist Bios: \nCarolyn Holbrook is founder and director or More Than a Single Story. Her memoir\, Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify\, won the 2021 Minnesota Book Award in memoir/creative nonfiction. She is co-editor with David Mura of the anthology\, We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (UMN Press) and is co-author with Dr. Josie Johnson and Arleta Little of Hope in the Struggle (UMN Press). Her essays have been published in anthologies including A Good Time For the Truth and Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota. Her 2022 TEDx talk\, The Life you Live is the Legacy You will Leave\, was presented at Concordia College in Moorhead\, MN. Her awards include the Minnesota Book Awards Kay Sexton Award\, 2010; Hamline University Exemplary Teacher\, 2014; 50 over 50\, 2017; Celebrate the Sistahs\, 2020; and Flowers Now!\, 2024. She is the 2025 McKnight Distinguished Artist. \nArleta Little is a poet\, writer\, and culture worker who has made good trouble for nearly 30 years in nonprofit organizations and philanthropy in Minnesota. Arleta’s latest book of poetry\, Black Swallowtail\, pairs her poetry with paintings by visual artist Ta-coumba T. Aiken. Her poems and essays have appeared in multiple journals and publications including We Are Meant to Rise:\nVoices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (UMN Press)\, Blues Vision: African American Writing From Minnesota (MNHS Press)\, Water-Stone Review\, Calyx\, and more. She is a co- author along with Josie Johnson and Carolyn Holbrook of Hope in the Struggle: A Memoir (UMN Press). Arleta was the first Executive Director of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature and co-founder of the influential Givens Black Writers Retreat program. She currently serves as the Executive & Artistic Director for the Loft in Minneapolis\, serving literary creatives\, culture bearers\, and changemakers.
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/embracing-our-roots-rooted-and-rising-a-conversation-with-carolyn-holbrook-and-arleta-little/
LOCATION:Elmer L. Andersen Library\, 222 21st Ave S\, Minneapolis\, MN\, 55455\, United States
CATEGORIES:Embracing Our Roots
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260507T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260507T200000
DTSTAMP:20260418T091849
CREATED:20260326T162249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T162249Z
UID:19501-1778178600-1778184000@morethanasinglestory.com
SUMMARY:Writer to writer with Payal Doshi and Nicole D. Collier
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is an online event please Register Here
URL:https://morethanasinglestory.com/event/writer-to-writer-with-payal-doshi-and-nicole-d-collier/
ORGANIZER;CN="More Than A Single Story":MAILTO:mtassinfo@gmail.com
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