Outdoors Edition: Terror in the Wild, 9,000 Miles by canoe, falconry for beginners, the Grand Portage and butchering lambs at summer camp.
Hello all!
Believe it or not, it’s be nearly a year since I sent out one of these. Time flies! I hope you all are doing well.
I
t’s been a busy time with the launch of the anthology Under Purple Skies: The Minneapolis Anthology, which turned out better than I could have hoped. The collection has so many great essays and poems by some of the the best writers in these parts. So if you’re looking for a Xmas gift, this is a good one! Includes work by Kao Kalia Yang, Bill Donahue, Shannon Gibney, Kevin Kling, Michael Perry, Kelly Barnhill, Fathia Absie, Sarah Stonich, Marie Rendon, Rae Meadows, Jonathan Raban, Matt Powers and many others.
Here’s the story link to the book at Belt (also IndieBound and, if you must, Amazon) But you can also find at your local bookstore. Here is an interview we did with MPR (with Kao Kalia Yang, Ahmed Yusuf, Gwen Westerman Kris Bigalk and Laurie Hertzel), KFAI (with Shannon Gibney, Ed Bok Lee and Jason Albert) and a lovely review from the Star Tribune. Also some nice coverage from Hamline and the University of Minnesota.
Okay, on to other things! Without meaning to, I seem to have become an outdoors writer:
TOP STORIES:
The Survivalist Summer Camp (Outside)
Unearthing the Story: An Interview with Peter Hessler (Longreads)
The Canoe-Less Portage: A family finds history and challenge backpacking the Grand Portage. (MCV Magazine)
'Never so terrified': A night in Sturgeon Narrows. A former Camp Widjiwagan camper recounts a night unlike another other in the Quetico. (Star Tribune)
Honey, We Have a Hawk! Have you ever looked at a feral raptor perched on a light pole in Edina and thought, "Let’s form a man-beast partnership in the TV room?" (MSP Magazine)
The Magical Mystery Lights: A journey to West Texas in search of uncertainty and wonder. (AAA Westways, Not online, sadly)
Back to The Beach: A Lost Interview with Alex Garland (World Hum)
ESSAYS, INTERVIEWS:
Optimism has gone out of style: Interview with Gregg Easterbrook (The Rotarian)
There is nothing quite like the calls from a loon. Hollywood can't get enough of them, either. Almost to distraction, the distinctive wails and tremolos are used again and again in movies and TV shows. (Star Tribune)
Less is more: Surviving in age of abundance (The Rotarian)
MORE OUTDOORS:
Halloween is near, but those frights pale next to some experiences in the outdoors
Unexplained, odd, scary: Here are some stories from the woods (Star Tribune)
9,000 miles. Nearly three years. Mainly, by canoe: In the late '70s, a Minnesotan named Jerry Pushcar canoed (and hiked) from New Orleans to Nome, Alaska (Star Tribune)
'Flatlanders' make good: How former Minnesotans are dominating the ultra running scene (Star Tribune)
Rigid or unspoken or offbeat, rules are part of cabin culture While the cabin may be an escape from the strictures of home, it can't be chaos. (Star Tribune)
Hope your year was good, and that your holidays are even better!
best,
Frank