November 13, 2011, Sunday - Second Story Reading: Kelly Barnhill and Anne Ursu at The Loft

Time: 2:00pm

Location:  The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Second Story Reading: Kelly Barnhill and Anne Ursu

Second Story is the Loft's reading series for authors of books for children and young adults. This month's reading features novelists Kelly Barnhill and Anne Ursu. The series is curated by authors Swati Avasthi and Heather Bouwman.

Kelly Barnhill has several former careers: school teacher, bartender, waitress, janitor, activist, receptionist, park ranger and wildland firefighter. The sum of these experiences, in total, have prepared her for absolutely nothing, save freelance writing which she has been happily doing for the past six years. She lives in Minneapolis with her brilliant husband, her three evil-genius children and her emotionally unstable dog.

Anne Ursu is the author of three middle grade novels that comprise the Cronus Chronicles trilogy, The Shadow Thieves, The Siren Song and The Immortal Fire, in addition to two well-received adult books, Spilling Clarence and The Disapparation of James. Anne is also a professor of writing for children at Hamline University and a lifelong Minnesota Twins fan. She lives in Minneapolis with her son and three cats.

November 12, 2011, Saturday - Create Your Own Magical World: Creative Writing and Bookmaking - a Special Combo Class with MCBA and Loft Staff

Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm

Location: Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1011 Washington Avenue South

For kids ages 9-12

Explore the timeless territory of magic. Students will record the hair-raising adventures of a main character, the hero, who sets out on a magical journey to save a troubled world, and, along the way, encounters menacing villains and mystical beings. Iinvent your own setting, characters, and plot. Then bring your magical world to life in a pop-up book you make yourself! The day includes a 30-minute supervised lunch break; please bring a sack lunch.

$93 ($83.70 MCBA or Loft members); low-income discount available

Register through The Loft Literary Center at 612-379-8999 or www.loft.org.

November 12, 2011, Saturday - Live Music at Crooked Pint Ale House

Time: 10:00pm, Lower level: $12/Upper level: $10

Location: Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Avenue South

Tonight: Join us for the Patty Peterson Birthday Celebration Weekend!

November 12, 2011, Saturday - Live Music at Aster Cafe

Time: 9:00pm  $10 Cover

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street 

Tonight:  Noah Hoehn

November 12, 2011, Saturday - Publication Reading: Jill Breckenridge - Miss Priss and the Con Man at The Loft

Time: 7:00pm

Location:  The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Publication Reading: Jill Breckenridge - Miss Priss and the Con Man

In Miss Priss and the Con Man, published by Nodin Press, noted author Jill Breckenridge tells the story of her charismatic yet wildly unreliable father, whose pursuit of that elusive “big deal” led to financial disaster and a prison term. It’s a tale of silver mines, movie stars, booze and violence, told from the perspective of the little girl who lived through it all. Jill Breckenridge grew up in the West, but now lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She and playwright John Fenn raised a combined family of five children. A former director of The Loft Literary Center, she originated the Mentor Series, a program connecting national and local writers. Jill won the Bluestem Award, judged for her book of poems, How to Be Lucky. Her sequence of poetry and prose about the Civil War, Civil Blood, was published by Milkweed Editions. The book was nominated for the American Library Association’s Notable Books of 1986. Jill’s honors include a Bush Foundation Fellowship, two Minnesota State Arts Board grants and Loft-McKnight Awards in both poetry and prose. Jill holds an MFA in creative writing and a master’s degree in counseling psychology, with an emphasis on creativity.  Literary Punch Card eligible. 

November 11, 2011, Friday - Beer, Beer, Beer Class at Local D'Lish

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Local D'Lish, 208 N 1st Street

Small, local breweries are the new craze. Come learn about all of the great beer that comes from right here and how to integrate its small batch beauty into your menu.

Reservations

November 11, 2011, Friday - Live Music at Crooked Pint Ale House

Time: 10:00pm, Lower level: $12/Upper level: $10

Location: Crooked Pint Ale House, 501 Washington Avenue South

Tonight: Join us for the Patty Peterson Birthday Celebration Weekend!

November 11, 2011, Friday - Live Music at Aster Cafe

Time: 9:00pm  $10 Cover

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

Tonight: Dark Pony

November 11, 2011, Friday - Mentor Series Reading: Dinty Moore with Rebecca Dosch Brown and Diana Xin at The Loft

Time: 7:00pm

Location:  The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Mentor Series Reading: Dinty Moore with Rebecca Dosch Brown and Diana Xin

The Loft Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose presents nonfiction mentor Dinty Moore reading with program participants Rebecca Dosch Brown (poetry) and Diana Xin (fiction).

Dinty W. Moore lives in Athens, Ohio, where he directs Ohio University’s BA, MFA and PhD programs in creative writing. His books include the memoir Between Panic and Desire, The Accidental Buddhist, Toothpick Men, The Emperor’s Virtual Clothes and the writing guides The Truth of the Matter: Art and Craft in Creative Nonfiction and Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. He edits the internet journal Brevity and serves on the editorial board of Creative Nonfiction and is coordinating editor for W.W. Norton’s Best Creative Nonfiction.

Rebecca Dosch Brown (poetry) lives in media res in Northeast Minneapolis with her husband, an electronic composer, and their bright son, whose name means ‘sun’ in Japanese. She has been a teacher of creative writing, EFL and cultural awareness, and she has also enjoyed stints as a gardener, translator, editor and an apprentice in modern bonsai and tile-making. She has published poems, translations and prose in publications such as Kyoto Journal, Briar Cliff Review, Shi to Shisou and mnartists.org.

Diana Xin (fiction) moved from China to Minnesota when she was three, but spent the past year back in Beijing. She holds bachelor's degrees in journalism and creative writing from Northwestern University. Her writing has been published in the Alaska Quarterly Review, and she was recipient of Northwestern University's 2008 Tri Quarterly Prize in Fiction. She enjoys yoga, traveling and eating good food. Literary Punch Card eligible.

November 10, 2011, Thursday - A Wine Affair - Fall in California Wine Country at St. Anthony Main

Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Location:  St. Anthony Main Event Centre, 419 SE Main Street

Attend A Wine Affair and visit some of the most renowned wine regions in California - Napa Valley, Lodi and Sonoma – for this six-course meal and wine tasting.

Chef Benjamin McCallum has created another menu masterpiece to compliment each of the fascinating wines selected for this month's A Wine Affair. The environment is relaxed; you eat at your own pace and move on to the next course when you are ready. There are three chef stations, each serving a first and second course. Coffee and desserts are included with your ticket price. There are always more wines and martini specials available at the bar. Make a full night of it with your friends or your sweetheart.

Tickets $60 Per Person.  Order your tickets online call 612-874-0880. 

November 10, 2011, Thursday - Link Vostok Presents: Julyen Hamilton at Southern Theater (3 Nights)

Times:
Thursday, November 10 at 8:00pm
Friday, November 11 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 12 at 8:00pm

Location: Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Avenue South

Link Vostok presents three nights of performances as a part of its Mississippi/Volga IV festival.  Marking his first visit to the United States in over a decade, world-renowned performer Julyen Hamilton (England/Spain) will perform two solo shows “How It Is Made” and “The Immaterial World.”  Saturday evening brings a new work created in collaboration by Julyen Hamilton and local dance luminaries, as well as a piece by a special guest.

For details visit Link Vostok's Facebook page.

November 10, 2011, Thursday - North Star Cocktails Book Launch Party at Mill City Museum

Time:  7:00pm-10:00 pm
 
Location:  Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd Street

Sample craft cocktails and meet Johnny Michaels and other premiere Twin Cities bartenders to celebrate the publication of North Star Cocktails. This new book features 125 original, crafted cocktail recipes utilizing fresh fruits and vegetables, tips on barkeep techniques and tools, and guides to artisanal liquors and bitters.

Johnny Michaels and five other members of the North Star Bartenders’ Guild will be on hand mixing their cocktail recipe featured in the book. Participants will receive a voucher for three half-size cocktails with paid admission, and can purchase vouchers for additional cocktails. Pip Hanson of Marvel Bar will be conducting a demonstration of hand ice chipping. Nick Kosevich of Bittercube will deliver a tutorial on the art of hand-crafting artisanal bitters. Dean Phillips will have a memorabilia display highlighting the history of Phillips Distilling Company and its deep Minnesota roots.

Complimentary light hors d’oeuvres will be served. North Star Bartenders Guild members will be on hand to sign copies of the book, which will be for sale in the museum store.
 
The six bartenders who will mix their cocktails are:
•Johnny Michaels - La Belle Vie
•Adam Harness - Cafe Maude
•Gina Kent - Bradstreet Crafthouse
•Jesse Held
•Chad Larson - Barrio Tequila Bars
•Rob Jones - Meritage

Recognized as one of the Twin Cities’ best drink makers, Johnny Michaels is the cocktail connoisseur’s answer to a gourmet chef. His home base is the James Beard award–winning La Belle Vie, but he’s designed the cocktail menus for several of its sister restaurants and other top metro eateries. Together with premiere bartenders such as Pip Hanson, Nick Kosevich, Jesse Held, Thea Sheffert, and others in the North Star Bartenders’ Guild, Michaels shares 125 original cocktail recipes.

Tickets:
  Advance sales through November 7: $25, $20 for Minnesota Historical Society Members
  November 8-10: $30, $25 for Minnesota Historical Society members
On sale online or at 612-341-7555. Must be 21 or older to attend. Valid i.d. required for admittance

November 10, 2011, Thursday - Talk of the Stacks: Will Hermes at Central Library

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Pohlad Hall at Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall

Will Hermes is a senior critic for Rolling Stone and a longtime contributor to NPR’s “All Things Considered." His writing about music and culture has appeared in SPIN Magazine, The New York Times, Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and City Pages. He co-edited the book, SPIN: 20 Years of Alternative Music, and Tracks, a magazine for “grown-ass music geeks.”

His newest work, Love Goes to Buildings on Fire, explores the vibrant music scene of New York City during the mid-1970s. The book moves panoramically from post-Dylan Greenwich Village, to the arson-scarred South Bronx barrios where salsa and hip-hop were created, to the lower Manhattan lofts where jazz and classical music were reimagined, to ramshackle clubs like CBGB and the Galley where rock and dance music were born. Will Hermes was there and tells the full story of the era’s intersecting music scenes, covering Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash, Talking Heads and others.

November 10 2011, Thursday - Jazz Thursday at MacPhail

Time:  7:00pm

Location: MacPhail Center for Music, Antonello Hall, 501 2nd Street South

Jazz Integration

$10 Adults; $5 Youth - at the door

What better way to hear unlikely jazz duos and trios than in a concert featuring MacPhail jazz faculty together for the first time. A combination of rarely heard tunes and a unique grouping of instruments will set this evening in motion.

Then experience the harmonious finale of the evening as all musicians take the stage for a final piece signifying unity of the night’s musical scene.

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - Women & Wine Tasting Event at Spill the Wine

Time:  5:00pm - 8:00pm 

Location: Spill the Wine, 1101 Washington Avenue South

Featuring Private wine tasting, wholesale retail pricing, appetizers, music, jewelry and massage therapy.

Please join us for ladies night out featuring Stella & Dot jewelry, wine tastings, massage therapy.

$25/Person   Reservations

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - Make your Thanksgiving Dinner Local Class at Local D'Lish

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Local D'Lish, 208 N 1st Street

Yes you can do it! And it’s not that difficult. From appetizers to desserts and all that wondrous bounty between, we will show you how to keep your turkey day local and delicious.

Reservations

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - A Sip of Science at Aster Cafe

Time: 5:30pm

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

A Sip of Science:  A Sense of Where You Are: Science and Knowing on the Mississippi River

A SIP OF SCIENCE bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly.  Food, beer, and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum in which researchers put science in context through storytelling.

In our increasingly connected world, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of information at your fingertips.  There is a growing movement to build programs that can synthesize material on a topic from a vast number of sources so we can spend our time connecting and acting on important news and events rather than having to scrounge for the information ourselves.   
 
The River Life Program connects University teaching, research and programs to off-campus partners who are working toward a sustainable river and inclusive planning for our river future.  The program utilizes diverse digital platforms and makes strong use of social media to create unique learning opportunities -- students learn from practitioners, river agency staff network more with each other, and communities up and down the river can share their experiences. 
 
Join River Life Coordinator Pat Nunnally for an exploration of the Mississippi River, what we know about it, and what it means.  After a brief visual tour, Nunnally will engage the audience on a highly interactive exploration of the Mississippi River close to home, right outside our doors, in fact, at the Aster Cafe.  (Not to worry:  we'll stay inside, and explore through images and discussion). 
  
This talk takes place during happy hour at the Aster Cafe. Food and drink available for purchase.

More information.

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - Minneapolis Police Department’s Block Leader Training

Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Location: Mpls Police Dept, 1st Precinct Community Room, 19 N 4th Street
 
Minneapolis Police Department’s Block Leader Training for residents of North Loop, Downtown East and West, Loring Park, Elliot Park and Cedar Riverside.
 
Join other leaders throughout the city to develop skills for effectively working with your neighbors.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED
· Introduction to community crime prevention
· How to organize a block/apartment club
· Services of community crime prevention
· Responsibilities of a crime prevention block leader
· How and when to use 911
· How to solve problems effectively
· Meet your crime prevention specialist
 
To RSVP, please contact:

Renee.allen@minneapolismn.gov
Ahmed.hassan@minneapolismn.gov
 
An organized block is the best defense against crime!

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - Minneapolis Park & Rec Board Meeting

Time: 5:00pm

Location:  Minneapolis Park and Rec Board, 2117 West River Road

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s (MPRB) regular November meetings will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, and 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the Board Room at MPRB headquarters, 2117 West River Road.

Please note that the Board Meeting originally scheduled for Nov. 2 has been rescheduled for Nov. 9. A joint Committee of the Whole meeting with Three Rivers Park District is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. in the Main Floor Meeting Room at MPRB headquarters.

Agendas and related information are typically posted on www.minneapolisparks.org two business days prior to each meeting.

MPRB regular board meetings are broadcast live from 5-9 p.m. on the City of Minneapolis Government Meeting Channel 79 on Comcast cable and online at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/webcasts. The regular meetings are rebroadcast on Channel 79 on Saturdays at 11 a.m., Sundays at 9 a.m. and on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 5 p.m.

Webcasts of MPRB regular board meetings are posted on the MPRB website two to five business days after the meeting and are available for viewing, along with Webcasts for the recent two months, at www.minneapolisparks.org – Commissioners – Webcast Archives.

November 9, 2011, Wednesday - Great River Outing: Inside the Grain Belt Complex with the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership

Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Location: Grain Belt Office and Brewery Buildings, 1220 Marshall Street NE

We will go inside both the Grain Belt Office Building and the Grain Belt Brewery, with guides from the City of Minneapolis and RSP Architects.

This tour fills up quickly.  Save the date, and stay tuned for meeting registration.   In partnership with the Sheridan Neighborhood Organization and RSP Architects.