Minnesota is famous as a haven for literary genius. In this miscellany, you’ll find many of the puzzle pieces that explain why—from eclectic lists to booksellers of uncommon distinction to a writers hall of fame, this compilation is guaranteed to inform, annoy, and delight!
Chris Barsanti is a writer, editor, and consultant. He is the author of several books including Six Seasons and a Movie: How Community Broke Television (co-written with Brian Cogan and Jeff Massey) and the creator of The Writer’s YearPage-A-Day Calendar 2025. A member of National Book Critics Circle and the Online Film Critics Society, Barsanti writes on the semi-regular for Publishers Weekly, The Minnesota Star Tribune, Slant Magazine, Rain Taxi Review of Books, and PopMatters. He also writes about movies at Eyes Wide Open and has been published in places such as the Chicago Tribune, In These Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Millions.
This event is free and open to the public and a reception will follow!
Join us for some afternoon fun with the Eisner Award-winning, New York Times bestselling cartoonist Jeffrey Brown, who will treat us to a presentation on his new release this fall: Kids Are Still Weird And More Observations from Parenthood. In this book for readers of all ages, Brown offers sweet and surreal anecdotes from his life as a parent, comics that capture how curious, hilarious, and yes, weird, kids can be. When he was a kid, Jeffrey dreamed of growing up to draw comics for a living, and now he’s living that dream! Don’t miss this afternoon of fun with a comics legend. Book sales of Kids Are Still Weird and other titles by Jeffrey Brown will be available onsite thanks to Red Balloon Bookshop, and Brown will sign books in a reception after his presentation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeffrey Brown is the bestselling author of the Darth Vader and Son and Jedi Academy series, as well as numerous other books, including middle grade comics (his Lucy & Andy Neanderthal was 40,000 years in the making), humorous superhero books (most recently Batman and Robin and Howard), relatable observational comics (Cats Are Weird), adult graphic memoirs (Clumsy, Unlikely), irreverent parodies (Incredible Change-Bots), and imaginative tributes (My Teacher Is A Robot).
To purchase issue #115 using Paypal, click here. To become a member and get quarterly issues of Rain Taxi delivered to your door, click here.
INTERVIEWS
Charlotte Mandell: The Immense Noise of Céline’s War | interviewed by Barbara Roether Sally Franson: Big in Sweden | interviewed by Margaret LaFleur Leslie Sainz: Shedding Histories: Cubans in Exile | interviewed by Olivia Q. Pintair
FEATURES
The New Life | a comic by Gary Sullivan In Memoriam: Paul Auster | by Dennis Barone In Memoriam: John Barth | by Neal Lipschutz In Memoriam: Jerome Rothenberg | by John Bradley A Look Back: Anthony Heilbut’s The Fan Who Knew Too Much | by Richard Kostelanetz
Like Love: Essays and Conversations | Maggie Nelson | by Jeff Bursey Cactus Country | Zoë Bossiere | by Erica Watson Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth: How to Live with Care and Purpose in an Endangered World | Kate Schapira | by Anna Farro Henderson The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony | Annabelle Tometich | by Mark Massaro Liberty Street: A Savannah Family, Its Golden Boy, and the Civil War | Jason K. Friedman | by Mike McClelland Rabbit Heart: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Story | Kristine S. Ervin | by George Longenecker
FICTION/MIXED GENRE REVIEWS
Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other | Danielle Dutton | by Jonathon Atkinson Proses: Incomparable Parables! Fabulous Fables! Cruel Tales! | Garrett Caples | by Oli Peters Tidal Waters | Velia Vidal | by Diane Josefowicz The Material | Camille Bordas | by Lori O’Dea The Extinction of Irena Rey | Jennifer Croft | by Nancy Seidler Landscapes | Christine Lai | by Alex Gurtis Gretel and the Great War | Adam Ehrlich Sachs | by Seth Rogoff
POETRY REVIEWS
The Collected Poems of Delmore Schwartz | Delmore Schwartz | by Patrick James Dunagan And Yet Held | T. De Los Reyes | by Alex Gurtis Orders of Service: A Fugue | Willi Lee Kinard III | by Laura Berger The Lady of Elche | Amanda Berenguer | by Daniel Byronson Listening to the Golden Boomerang Return | CAConrad | by Greg Bem Bad Mexican, Bad American | Jose Hernandez Diaz | by Gale Hemmann The Sorrow Apartments | Andrea Cohen | by Bill Tremblay Bright-Eyed | Sarah Sarai | by Jim Feast
COMICS REVIEWS
My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Book Two | Emil Ferris | by Paul Buhle
To purchase issue #115 using Paypal, click here. To become a member and get quarterly issues of Rain Taxi delivered to your door, click here.
JoAnn Verburg’s current exhibit, Aftershocks, can be viewed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art through January 12, 2025. Click here for more info.
JoAnn Verburg received a BA in sociology from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MFA in Photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology. From 1977 to 1979, she served as the research director and photographer for the Rephotographic Survey Project, traveling throughout the American West to replicate the same wilderness views made by 19th-century frontier photographers. While heading Polaroid’s Visiting Artist Program in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Verburg promoted technical innovation in the photographic field by inviting artists Chuck Close, Andy Warhol, William Wegman, and Jim Dine, among others, to experiment with new large format instant cameras.
Distinguished by its extraordinary sensitivity to the energy and sensuality of the natural world, Verburg’s own photographic work combines exquisite color, varied focus, and thoughtful composition to convey the beauty of its subject and setting. Often presented as diptychs and triptychs, her images of olive groves near her home in Spoleto, to which she has returned for over 30 years, envelop the viewer in a serene, dreamlike atmosphere and explore the passage of time both literally and figuratively. Verburg lives and works in Minneapolis and Spoleto, Italy. Visit her website for more info.
Stories and Poems of a Class Struggle Historias y poemas de una lucha de clases Roque Dalton Translated by Jack Hirschman and Barbara Paschke Seven Stories Press ($18.95)
One Impossible Step: Selected Poems Orides Fontela Translated by Chris Daniels Nightboat Books ($17.95)
At first glance, not much connects the work of poets Roque Dalton (1935–1975) from El Salvador and Orides Fontela (1940–1998) from Brazil. Dalton, a committed revolutionary in the armed struggle leading up to his country’s civil war, writes poems in the direct, colloquial expression of everyday people—they are not didactic, yet they do wear their political and social concerns on their sleeves. Fontela’s poems, on the other hand, are far more hermetic; elusive, abstract, and philosophical. And of course, Fontela writes in Portuguese, Dalton in Spanish. Yet the two are contemporaries whose work responds to social conditions during turbulent times.
Looking at these two disparate poets together—that is, reading them through each other’s lenses—enhances the parameters with which the work of each might be framed. Dalton becomes more philosophical, while Fontela gains in political gravity. Take a short poem by each. Here is one of Fontela’s “Seven Bird Poems”:
We’ll never know such purity: bird devouring us while we sing it.
And this is Dalton’s “Poetic Art 1974”:
Poetry Forgive me for having helped you understand you’re not made of words alone.
In each case, the poet addresses their art, Dalton directly and Fontela through the archetypal image of a bird. While Fontela uses the universal “we”—as translator Chris Daniels notes, “Fontela almost never wrote the word ‘eu,’ the subjective form of the Portuguese first-person singular pronoun”—Dalton maintains an intimate “I-Thou” relationship, asking forgiveness for expanding poetry’s knowledge of itself. In both cases, the power of poetry to reach beyond language’s supposed meaning is stressed, albeit from opposing perspectives. Dalton implies the revolutionary context of his poem by including the year in the title, suggesting that poetry has a role to play in a time of cultural unrest and armed struggle, but Fontela also rejects the supposed rarification of poetry—“such purity”—in favor of the more active, even violent, “devouring us” that is within the art form’s transformative power. And while different in tone, both poems extol how poetry can elevate our ability to conceive the world anew.
Drawing from all of Fontela’s collections of poetry, One Impossible Step represents not only the broadest translation of her corpus into English, but, at only 130 pages, it also operates as a compact overview of her biography and poetics. Daniels (who has also translated Pessoa among other Lusophone authors) ingeniously includes some twenty pages of excerpts from three interviews with Fontela, and Brazilian poet Ricardo Domeneck contributes a succinct afterword that assesses the trajectory of her life and work. Domeneck describes Fontela as
A person who owned no property, who felt neither the need nor the desire for a love relationship, perhaps [she] was uninterested in praising anything but oxygen. Perhaps her poverty led her to abandon adornment and poetic beautification. . . . demonstrat[ing] the linguistic attention of a post-war poet living a historical moment that demanded, in the use of symbols, an awareness of their being signs.
Dalton is much better known to U.S. readers; an earlier edition of this very book, published in the early 1980s under the title Poemas Clandestinos/Clandestine Poems, went through multiple printings. Now released as Stories and Poems of a Class Struggle as the first of a several Dalton translations to be issued over the coming years, it is actually the last, likely unfinished, work of Dalton’s; it comprises five sets of poems by distinct “authors” invented by the poet (though these pseudo-pseudonymous characters are nothing on the scale of Fernando Pessoa’s heteronyms). It’s unclear quite what Dalton had in mind by casting his voice into different personas, yet perhaps it is more important to draw attention to what these figures have in common: a belief in the necessity of cultural revolution and the use of poetry as a means towards that end. An opening “Declaration of Principles” signed by “the authors” closes by stating that the “enemy poet” (as opposed to the “servant poet” or “clown poet”) must have “a lucid and invincible confidence in the working class” and engage in “direct participation in its struggle.”
Fontela came from the working class, went to school to study philosophy on a scholarship, scraped by as a teacher, then “died in a public hospital in 1998, without a close family, destitute as a poet.” Dalton’s father was an American who financially provided for his education; he traveled internationally, spent time in Cuba honing his belief in communism and guerilla skills, and was tragically murdered in 1975 at the hands of his fellow revolutionaries in El Salvador , a victim of political infighting. Despite the vast differences in their lives, however, both poets created a body of literature hinged upon life—and because of this, these new translations of their work into English are vital.
Click below to purchase these books through Bookshop and support your local independent bookstore:
To purchase issue #114 using Paypal, click here. To become a member and get quarterly issues of Rain Taxi delivered to your door, click here.
INTERVIEWS
Mark Dowie: Surrender to the Creation | interviewed by Mike Dillon Stacey Levine: Some Kind of Laughing Gas | interviewed by Ted Pelton Ben Tanzer: Lying Is So Much Easier | interviewed by Rachel Robbins Jessica Jacobs: These Striving Hymns of Contranyms | interviewed by Tiffany Troy
FEATURES
A Look Back: A Primer For Forgetting: Getting Past the Past | Lewis Hyde | by Abeer Hoque The New Life | a comic by Gary Sullivan Considering Charles Simic (1938–2023) | by Mike Schneider
No Harmless Power | Charlie Allison | by Paul Buhle The Geography of the Imagination: Forty Essays | Guy Davenport | by Eric Bies The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men | Manuel Betancourt | by Jackson Wyatt He, Leo: The Life and Poetry of Lew Welch | Ewan Clark | by Patrick James Dunagan No Judgment: On Being Criticial | Lauren Oyler | by Evan Youngs Muse of Fire: World War I as Seen Through the Lives of the Soldier Poets | Michael Korda | by Chris Barsanti Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti | Jake Johnston | by Doug MacLeod Measure’s Measures: Poetry and Knowledge | Michael Boughn | by Bruce Holsapple
COMICS REVIEW
The Beautiful Idea | N.O. Bonzo | by Paul Buhle
CHAPBOOK REVIEW
The Mating Calls // of a // Specter | Kelly Gray | by Ali Beheler
FICTION REVIEWS
For Now, It Is Night | Hari Krishna Kaul | by Alex Lanz Neighbors and Other Stories | Diane Oliver | by George Longenecker You, Me, and Ulysses S. Grant: A Farcical Biography | Brad Neely | by Mark Dunbar The In-Betweeners | Khem Aryal | by Gemini Wahhaj
POETRY REVIEWS
Modern Poetry | Diane Seuss | by John Bradley Theophanies | Sarah Ghazal Ali | by Joanna Acevedo Razzle Dazzle: New and Selected Poems 2002–2022 | Major Jackson | by Beth Brown Preston Being Reflected Upon | Alice Notley | by Patrick James Dunagan The Life of Tu Fu | Eliot Weinberger | by Jon Cone The Inventor: A Poet’s Transcolonial Autobiography | Eileen R. Tabios | by William Allegrezza The Asking: New and Selected Poems | Jane Hirshfield | by George Longenecker A Geography That Does Not Hurt Us | Carla Sofia Ferreira | by Alex Gurtis The Ridge | Robert Bringhurst | by Greg Bem Hatch | Jenny Irish | by Matthew Duffus
Kristin Schue is a mixed media artist from St. Paul, MN who explores discarded ephemera and vintage material. Often using snippets of old newspapers, elements of old books, photographs and anything that has a bit of weathering she combines these found materials with contemporary elements to assemble new stories. She hopes viewers find something strange, yet familiar among the quirk, wit and wonder embedded in her work. You can see her works at the Northrup King Building in the NE Minneapolis Arts District and at kschue.com.
Title: Tale of Sorrow Size: 4” x 2 ⅞” Medium: wood, resin, book pages, beads, swarovski crystals, gold foil
Acclaimed graphic novelist and Eisner Award winning author Jeffrey Brown celebrated the publication of his new book, Kids Are Still Weird, presenting a slide show of his career as a cartoonist from childhood to present day.
TCBF Bookend Event: Lisa Yee
Tuesday, October 22
2024 Kerlan Award Winner Lisa Yee, the award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults including her recent titles, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance and The Misfits, discussed and read from her children's books. See the recording here!
Twin Cities Book Festival
Saturday, October 19, Minnesota State Fairgrounds
The 24th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival was a rousing success, drawing over 5500 people to celebrate books, authors, and more!
TCBF Opening Night with Charles Baxter and Miles Harvey
Friday, October 18, Spaces at Mosaic
photo by Kris Bigalk
Charles Baxter celebrated the publication of his novel Blood Test: A Comedy with fellow novelist Miles Harvey.
TCBF Bookend Event: Kate DiCamillo
Thursday, October 17, McNamara Alumni Center
As part of Book Week at the University of Minnesota, Kate DiCamillo offered a meditation on how reading and writing stories can help us become ourselves.
TCBF Bookend Event: Dobby Gibson
Thursday, October 10, The Loft Literary Center
Dobby Gibson and CarmenGiménez read from their recent publications at this special book launch event for Dobby Gibson's Hold Everything. The two also discussed Gibson's process and inspiration for his newest collection of poems.
TCBF Bookend Event: Alan Moore
Tuesday, October 1, Wisconsin Book Festival
Legendary British author Alan Moore discussed his new novel, The Great When, with Minnesota's own Benjamin Percy on October 1st. Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival was proud to partner with our pals at the Wisconsin Book Festival for this special virtual event. Click here to watch the replay!
TCBF Bookend Event: Alejandro Puyana
Thursday, September 12, Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Alejandro Puyana celebrated his debut novel Freedom Is A Feast to a packed crowd. Puyana discussed the expansive novel following decades of Venezuelan history with fellow Minnesota novelist Nigar Alam.
TCBF Bookend Event: Katherine Packert Burke
Wednesday, September 11, Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Katherine Packert Burke discussed her debut novel Still Life with torrin a. greathouse to an enthusiastic crowd. The entertaining conversation explored Burke's profound and piercing tribute to messy webs of queer friendship and what is left behind in transition.
Hundreds of people participated in the 2024 Twin Cities Independent Bookstore Passport! Between Wednesday, April 24 and Sunday, April 28, bibliophiles could grab a free Passport from any of the 28 participating bookstores and get them stamped for future book savings. Those intrepid enough to visit 15 stores or all 28 stores were entered into a drawing for fantastic literary prizes. More info here.
Thank you for purchasing tickets for Rain Taxi's BANneD BOOKS fundraising event on Friday, May 3, 7pm at the Granada Theater in Minneapolis!
Your tickets will be held under your name at the Will Call table in the lobby—please check in anytime after 6:30pm to enter the theater. Food and drink are available at the Granada’s Uptown Lobby Bar & Restaurant starting at 5:30 pm; more info about the Granada Theater can be found at https://granadampls.com.
Books and music by the performers, as well as an assortment of chapbooks and broadsides created by Rain Taxi, will be available for purchase at the Rain Taxi table inside the theater.
Thank you again for joining us—we look forward to celebrating with you!
The Granada is located at 3022 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408. Since Hennepin Ave. is under reconstruction, Hennepin from 31st to Lake St., including in front of the Granada, is closed to drivers. That means people can’t get dropped off except at the backdoor in the alley. So you'll get to take the scenic route to the Granada after you park.
The best place to park is the ramp behind Seven Points (formerly Calhoun Square). Then walk down to 31st, over to Hennepin, and north on Hennepin to the Granada.
Residential street parking is also an option off 31st on cross streets (Holmes, Irving, etc.).
After a little walking adventure from your car to the Granada, you will be ready for a drink, a bite to eat, and a show. We have you covered in all three areas with our celebration of books, bands, and more at BANneD BOOKS.
