KFAI's MinneCulture

Season 9 of MinneCulture drops on March 27. This season features:lots of local food historystories about life and commerce along the Mississippi Rivera Minnesota woman who developed a new form of contact tracing for tuberculosisa barber and fiddler who helped run the Underground Railroad in Minnesotaa haunting story about Minnesota's 20th century sterilization programa jingle for pickles that will get stuck in your head....and so much more!Stories by Michelle Bruch, Gina Favano, John Gwinn, Lydia Moran, Sheila Regan, Matthew Schneeman, and Alison Young. Hosted by John Gebretatose. Edited by Julie Censullo.MinneCulture is a production of KFAI - Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis, MN. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

In the 1970s, lesbian and feminist organizations popped up in cities across the nation. Minneapolis and Saint Paul were no exception. Here in the Twin Cities, the Amazon Feminist Book Store, Lesbian Resource Center, and Lesbian Feminist Organizing Committee all provided space and community for newly out lesbians and queer women.At the same time, a small network of transgender women started their own type of organizing, one that relied more on mutual support than a physical meeting place.But these groups weren't mutually exclusive. In the late 1970s, a trans woman named Sissy Potter tried to join a lesbian feminist group called A Woman's Coffee House. She's probably not the only one, either. On the season 8 finale of MinneCulture from producer Kira Schukar, Sissy's letter sparks a conversation about feminism, gender, and transfeminism in the Twin Cities and beyond.Content warning: This podcast contains a transphobic slur and comments.MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage fFund. Music from Blue Dot Sessions:Silver Lanyard by BittersBorough by MoleriderTwo Pound by MuffulettaEggs and Powder by MuffalettaDowdy by MuffalettaTrue Shape by MuffalettaSources:“2023 Anti-Trans Legislation.” Trans Legislation Tracker, https://translegislation.com/bills/2023. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.2023 State Equality Index: A Review of State Legislation Affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Community and a Look Ahead in 2024. Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2024, https://reports.hrc.org/2023-state-equality-index?_ga=2.7211186.1288380725.1706647812-211073266.1705959553.Enke, Finn. “Collective Memory and the Transfeminist 1970s: Toward a Less Plausible History.” TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 1, Feb. 2018, pp. 9–29.---. Finding the Movement: Sexuality, Contested Space, and Feminist Activism. Duke University Press, 2007.---. “Smuggling Sex through the Gates: Race, Sexuality, and the Politics of Space in Second Wave Feminism.” American Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 4, Dec. 2003, pp. 635–67.Franklin, Michael David, et al., editors. Queer Twin Cities. University of Minnesota Press, 2010.Grossman, Mary Ann. “Pioneering True Colors Feminist Bookstore Expected to Close in February.” Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 27 Dec. 2011, https://www.twincities.com/2011/12/27/pioneering-true-colors-feminist-bookstore-expected-to-close-in-february/.McNaron, Toni. “About Toni.” Toni McNaron, https://tonimcnaron.com/about/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.Van Cleve, Stewart. Land of 10,000 Loves: A History of Queer Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, 2012.Whitaker, Jan. “‘Way Out' Coffeehouses.” Restaurant-Ing Through History, 28 Sept. 2009, https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2009/09/28/way-out-coffeehouses/.

Take a dive into comedic history in this story about the beginnings of the Brave New Workshop. The Brave New Workshop was founded by a former circus former named Dudley Riggs. In the mid 20th century, a new kind of humor was taking the world by storm, and Riggs tapped into the zeitgeist of improvisation that had no limits. KFAI's Sheila Regan weaves together the voices of past and present company members, archival audio, and an interview with Riggs himself in this celebration of comedy that speaks to its time. MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

KSTP-AM is one of Minnesota's oldest and formerly most successful radio stations. By the 90's, it had been mostly forgotten, as fans flocked to FM. While music fans enjoyed the stereophonic sounds on the other side of the dial, a new form of radio program began to emerge. Before long, talk radio flourished across the United States, and nowhere was it strong than at “The Talk Station.” Fueled by a desire to shake up the radio landscape, Hubbard Broadcasting's Ginny Morris took charge of the station and hired a new set of voices in the Twin Cities to break up the status quo. It was an eclectic cast of characters, and none of them were more unique than Tommy Mischke. Left to his own devices and given the keys to a late night kingdom, the renegade broadcaster blazed his own path. Hear from his colleagues and managers to get the inside story about what made The Mischke Broadcast one of Minnesota's favorite radio shows, it's legacy and why it's a show that could only happen here.Today, Tommy Mischke might be known as a podcaster and book author, but long before that he known by Twin Cities radio fans as only “The Phantom Caller.” This documentary was produced Kyle Shiely and edited by Julie Censullo. Hear more classic Mischke bits at MischkeMadness.com and keep up with Tommy at the Mischke Roadshow, available wherever you get your podcasts. Find more of Kyle's work at kyleshiely.com. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo.

Minnesota was the first state to take Big Tobacco to trial in 1998. The biggest lawsuit in the state's history forced the tobacco industry to take down cigarette billboards and release millions of internal documents that filled a Minneapolis warehouse.When vaping e-cigarettes gained popularity among youth in the late 2010s, the Minnesota Attorney General's office sued again, this time against market leader Juul Labs and the company's Big Tobacco investor Altria. The lawsuit lifted thousands of new tobacco documents into the public archive.KFAI's Michelle Bruch talked to people who worked on both trials — on both sides of the case — 25 years apart.Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 8 of MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo.Music: 'Ants in my pants' - SUPERARE

Mike Sawyer fell in love with old folk music in his 20s, picking up the banjo and playing at festivals and jams around the state. But after a while, he began to wonder why nearly all the songs he and his fellow musicians were playing came from Appalachia and the South. What happened to early musical traditions from Minnesota? Now, Mike's on a mission to uncover the roots of Upper Midwest folk music and keep it alive for future generations.This documentary was produced by Britta Greene and James Napoli, and edited by Julie Censullo. Special thanks to Jim Leary and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for sharing many of the audio recordings included in this piece, including from the Down Home Dairyland recordings. Additional thanks to Rob McGinley Myers, Nancy Rosenbaum, Sophie Nikitas, Cris Anderson and members of the Upper Midwest Folk Fiddlers. You can find more of Mike's research and recordings on his websites: Upper Midwest Old Time and the Midwest Fiddle Tunes Project. Season 8 of MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Every year, people on a canoe trip to Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) need to be rescued from a dangerous situation. In modern times, the call for help can come from a cell phone, a satellite phone, or an emergency beacon like a Garmin inReach. But it wasn't always this easy to help people who recreate across the canoe-country wilderness. In this story from KFAI producer Joe Friedrichs, we learn about the history of search and rescue operations inside the most visited wilderness area in the nation, the Boundary Waters. --MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. MinneCulture is a production of KFAI. Support for MinneCulture has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Peter Jesperson is a music legend. Born in Minnesota, Jesperson was a seminal figure in the Minneapolis punk and new wave scene of the 1970's and 1980's. He co-founded Twin/Tone Records, worked at Oar Folkjokeopus record store and the Jay's Longhorn bar, and is credited with discovering the Replacements. He later served as the band's manager.In "Lost in the Songs," producer Todd Melby interviews Jesperson about his love affair with music, his relationship with the Replacements, and his addictions.---Breakmaster Cylinder composed two of the songs in this documentary. Their work can be found at BreakmasterCylinder.com. Other music was by The Replacements, Patti Smith, The Safaris and the Suicide Commandos.Peter Jesperson's book is titled “Euphoric Recall.” It was published by MNHS Press.Audio mastered by Alex Simpson.For more of Todd's work, check out toddmelby.comMinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

MinneCulture is BACK for season 8! This season, we are bringing you 7 brand new audio documentaries about the people, places, and cultural phenomena that make Minnesota...well, Minnesota. Make sure you're subscribed to MinneCulture so you don't miss any of these fascinating stories about our state. Season 8 is produced by Michelle Bruch, Joe Friedrichs, Britta Greene, Todd Melby, James Napoli, Sheila Regan, Kira Schukar, and Kyle Shiely. Hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. MinneCulture is a production of KFAI. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

In the most basic sense, what's commonly referred to as “the fur trade” was a period of cultural and economic exchange between Native Americans and European Americans, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. As the pages of history were put down, one aspect that was continually overlooked is the role women played at home, in the woods, and throughout many aspects of life during the fur trade. The simple truth is that Indigenous women actively contributed to the success of the North American fur trade, according to Karl Koster, a Minnesota historian who specializes in the history of the iconic fur trade. In this MinneCulture In-Depth feature, KFAI contributor Joe Friedrichs explores the role of women during the fur trade as told through the lens of a Grand Marais woman, Laura Powell Marxen. Laura continues to trap and sell fur on Minnesota's North Shore, much like her great-grandmother, Mary Ottertail, did in the early 1900s near what is now the end of the Gunflint Trail. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Grebretatose. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

By 1965, the Beatles were the biggest music group in the world. They sold millions of records. They recorded songs that were not only popular but also took music in new directions. And everywhere they went, they stirred up an excitement so hysterical and commonplace there was a word for it: Beatlemania. Minnesota fans had fallen in love with the Lads from Liverpool the moment they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. But the Beatles passed Minnesota by on their first North American tour, and there was no guarantee they would stop by on their second. But they did. This is the story of how the Beatles came to Minnesota for one magical and madcap night in August 1965 from the people who were there. KFAI's Britt Aamodt has the story. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Archives tell an important story. The people in them—and the people left out—say a lot about our politics, culture, and consciousness. In the 20th century, it wasn't uncommon for archivists to choose which artifacts made it into the official record based on what they thought defined our history. This means that a lot of people—especially queer people—were left out of the archives. Their lives were erased. But over the last few decades, historians are uncovering those queer lives. In this episode of MinneCulture, KFAI's Kira Schukar takes us into the Minnesota Historical Society archives to share a story about love, letters, and resilience. Spanning almost 100 years, this narrative follows a first lady, a philanthropist, and the queer activists who wanted their story to be told. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. Photo: Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple: https://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/view/fap033 Music Credits: Inamorata by Blue Dot Sessions Game Hens by Blue Dot Sessions McCarthy by Blue Dot Sessions Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions

Today on MinneCulture, we're headed all the way back to 1900, when Minneapolis was a very different place than it is now. As the mill capital of the world, Minneapolis was packed to the brim with seasonal workers, thriving brothels, and scheming card sharks. But to Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames, it was just a piggy bank waiting to be smashed open. Over the course of a year and a half, Ames turned the Minneapolis Police Department into the most powerful crime ring the city had ever seen. KFAI's Tony Williams has the story. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. Special Thanks: Erik Rivenes Diedre Hammond Adam Franti Sam Hills Julie Censullo Bibliography: The Shame of Minneapolis: The Ruin And Redemption of a City That Was Sold Out (1903) Lincoln Steffens Introduction by Mark Neuzil, Ph.D. for Minnesota Legal History Project, 2011 Proceedings of the Detroit Conference for Good City Government and the Ninth Annual Meeting of the National Municipal League (1903) William A. Frisbie, City Editor, Minneapolis Journal The Minneapolis House-Cleaning (pp. 109 – 117) City Bosses in the United States; A Study of Twenty Municipal Bosses (1930) Harold Zink Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century (2010) Iric Nathanson Chapter 2: The Shame of Minneapolis (pp. 66 – 106) Minneapolis Madams: The Lost History of Prostitution on the Riverfront (2013) Penny A. Petersen Dirty Doc Ames and the Scandal that Shook Minneapolis (2018) Erik Rivenes A.A. Ames (2022) Military History Wiki https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/A._A._Ames A.A. Ames (2022) Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Ames Ames, Albert Alonzo, “Doc, A.A.” (2022) Minnesota Legislative Reference Library https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10892 Music Sources: All music in the public domain, audio restoration by Tony Williams Library of Congress National Jukebox The Great 78 Project, Internet Archive Soundtrack, by order of appearance: Narcissus – Sousa's Band (1902) Victor Record 354 Let Me Call You Sweetheart – Columbia Quartette (1911) Columbia Record A1057 Old Comrades March – Columbia Band (1900) Columbia Record A1608 Marching Through Georgia – Columbia Band (1901) Columbia Record A107 The Holy City – Henry Burr (1900) Columbia Record A242 God Save The King – Columbia Band (1902) Columbia Record A65 Calvary – Baritone Solo (1900) Columbia Record A267 Rubenstein's Melody in F – Alexander Heindl (1901) Victor Monarch Record 3030 Come Out, Dinah, On The Green – Harry Macdonough (1901) Victor Monarch Record 1099 Poet and Peasant Overture – Sousa's Band (1902) Victor Monarch Record 1552 Trumpet Quartette – Columbia Band (1900) Columbia Record 373 A Little Bit Off The Top – Ed Favor (1900) Victor Record A195 Then You'll Remember Me – Tenor Solo (1901) Columbia Record A343

The history of the Animal Humane Society offers a jaw-dropping glimpse into Minneapolis life in the late 1800s. This was a time when horses struggled to pull loads up Lowry Hill and dogs at the pound were drowned in the Mississippi River. As part of a national movement, the humane society formed to prosecute cruelty to animals — and they prosecuted cruelty to children too. Investigating hundreds of cases, humane agents became the state's first social workers and probation officers. This story traces Minnesota's relationship to animals, from the workhorse era to the pandemic-puppy era. Produced by Michelle Bruch.Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Historic photos courtesy of the Animal Humane Society; Music “Lissa” by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

reputations. Forty years ago, the two were part of the vibrant African American Cultural Center, a place where Black Art was being nurtured, rediscovered, and celebrated. In today's episode, Sheila Regan explores the Center's history and it's legacy. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

Eva Valesh was only 22 when she first went undercover to report on women workers in the 1880s, under the pseudonym Eva Gay in the St. Paul Globe. Each week, she would either sneak into a workplace to speak to the workers, or she would simply fabricate her references and apply to a job herself. She visited clothing factories, laundries, dress-shops, dry goods stores, and food factories. Often, she encountered women being exploited or working in dangerous conditions. Eva fought for the workers and helped them fight for themselves. In this episode, reporter Ben Heath explores Valesh's work, and the role of investigative journalism on the labor movement of the late 19th century. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

In the late 1800's, European immigrants — mostly German and Scandinavian — flooded Minnesota, and the population boomed like few other times in history. This new majority of people in a new land needed myths and stories to fill in the blanks about why and how they came here. Like the story of Kensington Runestone. A purportedly 'discovered' rune stone that proved that Nordic expires made it to Minnesota in the year 1362. In this episode, reporter Matthew Schneeman dives into the connection between the stone and Minnesota's white population, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of folk archeology. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of MinneCulture is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information about KFAI's MinneCulture, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

With its haunting call, distinctive black and white plumage, and intense, almost otherworldly red eyes, the Common Loon is an icon of northern Minnesota wilderness.But some researchers believe future generations of the beloved bird in this region may be in jeopardy.A recent study in Wisconsin showed some worrying trends. Chicks are getting smaller, their survival rates are lower, and loons that migrate as juveniles are returning to their birthplace at low rates.Now, there's a concentrated research effort by the National Loon Center in Minnesota to find out whether the same declines are present there. Reporter Emily Haavik spoke with bird-lovers and scientists about their efforts to study and protect the Common Loon.Support for MinneCulture has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information about MinneCulture, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

Historians have argued that the history of America can be told through the history of meat. The meat industry was often the first to innovate and make use of modern technologies: from the railroad and refrigerated cars to meat packing plant's dis-assembly lines that inspired Henry Ford's assembly line. This is especially true for Minnesota. The University of Minnesota was the first university to specialize in meat studies with the opening of the Andrew Boss Meat Lab. South Saint Paul's stockyards and meat packing plants were at one point the largest in the world. In the past hundred and fifty years Minnesota, meat, and the world changed. Reporter Matthew Schneeman follows how Minnesota changed the meat industry and changed meat itself. He also examines the ways that immigrant labor has been used to power the meat industry since the 20th century. This story starts by looking at people's different responses to a slaughtered chicken. Gross? Clean? Delicious? Horrifying? Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

MinneCulture returns in 2023 with more stories of Minnesota arts, history, and culture. In season 7, we'll get to know some prominent Minnesotan activists, unravel some of our favorite myths and legends, and tell stories about the people who make up our great state. New episodes dropping every two weeks, starting Thursday January 5. Subscribe to KFAI's MinneCulture wherever you get your podcasts. MinneCulture is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season finale of season 6, producer Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota — a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers. Grab some crackers and join us! Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Mother Alfred Moes was an immigrant from Luxembourg, a woman religious, and the founder of two Franciscan congregations. She was also the first person to advocate for the hospital in Rochester that would become Mayo Clinic. While her visionary leadership proved essential to the founding of St. Mary's Hospital, her strong influence often put her in conflict with church leadership. KFAI's Julie Censullo tells the story.

A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation. Historically speaking, across the 1854 Ceded Territory, which includes all of Superior National Forest and the BWCA, indigenous people have, for generations, engaged in the practice of intentionally lighting smaller, controlled fires with the intent of a specific outcome. These types of fires, commonly referred to as a process of ‘cultural burning,' were set with specific outcomes in mind, including food, clothing, canoe making and other means of living with the land through the use of fire. In this audio feature, producer Joe Friedrichs explores the history of fire in the Boundary Waters, and why a team of researchers are currently trying to learn from the past to help create a better future for the forests of this remote wilderness.

Meridel LeSueur was a writer and activist whose influence has long shaped the Twin Cities' populist movements. Although the McCarthy era blacklist attempted to squash her distinctive, creative voice, she was later embraced by the countercultural wave of the 1960s and 70s, particularly the feminist movement. KFAI's Sheila Regan talks to LeSueur's family, those inspired by her, and scholars to explore the significance of the 20th century rabble rouser. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

From about 2006 to 2013, the moose population in northeastern Minnesota dropped dramatically, from almost 9,000 animals to about 2,700. And no one knew why. Dr. Seth Moore began searching for answers, working with a team at the Grand Portage Trust Lands Agency. They started collaring moose, tracking them to find their killers. And they discovered that among all predators, one loomed largest. Researchers hope as more people learn about moose, they'll be motivated to protect them — before it's too late. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

When you think about the industrial revolution you may think of trains, factories, and assembly lines. The image of billowing smoke and giant machines cranking away may pop into your head. But the industrial revolution was not confined to just factories and trolleys — it seeped out into all areas of life during the early 1900s. And none were as visible and flashy as the amusement parks of the day. Two of Minnesota's amusement parks tell the story of the second industrial revolution, Wildwood out in White Bear Lake and Wonderland smack dab in the middle of South Minneapolis. Reporter Matthew Schneeman looked into how Minnesotans ran towards, and away from, the future over one hundred years ago. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

The MinneCulture Podcast is BACK! On season 6, we'll be riding long-lost roller coasters, meeting a feminist activist, learning about efforts to protect Minnesota's wilderness, sampling local cheese, and more. Check your podcast feed on Thursday May 26. New episodes every Thursday. Get your ear buds ready....

Superman. Charlie Brown. Donald Duck. The existence of these 'toons all have roots in Minnesota. In this episode of the MinneCulture Podcast, KFAI's Britt Aamodt introduces us to a cartooning historian who helped preserve the backstory of some iconic characters. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

In wilderness settings, there are connections people can make to the land, regardless of their age, race or gender, by walking in the footsteps of those who have come before them.With this in mind, a group of Minnesota paddlers set out in the fall of 2020 to travel across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to retrace the steps of a wilderness pioneer named Arthur Carhart. Their journey took them across abandoned portages, streams plugged by beaver dams and through remote territory inside the nation's most visited wilderness area.Carhart made his journey to the Boundary Waters in 1921. Though a century has passed since his expedition, there were generations of people who lived in this landscape that is now defined as a ‘wilderness area.' The Indigenous communities were here long before white voyageurs and government officials put their canoes on this countless collection of lakes, streams and pathways through the Boundary Waters.In this episode of the MinneCulture Podcast, producer Joe Friedrichs takes a look at what the term ‘wilderness' means in the past, present and future of the Boundary Waters.

James Garrett Jr. is an architect at 4RM+ULA architects, one of the only Black-owned architecture firms in Minnesota. Garrett and his family have deep ties to St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood. During his childhood in St. Paul, James fell in love with buildings and the bustle of urban landscapes. Later, while in college, he would discover that he himself had a connection to these landscapes through a man who helped create them, Clarence Wigington, the first Black municipal architect in the country, serving St. Paul from 1915 to 1949. In this episode of the MinneCulture Podcast, reporter Katie Thornton speaks with James Garrett Jr. about his life, his passion for architecture and how community-driven design can be a type of activism.

Polka dancing was once a staple of small-town Minnesota, enjoyed by German, Polish, and Scandinavian immigrants who settled in farming communities throughout the state. Today, polka dancing and ballrooms have mostly disappeared. But, for the residents of rural Sibley County, the legacy of one legendary polka venue still looms large. Producer James Napoli has the story.

The plain, uninteresting Mary Fridley Price. Not the sort of girl anyone would notice—except now she'd gone and leapt over a cliff to save her poor dog. The dull—and now very dead girl—was suddenly front-page headlines. No one was supposedly more grief-stricken than her charming husband Frederick Price, who found comfort in his wife's inheritance—and in the arms of his mistress... Are you suspicious? Mary's father sure was. KFAI's Britt Aamodt shares the story of Minneapolis' most notorious murder trial of 1916. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Hennepin History Museum.

Anthony Brutus Cassius was questioned by the FBI, fought to be the first Black person in Minnesota to get a liquor license, and his famous greasy burgers were once mentioned on the Johnny Carson show. But above all, starting in the 1930s, Cassius created space for the Twin Cities Black community to eat, drink, organize and connect. Even today, there are hardly any Black-owned bars or restaurants in the Twin Cities. Cassius' story helps us to understand how we got here.“The Godfather of Black Space in Minneapolis” traces Cassius' life and impact as a labor organizer, civil rights leader, and entrepreneur. This episode of the MinneCulture Podcast was produced by food writer and chef Mecca Bos and audio journalist Nancy Rosenbaum. It's the first installment in the Hidden Black Foodways of Minnesota -- an audio documentary and podcast series that will spotlight untold and under-told stories of Minnesota's Black food makers and pioneers.Special thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society for the A.B. Cassius oral history audio in this episode. Thanks also goes out to Katie Myhre, Brandt Williams and Brian Lozenski.Find more work by Mecca Bos at meccaboswrites.com and Nancy Rosenbaum at nancyrosenbaum.com.Support for the MinneCulture Podcast comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Hennepin History Museum.Photo courtesy of the Hennepin County Library and the children of John Glanton. Find more photos from the John F. Glanton Collection here: bit.ly/2T449bY

In July 1981, the New York Times published an article about a mysterious illness plaguing gay men in New York City. After reading the article, Bruce Brockway, a gay activist and publisher of the Twin Cities' first LGBT newspaper, turned to his partner and said, "I think I have that." That was AIDS and Bruce was right. Numbers-wise, Minnesota was never a hot zone of infection. But for the Minnesotans living with HIV/AIDS, the struggles were the same: to stay alive and to fight the homophobia that wanted to ignore an epidemic dismissed as a gay man's disease. This is their story, reported and narrated by KFAI's Britt Aamodt.

This summer on the MinneCulture Podcast, it's all about Minnesota History. As we kick-off Season 5 during Pride month, we celebrate one of the first well-known venues in the Twin Cities exuberantly claimed by gay men, a nightclub called The Gay 90s in downtown Minneapolis. The Gay 90's hasn't always been gay. The bar began as a supper club for a straight crowd. It opened in the 1950s and the name was a reference to an earlier decade, the 1890s. Then, in 1975, the vibe changed in a big way. The owners of the Gay 90s bought a disco ball, hired DJs, and turned the 90's into a club catering to gay men. In this episode, we share an original KFAI documentary, “Fly Robin Fly: The Story of that Disco-Crazed Moment when the Gay 90s Came Out of the Closet and Embraced Its Name,” by KFAI's Todd Melby. You'll hear a history of the bar featuring some of the people who worked, danced and connected at the Gay 90s.Support for the MinneCulture Podcast on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

When George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day, pain and anger blasted like a shock wave across the Twin Cities and the world. Floyd’s death was followed by a week of protests, marches and sometimes destructive unrest. In this episode, KFAI’s Melissa Olson takes us to the intersection of 38th and Chicago Ave, where Native jingle dress dancers offered a ceremony of healing. We also hear from Twin Cities hip-hop artist Tall Paul, who recounts his experience patrolling south Minneapolis and protecting local businesses during the uprising. Then we take a gritty walking tour of unsanctioned artwork, hosted by graffiti artist Peyton Scott Russell.

We’re still social distancing and we’re still making stuff. Some artists have changed what they make. Others have changed how they make it. KFAI’s Barb Abney hosts from home and shares an uplifting interview with Twin Cities hip-hop artist Nur-D, who just dropped an EP recorded entirely from his bedroom. We also hear a tender, slightly gloomy audio diary from Minneapolis poet Ed Bok Lee, who discusses skeletons and shares knock-knock jokes with his young daughter. It’s adorable and, you guessed it, poetic.

Hear stories of Minnesota artists making it work in this time of social distancing. Barb Abney hosts the Season 4 launch from her daughter's bedroom while social distancing at home. In an audio diary, Haitian dancer Djenane Saint Juste fields a robocall from a bill collector, shares intimate scenes sheltering in place with her mother, then hosts a series of boisterous dance lessons in her apartment. We make a house call to Hmong chef Yia Vang who looks to his parents' experience as refugees to guide him through the pandemic.Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. This podcast was produced by Nancy Rosenbaum with Anna Stitt and Emily Bright, edited by Ryan Dawes and Melissa Olson.

For our Season 3 finale, stories about the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson. You'll hear from the guy credited with "discovering" Prince, what it was like to get phone calls from Prince at 3 a.m., and we take of tour of "Purple Places" that mark Prince's roots in North Minneapolis. This episode was produced by KFAI’s Nancy Rosenbaum. Support for MinneCulture comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

There are often parts of a job no one else understands or even knows about. We're talking about the unheralded tasks that are executed in the shadows, after hours, void of glory. On this episode, we meet two Minnesotans, an elementary school principal and the CEO of a hip-hop record label, each fulfilling the last line of their job description: "Other Duties As Assigned."

Minnesota's oldest auctioneer reflects on rural life, the Kim Loo Sisters face discrimination in the jazz scene during the 1930s and 1940s, and a rusticly bunking historian sheds light on the history of slavery in Minnesota. The episode was produced by KFAI's Emily Bright.

For some artists, sickness can fuel their creativity. But for others, illness can drain the inspiration right out of them. In this episode, musician P.O.S and radio producer Katie Thornton discuss the ways chronic illnesses has affected their lives. This episode was produced by KFAI's Sophie Nikitas.

In this episode, we meet Minnesota musicians that take old music, and put their own twist on it. Host Jumondeh Tweh goes backstage at a Saint Paul jazz club with Debbie Duncan who’s known as the Twin Cities’ “First Lady of Song.” We travel to South Minneapolis, where Minnesota’s oldest African American drum corps is keeping an old musical tradition alive. And we hear from some passionate classical musicians at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra about the album that won them a Grammy in 2018.

Immigrants are spicing up Minnesota food. In this episode of the MinneCulture podcast, host Jumondeh Tweh gets cooking tips from his Liberian mother and listens in on stories about Hmong and Somali food. KFAI's Emily Bright produced this delicious audio treat.

In Minnesota, freezing winters and big snowfalls come with the territory. But three feet of snow on Halloween? That was a day to remember. In the premiere of Season 3, Jumondeh Tweh plays a documentary produced by Britt Aamodt about the Halloween Blizzard of 1991, which remains one of the largest and most memorable storms in Minnesota history.

Fresh Fruit is the longest running queer radio program in the US. It has aired on KFAI Community Radio in Minneapolis, Minn. for over 40 years. MinneCulture host Jumondeh Tweh speaks with KFAI’s Dixie Treichel, who produced a radio documentary on this legendary radio show, tracking down former hosts and gathering the history of Fresh Fruit.

It wouldn’t be a Minnesota podcast if we didn’t take you outside. It’s cold outside, baby, with rabid Minnesota Wild fans and anglers who won’t let a little ice get in their way. The MinneCulture crew bundles up and hits the ice to tell the unfrozen stories of the cold, bold North.

Despite the sizable Somali community in Minneapolis, Somali art hasn’t broken through to the mainstream. Known as a “nation of poets,” those who seek out the oral traditions of Somalia through poetry and music are greatly rewarded. Meet Nimo Farah, a Somali poet and activist, who is working to keep Somali oral traditions alive in America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Somali poets—in both English and Somali. We also bring you the music Dalmar Yare, a big deal musician in the Somali community where he’s highly sought after to sing at weddings and other social celebrations.

Forget the Spoonbridge and Cherry—these are landmarks that have secrets to tell, even when they’re gone. In this episode, we explore one that fell to the forces of urban renewal; one that closed because of the owner’s health issues; and one that is stuck between a rock and a hard place of history and gentrification. Host Jumondeh Tweh checks out Minneapolis’ nearly forgotten Skid Row, the recent loss of Arnellia’s (“the Apollo of St. Paul”), and Al’s Breakfast, a Twin Cities landmark withstanding the test of time.

What does it mean to “break the mold”? A hard-boiled lesbian detective breaks through the lavender ceiling, a Sudanese model refuses to lighten her skin to fit in and an Ojibwe rapper wants to be the spark that ignites the fire in his people. Nyakim Gatwech is the “queen of dark,” a Sudanese model in Minnesota with unapologetically dark skin. She has a major Instagram following, too. Ellen Hart is the author of a series of (24!) mystery novels about lesbian detective Jane Lawless. Her work on the series won her an Edgar Award in 2017. She is the first openly gay writer to receive the award. And Baby Shel, an Ojibwe rapper from the Red Lake Reservation, doesn’t care if he becomes the most popular rapper in the world—he just wants to open the door for people like him.

How has immigration, migration, and connection to the rest of the world shaped the sights and sounds of Minnesota? Meet Siama Matuzungidi, a Congolese soukous musician. He moved to Minnesota in the late 90s after having a prosperous career in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. His life and music flow like his native Congo River, and today, the Mighty Mississippi. Doug Little and his band Charanga Tropical bring the traditional music of Cuba to Minnesota. Charanga orchestras are mainly popular in Florida, New York, and California. But Minnesota is home to one of the only Charanga orchestras in country.