Monthly Forum

In the early 20th century the Minneapolis underworld was ruled by some pretty ruthless mobsters and gangs who did not look kindly on efforts of campaigning newsmen to clean up the city. This time will be the topic of our speaker, Beth Johanneck, who regards herself as an amateur historian. Beth Johanneck was raised on…

Carol Ahlgren is both an architectural historian and historian in the Twin Cities. She received a 2017 Legacy Fellowship from the Minnesota Historical Society to study the highway's history and route through Minnesota.

In February 1959, the Minneapolis Morning Tribune published a series of articles about the ailing American family, pointing to the “crisis of the unwed mother” as a factor in the institution’s decline. In October of that year, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch chimed in on the matter with its series on “Girls in…

Muslims have been part of Minnesota since the 19th Century so why are we just noticing them now? Examine the diversity and the unity of the Muslim experience in the Land of a Thousand Lakes. The speaker, Tamim Saidi, has been active in describing Islam and the Muslim's culture and way of life. This is…

The annual Virginia Hansen poetry day at MISF will begin with a brief introduction on the use of metaphor by poet and teaching artist, Evelyn Klein. It will be followed by readings of featured poets, Joe Amato, Emilio DeGracia, and Lee Landau. They will read from their recent publications. An open reading and book signing…

This presentation is a review of a qualitative study of eighteen women who were in a women’s residential correctional facility. Bowen family systems theory was used as the theoretical base for designing interviews of the women. Bowen family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems theory to describe its complex…

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul on 24 September 1896. Although his family left for Buffalo, New York, before his second birthday, he returned to St. Paul in 1908 and lived there during his teen years, a very formative period for the young writer. Come hear how the wealth of the Midwest, the…

Distinguished Guthrie Theater actor Nathanial Fuller will lead an interactive dialogue about his experience as a performing artist as it relates to the experience of the audience.  Theater is the shared energy between the production and the audience.  The audience becomes part of the art.  Nat will talk about what actors as artists are aiming for, and how the audience can participate…

This talk will explore how, after the Civil War, many Minnesota towns created picturesque parks that gave a town distinctive character — a central square, a riverbank recreation area or a picturesque streamside retreat complete with rustic wooden bridges. Far away from larger cities, Minnesota’s small towns staked a claim to settlement with remarkable works of…

Among the mid-19th century waves of immigrants from northern Europe to the U.S, and Minnesota, the Romansh people from Switzerland were a small but influential group, Often counted with Swiss immigrants as a whole, or with German, French, or Italian immigrants, their story in Minnesota, though carefully saved in family histories, has not been well…

Minnesota Public Radio frequently mentions the power of classical music. Bob Brusic will adapt this theme and talk about The Power of Landscape Art.  He will discuss the various ways in which the genre of landscape painting has been used to communicate ideas and evoke emotions. The talk will be illustrated. Brusic has been a…

Ignatius Donnelly; poet, promoter, politician, orator, and author; was arguably the most interesting figure in Minnesota history. Although today he is largely dismissed as a crank, Donnelly was an indefatigable champion of the nineteenth century's underdogs. His writings were both a reflection of the times and of his moods. His 1890 Caesar's Column was the first great…

As someone who has been an active writer for more than half a century, I have benefited from the prestige and authority conferred on the general culture by the invention of the printing press.  Since that time books have had a short 500-year run, and a mixed success, as cultural influences.  While the book’s influence seems to…

For those who are wondering what poetry truly is, Evelyn Klein will examine its nature, perspectives, and renditions as they developed over the centuries.  She will answer the question of whether it is rhyme and meter or anything the writer wants to express.  From Aristotle to Carl Jung, from Greek philosophers to modern thinkers, she will shed…

We will introduce our new book, Scholars without Walls: The History of the Minnesota Independent Scholars' Forum.  The book, which will be available for purchase at this event,  tells how a group of unemployed academics became a current-day organization with monthly meetings, study groups, a regular newsletter, and fiscal agency assistance.  In addition to a history of the…

The program will introduce the topic with a brief description of the history of creating woodcuts. It will then focus on Wolfgang Klein’s art of creating woodcuts from their inception to their completion, including materials and tools needed in the process. The presenter will have actual art samples on view and take her audience on…

What is a neighborhood and how does change make it better, lessen it, or make it a different world? Step into the past with a presentation illustrated by maps and photographs of historical interest.  The maps show what most of south Minneapolis looked like prior to urban development.  The photos are of early downtown Minneapolis…

Oaxaca is a city and state in southern Mexico that today is a popular destination for foreign and domestic tourists and those wishing to spend the winter months in a warm, sunny climate. Oaxaca has been populated for thousands of years and there is still a large indigenous population that carry on traditions and customs…

In the early years of the 20th century, a Swedish-American doctor invested in a large tract of land in eastern Cuba. Using his doctor's office on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis as a headquarters, he promoted the sale of land parcels to his fellow Swedish-Americans. In his promotional pamphlets, written in Swedish, Dr. Lind promised cheap land,…

At 6 a.m. on the morning of August 27, 1920, the City of South St. Paul held the very first election conducted on the day following ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. The identity of the first woman to cast a ballot will be discussed as will the history of…

CANCELLED  (will be rescheduled later this year) Based on his 2018-2019 oral history project, "We Won't Go, and We Don't Want You to Go Either," Peter Simmons will talk about Minnesotans who, during 1967-1970, took part in raids on Selective Service offices (draft boards) in Minnesota and elsewhere, aiming to cripple the ability of the…

Vicki Mickelson is a retired educator with thirty-eight years experience in the classroom, most of them in the Minneapolis Public Schools. Her writing journey began in Anna Maria, Florida, her winter haven.  Proudly, she offers seven published books of poetry, including Island Attitudes, nominated for a Minnesota Book Award in 2016, to her readers. Vicki’s poetry is inspired by…

On the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote, another 100-year struggle to gain constitutional equality through ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment for women is one state away from passage. Modern-day suffragists around the country have united to make equal legal in 2020. We’ll explore efforts both here in Minnesota and around the U.S., finally,…

Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery (formerly Layman’s) is the oldest existing cemetery in Minneapolis and the first in Minnesota to have been listed as an individual landmark in the National Register of Historic Sites.  The cemetery’s first burial took place in 1853, five years before statehood.  In addition to recognizing the significance of the cemetery’s built…

Since 2005 MHM has been working to document Minnesota's submerged heritage. They will detail their findings from side and down-imaging sonar surveys, underwater archaeological dive reconnaissance projects, Minnesota small craft and dugout canoe studies, and log books digitization. MHM was founded by Ann Merriman, PhD, and Christopher Olson, MA in July 2005 in St. Paul,…

Mr. Coleman is the acquisitions librarian at the Minnesota Historical Society. He writes and lectures on topics related to Minnesota culture and history. He served as president of the Library of Congress’s Minnesota Center for the Book, president over Minnesota Book Awards, is on the boards of Coffee House Press and the Minnesota Center for…

This presentation by independent scholar Alan Johnson will address the history of, and proposed alterations to, the Electoral College. We will discuss the intentions of the 1787 framers of the Electoral College, the understanding of the ratifiers, the early frustration of original intent, the adoption of the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the failures…

For many years restrictive covenants in deeds and documents related to real estate transactions reserved land for the exclusive use of white people. Research involving academics, community  activists, and community members unearth the evidence of these practices. This allowed a map to be made showing how these restrictive practices were embedded in the physical landscape.…