The Romansh in Minnesota
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419Among 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…
Philosophy Study Group, Session 1
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThe next MISF Philosophy Study Group meeting will be in two sessions. Session 1 will be on Monday, January 28, and session 2 will be Wednesday, January 30. Both will be at 7:00 pm at Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in Minneapolis, and both will cover the same ground: Part III of Zen and the Art of…
Philosophy Study Group, Session 2
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThe MISF Philosophy Study Group scheduled for Wednesday, January 30, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 6. It will be at 7:00 pm at Curran's Restaurant in Minneapolis. We will be discussing Part III of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig. No matter how you feel about the book,…
Philosophy Study Group, Session 1
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThe MISF Philosophy Study Group will once again meet in two sessions. Session 1 will be on Monday, February 18, and session 2 will be Wednesday, February 20. Both will discuss Part IV, the last section of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig. Pirsig, a Minneapolis native, wrote this surprise…
Philosophy Study Group, Session 2
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThe MISF Philosophy Study Group will once again meet in two sessions. Session 1 will be on Monday, February 18, and session 2 will be Wednesday, February 20. Both will discuss Part IV, the last section of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig. Pirsig, a Minneapolis native, wrote this surprise…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will conclude the book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus (2006) by Charles C. Mann. This has been a really great book. I can think of one-thousand-four-hundred-and-ninety-one reasons you should read it and then come and share your views. I will be glad to recount them all on the 21st.
The Power of Landscape Art
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419Minnesota 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…
Board Meeting
Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116MISF Members welcome!
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are going to dip our toe into Martin Heidegger's seminal work, Being and Time. First published in 1927, Being and Time is considered one of the most important philosophy books of the 20th century. This book is neither short nor easy, so we will read and discuss the introduction to see how far we want to delve into it.
Ignatius Donnelly: Ultimate Independent Scholar
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419Ignatius 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…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThere were two books which were tied for second among those nominated and voted upon by our members. Of these two we chose Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (1995) by Dava Sobel as the next one to read. The British Book of the Year in 1997,…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe have decided to try a different tack into the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and examine his idea of phenomenology. He disagreed with Edmund Husserl, the person who is most credited with establishing phenomenology as a modern discipline. We will try to take a look at exactly what Heidegger's disagreements were and what it means…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are continuing through our list of member-voted books by reading the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, John Adams (2001) by David McCullough, starting with Part I. This book can be had for around $18 in paperback and $15 as an ebook. However, since this is a prize-winning book by a popular author and has been around for…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are going to be returning to Being and Time by Martin Heidegger. We will read the first three chapters of Division I of Part I, (through “The Worldhood of the World”). This is up to page 149 in the Macquarrie and Robinson translation, the “standard” English translation which, once again, can be found for free online…
The Writing Life
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419As 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…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisFor the next couple of meetings we will be reading a book you may already have in your library, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. If you don't have it, you can find it at most any bookstore or online for only a few dollars. An ebook costs about a dollar, and, best of all, you can find it…
Board Meeting
Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116MISF Members Welcome!
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are are going to move on to Part II of John Adams by David McCullough. This is a typical McCullough book: engrossing, thoughtful, and penetrating. Just like the MISF History Study Group.
What is Poetry?
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419For 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…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will finish our reading of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. By the time we're done you should be in tune with nature, in the present moment, and ready to become the next Emperor of Rome.
Board Meeting
Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116MISF Members welcome!
Scholars without Walls: How our book came to be and why
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419We 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…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will discuss Part III – the last part – of John Adams by David McCullough. We will celebrate finishing the book by evaluating Mr Adam's life, comparing it to our own, and feeling guilty.
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will continue our discussion of modern Stoicism by reading the rest of chapter five and chapter six in A New Stoicism by Lawrence Becker. Chapter five completes his discussion of norms and motivations, while chapter six covers virtue. This should motivate you to do the virtuous thing: show up at our meeting on the 15th and let…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are in the process of reading A New Stoicism by Lawrence Becker. He is continuing his arguments that virtue is the only good, at least for psychologically healthy people. Alas, there's always a catch.
MIA Book Tour (**date changed**)
Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404One of the most popular gallery walks at the Minneapolis Institute of Art is called a Book Tour. That is, a book of fiction or social commentary is selected for consideration. The docent highlights brief aspects of the book and proceeds to fashion a creative link between the reading and a work of art. The…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are going to read the book The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and the American Political Tradition (2017) by Linda Gordon. This book is available in paperback for around $17 and as an ebook for $11. Since this is a relatively short book, we've decided to cover the whole…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will conclude our reading of A New Stoicism by Lawrence Becker. This includes chapter 7, “Happiness,” and a couple of appendices. We are especially interested in having people come who consider themselves happy. Then the author can demonstrate that since they aren't stoically happy, they aren't as happy as they think they are, or as they…
MISF Annual Picnic!
Cherokee Park Picnic Shelter, Chippewa and Winona St., St. PaulCome join us at the small picnic shelter in Cherokee Park in St. Paul's West Side neighborhood for our annual picnic. We will start gathering at 11:30 with serving beginning at 12:00. MISF will provide the plasticware, plates, drinks, grills, and electricity. You provide a dish to share and, optionally, any games you might like. Bring a…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are turning to a classic book this time: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. This is a book that should have lots of used copies floating around, or you can get it new for $10 - $15. An ebook is about the same. You may even already have one in your own library. For this…
Board Meeting
Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116MISF Members Welcome!
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will finish reading The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings by Lars Brownworth. If the author has done his research properly, this book should end somewhere near Alexandria, Minnesota.
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe are finishing the book The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. While Pollyanna and Dr Pangloss might have some problem understanding Camus' point of view, they – and anyone who feels the same way as they do – are certainly welcome to come and mix with those who feel desperate and anguished and who see the…
The Woodcut Art of Wolfgang Klein
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419The 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…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will be tackling a book by the contemporary Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek,The Parallax View (2006), which he calls his magnus opus. It can be found new in paperback for about $17 and as an ebook for $10. We will do chapter 1 for the 14th. According to Wikipedia Žižek has been referred to as “the Elvis of…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisThe new book we are beginning is King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (1999) by Adam Hochschild. This was a prize-winning and popular book from twenty years ago; it is still a good read. For the 16th we will read through Part I (or as much of Part I as you…
Minneapolis and Tangletown Neighborhood Landmarks
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419What 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…
Philosophy Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will discuss the rest of Part I of The Parallax View by Slavoj Žižek. Admittedly, this book can be a challenge. However, for the MISF Philosophy Study Group, challenge is our name. Or maybe our middle initial, anyway. But we can do this.
Oaxaca: Mexican Discoveries
Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55419Oaxaca 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…
History Study Group
Curran's Restaurant, 42nd and Nicollet in MinneapolisWe will conclude our discussion of the book we are currently reading, King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild. I hope that you have not become inured or negatively affected by the outrageous abuses which were committed by European colonists in the Congo. And I hope you will…