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Current Feature
Remembering
Fast-Paced Paul
Bill Hillsman remembers Paul Wellstone.
Past Minnesota Monthly Features
The Weather Doesn't Grow Old
Susan Allen Toth discovered that the weather does not grow old.
Bad Carma
The punitive powers of karma.
Apples and Pears
Cindy Rogers admires her pear tree now that she knows it's a pear tree, and not an apple tree.
Financial Ade
A cold lemonade from a small lemonade stand.
A Certain Length of Line
A young fisherman loses a lure and learns a valuable lesson.
Ovations from the Stage
A story of Neruda's poems by Pamela Hill Nettleton.
Favorite Letter to the Editor
Jeff Smedsrud's letter to the editor.
Flaming Toasters
Nancy Garner Ebert shares a humorous tale of love.
Out Here by the Lake
Pamela Hill Nettleton takes a long, sentimental look at The Lake in winter, any lake, every lake, her lake, and yours and mine.
The Kookie Never Krumbles
A boy and his dad continue burning both batter and fingers, making krumkake.
The Man Who Raised Turkeys
The boys wondered about this one farmer down the road who did nothing on his
little farm but raise turkeys. He said if you really cared about one thing,
that should be enough for everybody.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
What Mom and the dean didn't realize was that for me, cigarettes let me grab
my life and fling it haphazardly out of their reach.
Miracle on Risers
As the World Choral Symposium rolls into the Twin Cities, MPR host and producer Brian Newhouse reflects on the borderless quality of the international performances.
Prairie Dogged
For all our traveling and souvenir collecting, what do we truly gain from the experience. One writer discovers that the answer depends on what you to begin with.
A Father's Day
For this Father's Day, a nostalgic daughter salutes her teacher, coach, buddy, hero, and nemesis—the man who taught her to value wisdom, integrity, and love—her father.
A Flash in the Pans
A man may think he is acting like his mother while making dinner to impress his family, but he soon finds that he still can't do without her.
An Incident on the South Boundary Road: Why I Don't Hunt Bear Anymore
A man who raised his kids on bear meat finds out one day that there is more to his meal than the struggle between man and animal.
On Becoming Minnesotan
How to be Minnesotan: Must love winter; must drive in the left lane; must love winter; must "borrow"—not lend—things to others; must love winter; must pronounce "aunt" with elongated vowels; must love winter.
Toxic Bachelors
A Minnesotan male ruminates on singleness. Using as a model the uncannily successful dating predator, he decides to behave the opposite way, realizing that, in the long run, being himself will give him his best shot at couplehood.
Inside the Canine Head
They say "Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes," right? But what understanding can you gain from taking on the mantle of man's best friend?
A Girl's Best Friend
It doesn't matter to mothers if a gift from an eight-year-old boy is made of diamonds, cubic zirconia, or macaroni. Gifts from the heart are made precious in the giving.
With Sticks and Stones
One hundred twenty-five years ago, the people of Northfield made a stand against their attackers. Bound by nothing but community, they emerged victorious.
Making Cider
There's something about homemade cider—tart, zippy, bountiful. But what happens when the apple trees fall and the cider press has to be rebuilt?
The Last Ice Age
Sometimes the only way to combat the intense heat of memory is with the cool dampness of the caves and quarries explored as a child.
Last Light: Meditations on a Midwest Ball Field
A father waxes poetic about the baseball field during a game of catch with his son, drawing them both into a convergence of nostalgia and youth in the Midwestern outdoors.
What Price Glory?
Looking back at a childhood Fourth of July on the prairie, acceptance means more than taking a dare from your uncle, and strength means more than knocking down your cousins.
Closet Camper
You're not a real Minnesotan until you've faced the great north woods. But it's not for everyone. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting the camping gear out of storage!
Faux Family Trees
Trace one woman's lifetime of matrimonial distress, from her Catholic-schoolgirl dreams of raising a tidy nuclear family with one man to the tangled genealogical nightmare she has come to know instead.
Swingin' with My Baby
She's been fed. She's been burped. She's neither too hot nor too cold. Then why won't she sleep? A new mother scours baby books to find the answer. And discovers the secret to inducing baby slumber: Singing duets with Ella Fitzgerald. (04/01)
New York State of Mind
A young Minnesota couple tries to blend into native New York City culture, but can't seem to get it right. No matter how hard they try, they're always recognized as out-of-towners. Is it the accent? The politeness? As it turns out, they're not wearing enough black. After a mishap with a votive candle, however, they decide to throw caution to the wind and just be tourists. (03/01)
The Ties that Bind
For schoolkids, February means trading valentines - and, naturally, candy. But does puppy love have a chance against the seasonal maze of homemade paste, doilies, construction paper, and obtuse messages on candy hearts? (02/01)
Star Light, Star Bright
A young woman and her boyfriend spend a romantic winter's evening stargazing. After wrestling with the flashlight, debating over which stars go where, and being wholly unable to find the Big Dipper, they create their own constellations—and gain a connection with the cosmos. (01/01)
A Very Slippery Slope
Take a rebellious older cousin, add parents distracted by holiday clean-up, throw in a little blackmail, and you have one very memorable childhood sledding story. (12/00)
A Draft Resister Salutes Vets
Thirty years after Vietnam, one draft resister can't help but think about the past every time he encounters Fort Snelling. (11/00)
My Mother's Casket
She taught them that death is a part of life. Now one family's mother gets her husband, kids, and grandkids to pitch in on her funeral preparations. Even if her death is a long way off. (10/00)
St. Paul vs. Minneapolis
It used to be so easy to tell the Twin Cities apart, and a healthy
rivalry has always existed between the two. Now, though, they're starting
to seem more alike - are there any differences left? (09/00)
Udder Drudgery at the Fair
The Minnesota State Fair lasts only several days each summer, but
when you're working at the all-you-can-drink milk booth, it can seem
like an eternity. (08/00)
A Conversation with Aziz
A routine father-and-son trip to the computer store yields some
unexpected insights on how to raise a child. (07/00)
The Wrong Bus
A single choice can set the course of a life, writes magazine editor
Pamela Hill Nettleton, but sometimes, even a wrong decision can lead
you down the right path. (06/00)
Of Gnats and Men
Wildland firefighting is a lot more than putting out blazes - planting
trees amid swarms of gnats is one of the less-visible parts of the job.
And for some, writes Peter Leschak, it's a real test of character as
well. (05/00)
Tribute to the Typewriter
Modern technology may improve on many things, writes Bill Meissner,
but not the typewriter - he prefers the elegance, tradition, and ritual
of the manual model over any electronic version. (04/00)
The Starting Line
Watching her son run in his high school track meet, writer Jodi
Schwen reflects on how the role of a mother is constantly evolving,
but never truly finished. (03/00)
Peonies and Lost Love
Writer Sonjie Johnson often prefers the single life, but the voluptuous
blooms of peonies trigger wistful memories, making her long for the
companionship a good marriage provides. (02/00)
Asking God to Sign In
The question of religious faith can be a difficult issue for anyone
to grapple with. For a doubting eight-year-old, it's even harder, writes
Pamela Hill Nettleton. (01/00)
Ground Zero
The turn of the century is upon us, but, wonders writer Susan Barbieri,
what if we were going back to 1900 instead of forward to 2000? (12/99)
Giving Thanks for Love
On a quest to find her true love, writer Jocelyn Hale discovers
that the best memories come from the search itself. (11/99)
Fear for Fun
Being scared isn't always a bad thing - especially when you're telling
ghost stories. Writer Jacquelyn Fletcher journeys back to her childhood
to relive the thrill of fear. (10/99)
The
Woods Stalker
The Minnesota Big Woods had always seemed like a peaceful sanctuary
for writer Constance Gray, until a chance encounter with a stranger
made her unpleasantly aware of the possible dangers of hiking alone.
(9/99)
Dogs
And Critters
What to do when the birdfeeder becomes a magnet for squirrels? Writer
Laurie Hertzel thought her family's dogs would solve the problem, but
their success brought some unexpected consequences. (8/99)
Cold
Feet, Clear Water
Competitive swimming provided writer Maya Hamilton some of her highest
and lowest moments, but more than that, the lure of the water promised
entry into another world. (7/99)
Only
A Barn
A rural Minnesota barn holds not only hay and horses, but also childhood
memories for writer Roger Knutson (6/99)
A Flower
for Mother
The significance of a single flower can bring a closeness greater than
writer Kristine Holmgren ever thought. (5/99)
These
Old Brown Boots
Minnesota Monthly's own Susan M. Barbieri explains why her $75 hiking
boots are priceless. (4/99)
Keeping
Tabs
St. Paul essayist Sheila Moriarty shows how the Department of Motor
Vehicles can keep a family close. (3/99)
Meet
Me In St. Paul
Using the historic St. Paul hotel as a backdrop, writer Judy Delton
recalls her quest for the perfect mate.(2/99)
The
Drumlin Beat
Susan M. Barbieri gives us a history of the earth in 1,000 words or
less (1/99)
Luck
of the Draw
When Santa brings gifts for 21 people, writer Pamela Hill Nettleton
shows how chance allows one to focus. (12/98)
What
the Wind Can't Carry
Going home is never easy, but Kathryn A. Cullen discovers that the forces
of nature can make the trip even worse. (11/98)
The
Hunting Jacket
Bill Meissner learns more than hunting on his first time out with his
father. (10/98)
Fire
on the Prairie
Writer Bill Holm discusses the four gifts Beethoven brings to all mid-western
listeners. (09/98)
Coldwater
Quest
James Holbrook Johnson contemplates what the future holds for this key
to the past. (08/98)
Thanks
for Letting Us Use the Cabin
The combination of writing a thank-you note and apology proves daunting
to author Margi Preus. (07/98)
Lake
of Ages
Urban historian and author Mary Martin Mason takes a look at the colorful
past of Loring Lake. (06/98)
Pedal
Power
Minneapolis writer Jocelyn Hale reveals the neigborhood streets of her
childhood and the trials of growing older. (5/98)
Welcome
Home
Transplanted from Duluth, Susan Niemlela Vollmer takes root among her
new surroundings. (4/98)
Nothing
to Wear
Fashion survivor Eve Parker reminds us that these are troubled times
for the once-hip. (3/98)
A
Fruitful Death
Erika Erhart recounts morbid memories of produce we have known. (2/98)
Remainder
Roundup
Author Jeff Johnson sorts the literary chaff from the wheat in this
overview of Minnesota's best of the worst in 1997. (1/98)
A Card
to Keep
Amid a sea of holiday greeting cards, Barton Sutter remembers one that
mattered. (12/97)
Pop Scholar
Art history professor Karal Ann Marling talks to Russell Scott Smith
about Disneyland, the Mall of America and other temples of American
consumerism. (11/97)
Gone
Dogfishing
On a recent fishing trip, Mark Spitzer encounters a loathed dogfish
- the "monster of the Mississippi." (10/97)
Learning
to Fly
An adult student of the violin, Susan M. Barbieri revels in the joys
of making music. (9/97)
Burst
Bubbles
Pamela Hill Nettleton recalls how an ill-timed tornado cut short her
adolescent hopes for stardom. (8/97)
Backing
into Ely
Barton Sutter travels to the remote town in Northern Minnesota in search
of peace, solitude, and a glimpse of the big picture. (7/97)
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