One Does Not Simply Walk Into Minnesota

Surprise - some new music. It's available now - and if you're reading this on March 6, it's also Bandcamp Friday, when the platform waives their cut. And since this album is a fundraiser (more info below), please consider picking it up today!

Here's the official blurb:

KTM (aka Guante) lives in Minneapolis, and SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE lives in St. Paul. "Spring Is Coming" is our first release as Secret Rivers, and it is very much about where we live, and about this moment: a season of occupation and brutality.

In Minnesota, we know how cold winter can be, and we know how life persists through it—not just as inevitability, but as the product of fierce, relentless struggle. In this context, 'spring is coming' is less gentle reassurance and more call to action: this cold only retreats when we move closer together. This ice only breaks when we break it.

This release is also a fundraiser, with all proceeds going to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Twin Cities ICE Relief Fund.

We hope you like it. There hasn't been a ton of time or energy to write over the past few months, but sometimes the fuel is just spite and stubbornness, and that's enough—any excuse to keep pivoting the work/energy toward mutual aid efforts.

Virtual Release Party

We'll be having a VIRTUAL release show Saturday, March 7, at 7pm central. Admission is free (join us at this link), but we'll also be doing a few asks to continue to raise funds for the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Twin Cities ICE Relief Fund. We'll also be joined by SkySpiders and the Imperctible Web!

Especially for friends who are trying to minimize their time out in the world, we wanted to share this new work online first. But if you want to book us for future live performances (especially in this continuing season of fundraisers, mutual aid, and benefit concerts), contact me here.

Resources For Creative Troublemakers

As I mentioned, my own creative work has taken a backseat these past few months. Even on this new project, I just have a poem, a song (which is a rework of an older song), and a verse/hook on another song. I don't feel bad about that, though. In times of crisis, my focus is on sharing what I hope can be useful—and that usually means stuff beyond my own voice. I've tried to pull together a bunch of resources specifically for artists and culture-workers about what it can mean to speak out and show up in this moment:

• First, here is a landing page I've set up (there's also a zine version) featuring all the stuff I find myself sharing or referencing lately: calls to action for everyone, artist-specific action ideas, and a big list of poems and writing addressing this moment. That link also shares the full notes from our big "what can artists do?" virtual event, in case you missed it.
• The image above is from a two-hour virtual panel discussion featuring me, Ollie Schminkey, Isha Camara, and SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE. It is FULL of good poems addressing this specific moment, as well as commentary on why we think those poems work.
• I've also facilitated three different Salt, Warmth, and Force: Poetry Against ICE workshops recently. If you weren't able to make it to any of them, you can find the full notes/slides (including 7 writing prompts!) at this link - it's #3.
• If you're on my email list, you may already know about my 7-video asynchronous online class, Meeting the Moment: Political Poetry and the Anthemic Impulse. I made one of the videos from that series publicly available; it explores the concept of "anthemic" writing, language with forward momentum and fire, that centers agency, hope, and possibility:

And a million other things

I know it's generally a good practice to keep these kinds of emails short; there's just a lot happening. I'll close with just a few more odds and ends:

• As the US blunders into another war: Here are six reads that I've found to be useful and clarifying in this moment, and along with those, my very short commentary in the caption here.
• If any of you are NetRoots Nation-goers, vote for the workshop I'm part of along with Na Eng: Art & Resistance: Lessons from Minnesota
• Some recent writing of mine and interviews:
  • How Can Artists Show up for Minneapolis? in Racket
  • Artists Against ICE at Convergence Magazine's Block and Build podcast
  • What Artists Can Do About ICE - Lessons from Minneapolis at the Art is the New Wall Street podcast
  • Minnesota Mourns Again, the Symbolism of Whistles, and Culture in a Time of Crisis at City Cast Twin Cities
• Over the next few weeks, I'll be working in Rochester, La Crosse, Atlanta, Door County and here at home in the TC. As always, if you want to bring me to your school, conference, library, church, activist organization, or other community space, get in touch here.

I know it's a lot of content, but thanks for reading. I hope something in here can be useful.