Question for Twin Cities folks: Favorite outdoor or semi-outdoor venues for live music?
I still perform at indoor events, but when I am organizing my own, I prefer for it to be outdoors/patio-style. I know a bunch, but the landscape here changes so quickly, so I wanted to ask in case I missed some.
This is all just a set up. Most productive council in history, most diverse, and people who just work really hard for our neighbors. We get made to be punching bag to tee up for the charter amendment on the ballot to strip council power and in turn constituent power. Don’t fall for it.
* Under Commissioner Barnette's supervision, MPD overspent their budget by nearly $20 million dollars. Commissioner Barnette concedes this oversight was due to the lack of engaged conversations with MPD leadership, and that he was not aware of the overspend until the third financial quarter of 2025. It is unacceptable for the City's senior leadership to make the kind of mistakes that come at a direct expense for taxpayers while undercutting the delivery of services. * City workers (AFSCME Local 9 ) in the departments under Commissioner Barnette’s oversight sent a letter describing his leadership which is disqualifying. * Under the leadership of Commissioner Barnette, the City Council was asked to approve contracts with an individual who disrupted a council meeting, hurled homophobic remarks at me, and made threats. * During Commissioner Barnette's tenure, council members received several complaints from contractors for lack of communication, delay in contract execution, and clarity on the broader strategy for violence prevention, for which they were selected to play a role. * Commissioner Barnette was absent and often unengaged from the work of Commissioner. He had a hard time answering questions the Council and the public had. He often seemed, and acknowledged, that he was uninformed about the ongoing work and issues of many of the departments he oversees. As Chair of the Public Health, Safety, and Equity Committee, I have had more direct engagement with the Office of Community Safety than nearly any other member of this Council. What I witnessed over the course of Commissioner Barnette’s tenure was a pattern of disengagement that left departments without direction and residents without answers. I am calling on Mayor Frey to establish a search committee effective immediately so that the Office of Community Safety can focus on rebuilding. Sincerely, Jason Chavez
Dear neighbor,
I wanted to tell you about why I voted against reappointing Commissioner Toddrick Barnette, and why Mayor Frey’s characterization of that vote is wrong and disingenuous. 1/
promo image for "orisun soul session #16: the refresh: featuring poetry by secret rivers (guante + see more perspective): friday, april 17, 7pm, 18+ at Indigenous Roots Cafe: 755 7th street east, st. paul; $10 suggested donation. Buy tickets at orisunwellness.com/events; all profit from ticket sales will be donated to seeds worth sowing" + a photo of KTM/SMP as Secret Rivers.
This Friday, 7pm at Indigenous Roots: Secret Rivers (@seemore.bsky.social and I) will be sharing some of our work at the latest installment of Orisun Soul Sessions: "live music, poetry, good food, and shared energy." Tickets: orisunwellness.com/event-details/soul-session-16-the-refresh
“We go to show that there are people that are fighting against this,” Pace explained, “and to also show other people in the trans community that we are fighting for you.”
Appreciate @melissagiragrant.com's reporting for acknowledging the bleak reality while also centering agency + resistance to it.
Flyer with text reading: “Better Things - a 5x5 reading for social change - the reading everybody will be talking about the next day. Moon Palace Books, 3032 Minnehaha Avenue, May 5th, 2026, 7 pm.” Small photos of each of five readers, labeled by name: Jennifer Landretti, Sana Wazwaz, Andre Anderson, Armand McCoy, Sabrin Nur.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 5th, at 7:00pm, at Moon Palace Books, for our next 5×5 Reading, featuring five fantastic artists: Jennifer Landretti, Sana Wazwaz, Andre Anderson, Armand McCoy, and Sabrin Nur.
Each featured artist will take five minutes to share work. After the main reading, …
1/5
congrats to @adriennenovy.bsky.social on the new book, which is out now via @buttonpoetry.bsky.social: buttonpoetry.com/product/good-luck-in-the-real-world/
men can’t understand what it’s like for women to see story after story after story of women being victims of sexual violence in a culture where it’s routine; what it’s like to live in a world that is fundamentally hostile to our existence. it’s a wonder we leave the fucking house, let alone thrive.
Haven’t found youtube footage as good as the video from this random reddit post - but here’s Rosalía performing La Perla with some of the most mindboggling choreo I’ve ever seen: reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/BdUipuGhml
This album just keeps giving.
SHANNON GIBNEY For SCHOOLS DISTRICT 3 Endorsement "Public schools are the bedrock of our democracy. I have the utmost confidence in Shannon's ability to fight for ours. Her leadership in South Minneapolis schools before and during the ICE invasion, were a boon to communities throughout District 3. I'm eager to see her apply this same level of care, commitment, and knowledge to this new position, for the benefit of all of our kids and families." ILHAN OMAR US Representative for Minnesota's 5th district
Congresswoman Ihan Omar has been a heroine to me for as long as she has been in office! She is brilliant, strategic, strong, and bold in her governance, and I could not be happier to have her support. @teamilhan.bsky.social @ilhanmn.bsky.social
the levels of elite impunity we are seeing now and the levels of war crimes we are seeing now are two aspects of the same path of historical development. right now they see war as our problem (and their investment opportunity). it is world historically important that we make war their problem again
Anyone who participates in any way in this evil, is also a war criminal. It is not just Trump. It’s the entire administration, the entire army apparatus from the bottom to the top. History will not judge anyone kindly for “just following orders.”
A photo of a cat plus the text: QUIET & LOUD: A Poetry Circle for Introverts – A free, three-session workshop series for those who aren’t usually the loudest voice in the room, but still have a lot to say. Facilitator: Kyle Tran Myhre. Saturdays: May 2nd, 9th, and 16th; 1-4pm at New City Center for Healing Justice: 3104 16th Ave S, MPLS
A photo of KTM/Guante plus the text: POETRY, PROTEST, AND POSSIBILITY: A free, one-day deep dive into the power of poets and other creative writers to meet moments of political crisis and uncertainty—both through our art and in more down-to-earth ways. Facilitator: Kyle Tran Myhre. Sunday, May 24; 1-5pm at New City Center for Healing Justice: 3104 16th Ave S, MPLS
Just announced: the Grapevine Collective here in MPLS invited me to facilitate two poetry/writing workshops at the New City Center in May.
The first is a 3-day series built specifically for introverts (!); the second is a 1-day deep-dive into political poetry. More info: guante.info/may2026
In March, community and faith leaders from around the country began a 90-mile march from the Dilley immigrant detention facility to San Antonio, TX, to raise awareness about the surge in child detention by the Department of Homeland Security: www.instagram.com/p/DVbNyIgkeW...
The Council instead approved an additional $2.8 million in direct rental assistance. This is the right tool to get the job done. Thank you to Council Members Rainville, Vetaw, Warren, Shaffer, Whiting, and Palmisano for putting effective policy ahead of cheap talking points.
All of Minneapolis won’t tell you the truth.
Council Member Shaffer and Council Member Palmisano voted against the $2.8 million in rental assistance. How is this effective policy?
This proposal was proposed by the progressives on the city council.
Our public schools were the epicenter of ICE’s occupation of our city. Now we must renew our commitment to our students by investing in them!
But our Mayor is more focused on lobbying the State for money for a cop rec center. Why can’t Frey lobby the state for MPS?
racketmn.com/after-the-ic...
(screaming face emoji x100)
...oh and I forget to tag, but that's @seemore.bsky.social in the poncho and cool glasses. I just wore all black and an orange whistle. But my shirt is from a @releasemn8.bsky.social fundraiser:
a photo of SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE of the duo Secret Rivers, performing on the mainstage of No Kings 3 in Saint Paul.
a photo of KTM aka Guante of the duo Secret Rivers, performing on the mainstage of No Kings 3 in Saint Paul.
For those who caught us on the No Kings mainstage but don't know our work: reminder that 100% of the proceeds from "Spring Is Coming" goes to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors TC ICE Relief Fund—because that work is not over. secretrivers.bandcamp.com
Thanks to Girl at the Rock Shows for the photos.
When it comes to writing, the process is the purpose. You don’t have to always like or enjoy the process, but if you don’t respect it enough to do it yourself, there is no purpose.
AI will never fill that void.
www.thehandbasket.co/p/refusing-t...
TransPractical PRESENTS KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Saturday, April 4 2:30 - 4:00 PM Room S275 RKMC Minneapolis Central Library REGISTER HERE! We are excited to welcome Ash Tifa and her incredible Community-centered Know your Rights workshop, this workshop will focus on what current bills affect the trans community and what getting a passport or gender marker change might look like, as well as many other rights currently being affected. All are welcome to this trans-centered space. TransPractical is a series of workshops addressing applied aspects of the transgender (trans) experience led by artists and educators who identify as trans or gender non-conforming (GNC). Sponsor: Friends of the Hennepin County Library
This Saturday 4/4 Hennepin County Library is hosting me to lead a Queer and Trans-centered Know Your Rights Clinic
Registration is still open, and the event will be hybrid with virtual options for accessibility
register here: hclib.bibliocommons.com/events/69a9d...
A yellow flyer reading "Heights Aid," listing several bands. It's from 4-9 on Saturday at Rail Werks Brewing. The QR code goes to - https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-local-CH-families
Columbia Heights is the suburb where Liam Ramos lives, a small working-class highly diverse community just savaged by ICE during its occupation. There's a mutual aid fund and benefit this Saturday.
1) Please come if you're local. My band is playing a set and we're not bad!
2) Please share & donate.
Check out the new website for the Library Freedom Journal, published by the folks at the Library Freedom Project. journal.libraryfreedom.org
They're looking for submissions for articles, reviews, hot takes, zines, & artwork focused on privacy, intellectual freedom, information democracy, & more! 📚
Back in 2025, a Minneapolis-based synth pop collaborative called The Neon Sound asked me to write a poem for one of their songs.
The poem uses the setup of a few artists walking through a dead mall to create some "illegal" art to explore... I already over-explain things, you can just listen to it:
A zine (small paper booklet) called “radical books that aren’t a slog: leftist book recommendations for newly radical folks”
Picked this up today from @violetbfox.bsky.social and just always love to see movement-oriented communication (including radical zines) that are inviting, that open doors rather than close them, that are colorful!
KTM’s mobile zine library, a box box that folds up into a display, with a sign that says “resources for creative troublemakers” and a selection of free zines on art and resistance, cultivating hope, and stepping into organizing, plus whistles and COPA keychains.
Obligatory photo of my mobile zine set up, this time at Open Book in MPLS for the Library Freedom Project’s “local action mixer” now until 8pm or so.
Find all my zines at guante.info/zines, and more about the Library Freedom Project at libraryfreedom.org
LYRICS: push the lines forward / no kings, no bigots, no borders / bootlicker, should've listened when they told ya: / one does not simply walk into minnesota / behind the tear the gas, / the guns, the balaclavas, and the masks: / they’re scared of you / scared of canned food and potlucks / scared of whistles, scared ‘cause they can’t stop us / scared of immigrants, Black people, trans people, / scared of anyone who won’t buy what they’re sellin’ / everyone I love is a threat to power / in a country full of cowards bein’ brave is rebellion (part one of two: secretrivers.info)
LYRICS: no magic and no mystery / just spite and stubbornness until it’s victory / signal chat, hot hands, venmo, whistle zine / a cold winter but we’re not the ones shivering / an injury to one is an injury to all, understand me / they step up to your cousin, / you run and go get your family / so when your city is green lit / you got every block risin’ up, climbin’ up that double helix / clock in, no quittin’ time / the only border we respect is the picket line / rent strike, general strike, wild cat, strike a match / it’s power to the people every single time (part two of two - secretrivers.info)
...it sounds like what I would have put in my press kit when I sent my mixtape to URB magazine in 2002.
Also worth noting: if we were women, they would have said much worse things about us.
Here's my actual verse, for those curious; and SMP's lyrics are at secretrivers.bandcamp.com/track/worthy...
Won't link to it, but a MAGA facebook page w/ 8 million followers reviewed us:
"a raw, aggressive performance"
"power to the people in classic communist style"
"a direct call to economic disruption"
"Secret Rivers revealed the real venom driving these events: contempt for federal authority"
ok!
So @hammerandhope.bsky.social doesn't just have some of the best movement writing anywhere; they also lift up art & culture, both in design and coverage.
Not just "here's a hot take on a popular movie," but deep, thoughtful features. Imagine a world in which this was the norm for left publications.
Shannon raising fist after speaking at No Kings rally
Shannon speaking at No Kings rally
I was honored to speak at the No Kings Day rally at St. Paul College yesterday. I gave brief remarks on the vital role schools play in the anti-fascist resistance during and after the ICE invasion. Thanks to everyone who came out!