Community Voices

Essay | Creative Skills and Kids
Essayist Renee Bergstrom’s formula for a “lifetime of joy” includes being creative – and it begins in our youth.

Essay | Less-Work Gardening
Loni Kemp shares her tips and tricks to growing, maintaining, and, most importantly, enjoying your garden.

Essay | A Teacher, a Rooster and an Outhouse
An essay from the book “A Teacher, A Rooster and an Outhouse” tells the story of young boy shenanigans while entertaining their teacher.

Poetry | Finnish-American Heritage Reflected in New Collection
From back roads and wasp nests to shamans and lutefisk, regional poet Jim Johnson shares excerpts from his latest collection.

Root River Diary | An Extraordinary Kindness
Just how special can a delivery person be? Steve Harris and Diane Knight share observations from a community sendoff to UPS driver Josh Merchlewitz.

Root River Diary | How Did the Turtle Cross the Road?
Joyce Roffler finds a unique way to help a snapping turtle across the road.

Bluffland Sunsets, Moonrise
Root River Current photographers capture twilight scenes in this series of “sunset, moonrise” photos.

Settling in for Another Season
Root River Current photographers capture critters welcoming another season.

Essay | Celebrating Blossoming Ephemerals, the Return of Birdsong and Earth Day
An excerpt on Spring from Nancy Overcott’s book ‘At Home in the Big Woods.’

April Springs to Life
Root River Current photographers capture the arrival of Spring in Southeast Minnesota.
