Community Voices

Essay | The Wave

The friendly small town “wave” is a curiosity to outsiders

Prairie enthusiasts throughout the Root River valley burn off remains of previous years' prairie grasses to trigger another year’s new growth. (Photo by John Gaddo)

Seasonal Photo

Repeating a custom of old, southeast Minnesota prairie enthusiasts prep their land for a new season.

Our devices sometimes make real conversation difficult and may leave us isolated. Real conversation requires face to face interaction. (Photo by Rene Bergrstrom)

Essay | Hungry for Conversation

Julie Little thinks we need to learn to talk to each other again.

Traffic on the Truang Tien Bridge over the Perfume River in Hue, Vietnam. (Photo by Bonnie Gibson)

Poetry | Winding Paths

Poet Bonnie Gibson shares two poems that take the reader into other cultures.

The Fillmore County Historical Society in Fountain has a vast collection of historical data. Former Executive Director Sara Sturgis is pictured here researching information for a society project. (Submitted photo)

Essay | Going Down the Research Rabbit Hole

Sara Sturgis explores the challenges researchers face documenting the past.

Mornings at the confluence of the Root River, Main Stem, and its South Branch are often mystical. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Seasonal Photo

A spring photo from Renee Bergstrom

Joan Finnegan unloads apples on the loading dock. Five families collected a range of apple varieties, including Cortland, Haralson, and Fireside, making for a complex tasty cider. (Photo by Lori Slindee)

Essay | Cider: An Annual Tradition

A group of friends gather annually to harvest apples and make cider enjoyed throughout the year. This is their story.

home (2)

At Home In The Big Woods

Nancy Overcott and her husband Art moved to the Big Woods in the early 1970s. She documented her experiences in her book of essays: At Home in the Big Woods. Melissa Wray reads an essay from the book.

(Original artwork by Diane Knight)

Poetry | Rearrange, Begin Again

Artist and poet Diane Knight—author of Putting Down Words, a book of poems and doodles—shares two new poems with our readers.

Snowfall creates beauty on ordinary structures as witnessed by this bucolic winter photo.  The sheep fence creates a vantage point from which to view the valley with its flocked trees in the distance. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom) 

Seasonal Photo

Photographer Renée Bergstrom captures a winter scene in this seasonal photo.

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