Last year, with its debut literary festival, the group known as Cracked Walnut promised a reading a day for a full month. This year they're doing almost as well: The second literary series debuts on Wednesday, April 2, and will run through May 7 with readings if not every single day, at least several times a week.
Cracked Walnut is the brainchild of Hamline University MFA candidate Satish P. Jayaraj, who found himself surrounded by writers (no surprise, in an MFA program) and was looking for a way to establish a venue for reading.
This year's 25 readings will take place in coffee shops, galleries, libraries, museums, a hospital, and other offbeat places--mainly in the Twin Cities, but also in Duluth and Rochester--and will include more than 100 writers. Each reading carries a different theme.
The lineup includes poets Tim Nolan, Ethna McKiernan, Adrienne Miller, Ryan Vine, Margaret Hasse and Matt Mauch. (Full disclosure: I am reading, too.) The list is still being firmed up and you can check back at www.crackedwalnut.com for updates.
Here's the whole list, current as of today:
Wednesday April 2nd 7:00 pm (Mirror Mirror on the Wall)
Underground music Café 'Coffee Grounds' (1579 Hamline Ave N, St Paul, MN 55108)
featuring: Laurie Hertzel, Kelly Hansen Maher, Maya Washington, Nick Metcalf,
Chilli Lor, Hawona Sullivan Janzen
Thursday April 3rd 7:00 pm (Richfield CW Festival Reading)
Richfield Community Center (7000 Nicollet Ave S Minneapolis, Minnesota 55423)
featuring: Vanessa Ramos, Anika Fajardo, Philip Simondet, Ted King,
Lorissa Gottschalk, Maggie Ryan Sandford,
Friday April 4th 20th 7:00 pm (Hooked)
The Coffee Shop Ne (2852a Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418)
featuring: Creating community in average spaces through the magic of spoken literature, Evan Kingston, Laura Theobald
Patrick Werle, Mary Harold, Sharkhooks
Saturday April 5th 7:00pm (What Does Your Fox Say)
Blackdog Coffee and Wine Bar (308 Prince Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101)
featuring: Wendy Skinner, Mona Susan Power, Ardie Medina,
Brian Baumgart, Marjorie Hakala, George J Farrah
Sunday April 6th 11:00 am (Fitting In)
Black Sheep Coffee Cafe (705 Southview Boulevard, South Saint Paul, Minnesota 55075)
featuring: Pam Schmid, Andrea Jenkins, Lisa Ann Pierce, Kimberly Eridon
Chris Vaughan, Jennifer Bowen Hicks, Andrew Cleary
Wednesday April 9th10:20am (Amplatz Children's Hospital CW Festival Reading)
U of M Amplatz Children's Hospital (2450 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454)
featuring: Rebecca Ramsden, Bruce Peck, Satish Jayaraj, Anne Sawyer-Aitch
Thursday April 10th 7:00 pm (It's a Wonderful Life)
J. Arthur's Coffee (2441 Rice Street, Roseville, Minnesota 55113)
featuring: Paula Cisewski, Sarah Turner, Margaret Hasse
River Urke, Jamie Hagg, Kevin Hershey, Mindy Mejia
Friday April 11th 7:00 pm (Legacy and Heritage)
Royal Grounds (4161 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55409)
featuring: Sandra Evans, Chay Douangphouxay, Kris Bigalk
Saturday April 12th 7:00 pm (St Thomas Academy CW Festival Reading)
St Thomas Academy (949, Mendota Heights, MN 55120)
featuring: Donna Isaac, Satish Jayaraj, Michael Kiesow Moore, Tom Ferderer
Sunday April 13th 7:00 pm (Rochester CW Festival Reading)
C4 Creative Salon (324 1st St SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55902)
featuring: Daniel Solis, Emily Urness, Steven Vogel, Josh Fischer, Katrina Wollet, Matt Dahl
Monday April 14th 7:00 pm (Be a Lady)
Diamonds Coffee Shoppe (1618 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413)
Featuring: Patricia Francisco, IBé, Matt Mauch, Rebecca Song
David Stein, Krisanne Dattir, Jenny McDougal
Thursday April 17th 7:00 pm (Divinity and Humor)
Angry Catfish Bicycle and Coffee Bar (Angry Catfish Bicycle and Coffee Bar)
featuring: Linda White, Kate Lynn Hibbard, Kristin Laurel, Benjamin Kowalsky,
Bryan Mazo, Lennon Sundance
Friday April 18th 7:00 pm (Home and Away)
Cahoots Coffee Bar (1562 Selby Ave Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104)
featuring: Jen March, Michael Dean, Ka Zoua Vang,
Louis Murphy, Darci Schummer
Saturday April 19th 7:00 pm (Duluth CW Festival Reading)
Prøve Gallery (21 N Lake Ave, 21 N Lake Ave, Duluth, MN 55802)
featuring: Ryan Vine, Satish Jayaraj, Felicia Schneiderhan
Monday April 21st 7:00 pm (Be a Man)
Hamline Midway Library (1558 W Minnehaha Ave, St Paul, MN 55104)
featuring: Andrew Blissenbach, Colin Mcdonald, Kate Shuknecht,
Ariane Sandford, Thomas Rohde, Moheb Soliman
Friday April 25th 7:00 pm (#phobia)
Hillside Chapel (2610 19th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418)
featuring: Leslie Adrienne Miller, Paul Canada,
Karen Youso, Sarah Hayes, Lisa Brimmer
Saturday April 26th 1:00 pm (Urbanization)
Mill City Museum (704 S 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55401)
Featuring: Saymoukda Vongsay, Tim Nolan, Carla Hagen,
Tracy Harris, Amy Salloway
Sunday April 27th 4:00pm (War and Strife)
Boneshaker Books (2002 23rd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404)
featuring: Ethna Mckiernan, Khary Jackson, Dain Ingebretson,
Wednesday April 30th 7:00 pm (Beware the Elements)
Fireroast Café (3800 37th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406)
Thursday May 1st 7:00 PM (The Final Frontier)
Solar Arts Building ( 711 15th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413)
Paula Cisewski, Alison Morse, Chris Title,
Paige Riehl, Peter Stein, Lynne Kuechle,
Friday May 2nd 7:00 PM (Year of the Horse)
Solomon's Porch(100 W 46th St, Minneapolis, MN 55419)
Featuring: Victoria Peterson Hilleque, (more to come)
Saturday May 3rd 1:00 PM (Masks of Power)
Books and Tea(325 West 7th Street, St Paul, MN 55102)
Sunday May 4th 7:00 PM (Good and Evil)
Café Bene(53 Cleveland Ave S, St Paul, MN 55105)
featuring: Josh Wodarz (more to come)
Tuesday May 6th 7:00 PM (The Witching Hour)
Claddagh Coffee (459 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102)
Wednesday May 7th 6:00 PM (Transmutation)
Peace Coffee shop Wonderland Park(3262 Minnehaha Ave. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406)