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This video showcasing the amazing and prolific writing that Red Bird Chapbooks has published for their fifteenth anniversary is one of my favorite projects. I didn't actually count, but they published somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 books, and their covers all appear in this video. I can’t wait to see what Red Bird does in the next fifteen years!
Flying Pig Thrift is a popular Midway shopping destination with a mission that goes beyond resale at a good price, though customers will have no problem finding treasures at a bargain, too! I spoke to general manager Anne Tiller to learn about the history of this nonprofit, which donates proceeds to several community organizations.
Urban Lights Music isn’t just a record store — it’s part of the story of Midway. Since 1993, the shop has been a gathering space for music lovers, DJs, national recording artists, and neighbors. Owner Tim Wilson talked with me about his history with the space, the deep roots of music culture in the Twin Cities, and what it has meant to keep a record store going in Midway for more than 30 years.
On October 11, the Hamline Midway Coalition hosted "Art in the Park" at Dickerman Park as part of the Fall 2025 St Paul Art Crawl. This event is part of the St. Paul Art Crawl and features free t-shirts, pin-making, and canvas-making. The event and HMC's work are made possible through funding from the City of St. Paul's Commercial Corridor Program.
We all need to eat. The Community Dinner at the Zion Community Commons has opened the door for accessible nutritional meals in our neighborhood, which subverts the shame and disparaging nature of traditional food shelves. There is no charity; there is only community. "You can sit with us" is the grounding belief of Eureka Compass's mission.
At the inaugural We Love the Midway Business Celebration Brunch Hamline Midway Coalition celebrated the local businesses that make our neighborhood such a special place. From delicious food and door prizes to meaningful connections and community building, this event was all about strengthening our local business network.
Good Friday grief action organized by Good Trouble Sings, Mennonite Action MN, and the Twin Cities Ceasefire Choir. We call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire; restoration of humanitarian funding to the UNRWA; an end to arms funding for Israel; and immediate divestment of MN state funds from Israel. WE DO THIS ‘TIL WE FREE US.
“Our Evening with Soul” showcases a unique business class titled The Power of Soul and Spirit in Business, which emphasizes creating healthy, human-centered workplaces. The video captures a celebratory event where students present creative projects that reflect their passions, from bucket lists to scrapbooking and motorcycle rides.
Constructed from personal archives left behind by my mother — photographs, cassettes, and VHS tapes— The Wound of Time is a short documentary collage published in TriQuarterly about the traces we keep, the artifacts we inherit, and the way grief and memory reorganize time. This video essay was adapted from an essay published in Fourth Genre.
Mosaic on a Stick has been creating an inclusive community art space in the Midway since 2004 — a Black-, Indigenous-, and woman-owned space where art, creativity, and connection come together. In addition to their studio and art supply shop, they’ve helped create murals, public art, and community projects across the Twin Cities.
In October 2025, neighbors from across Hamline Midway and Union Park came together for one very satisfying goal: pick up trash and party. This video looks back at our 2025 “Big Ole Trash Party”— a community cleanup where volunteers spread out and made a visible difference. You’ll see folks hauling bags, meeting neighbors, and doing the kind of work that adds up—to more than one ton of trash removed from our neighborhoods.
The Midway Food & Empowerment Project is a resident-led initiative that began in 2020 to address food insecurity in the Hamline Midway neighborhood. What started as a short-term response to the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd has grown into a long-term, community-driven effort to provide food and household essentials.
"All Are Welcome", three times a week, Open Hands Midway is serving the Hamline Midway and Union Park community through meals and produce. With free programs and services, guests are invited to take out prepared meals and bring produce and other goods home. Open Hands Midway is located at 436 Roy Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55104.
Meet some of the board members of the Hamline Midway Coalition. HMC is your district council built on engagement and empowerment. We work with our neighbors and for our neighbors. The district council system in St. Paul, MN includes 17 community-based volunteer organizations that works to represent the interests of local residents and businesses.
The Helen Gordon Child Development Center at Portland State University Celebrates 40 years of serving the campus and community. I made this video for Portland State University’s Communications Office while I was a graduate assistant there.
This video highlights the vital role of the Institute of Metropolitan Studies (IMS) at Portland State University in shaping the Portland region. Through research, collaboration, and public engagement, IMS fosters a shared regional identity and addresses complex metropolitan challenges like sustainability, equity, and climate change.
Black Garnet Books is a bookstore in the Hamline Midway neighborhood of St Paul that serves as a community-focused "third space," established to address the lack of representation for Black, brown, and queer authors and creatives in the publishing industry. I spoke with the owner, Dr. Terresa Hardaway, to create this profile video.
Big Ole Trash Party 2.0, organized by Hamline Midway Coalition with Union Park District Council, brought more than 100 neighbors together to collect more than 100 bags of trash across the Midway and Union Park neighborhood. The cleanup was followed by a concert by the Brass Messengers at Black Hart of St Paul.
Ginkgo Coffeehouse has been a fixture in the Hamline Midway neighborhood since it opened 33 years ago in 1993. I spoke with owner and Hamline Midway neighbor Kathy Sundberg about how gathering spaces like Ginkgo foster a sense of community. This business profile is the first in a series as part of the Hamline Midway Coalition's Snelling and University Commercial Corridor program.
Author, educator, and Hamline Midway neighbor Dr. Artika Tyner founded Planting People Growing Justice to inspire a love of reading, address literacy gaps, and amplify diverse voices in publishing. Through book giveaways, workshops, and community events, this Black-owned nonprofit is empowering the next generation of leaders and storytellers.
Welcome to our first installment in HMC's ongoing "Neighborhood Notes" video series aimed at spotlighting the businesses, organizations, artists, and initiatives that make Hamline Midway notable! Our very first feature highlights a local theater at the heart of Hamline-Midway, "The Hive Collaborative."
On November 17, 2024, over 100 people — supporters, families, and members of Families Against Military Madness and the Climate Justice Committee — came together at Painter Park in Minneapolis for a family-friendly rally. The event called for an end to endless wars that harm the environment and demanded funding for climate action instead of war.
Dreaming Big: Portland State University students inspire local children at Alder Elementary School to go to college. Alder Elementary is the nation’s first Dreamer School. The Dreamers School Model expands the impact of “I Have A Dream” – Oregon’s past successes including doubling the high school graduation rates for the student dreamers. T
In this video, Jen Armbruster, Coordinator of Inclusive Recreation at Portland State University, shares how PSU's inclusive and diverse environment supports students of all backgrounds and abilities. As a blind parent and athlete, Jen highlights the university’s commitment to accessibility, family recognition, and creating spaces where everyone can belong—whether through recreation, identity groups, or shared values.