Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell (2019. Atria. ISBN 978-1-9821-0958-5) I love the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’ve spent many days and nights there, attending Finnish festivals, signing books at North Wind Bookstore (formerly attached to Finlandia University), … Continue reading →

 An Interview with Hanna Pylväinen …                                 MM: Let’s start with the most exciting news, at least insofar as I’m aware. You were recently installed as … Continue reading →

An interview with Jess and Julie Koski … MM: When and where did you start your journey across America? Jess: We took our first steps west from Schoodic Bay, Acadia National Park on July 7th, 2023. Neither of us had … Continue reading →

                                                INTERVIEW WITH MISKA KAJANUS MM: Kiitos for agreeing to do this, Miska. Let’s start at the beginning. Where were born, where did you grow up? MK: Thank you for interviewing me. This is an honor! I was born in … Continue reading →

Imagine being a young Finnish boy growing up in Minnesota’s Finnish Triangle. Consider dealing with congenital hip defects and leaving the family farm outside Sebeka at age six to travel to Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul for multiple surgeries. … Continue reading →

We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen (2012. Picador. 978-1-250-3218-8) I saw that the author of this novel was selected by Finlandia National Foundation’s 2024 Lecturer of the Year. Because I’d not read any of her work and I have an interest in … Continue reading →

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Edited by James M. Washington (1986. Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-064691) I made a promise to myself, after attending the 2023 MLK Breakfast at the Copper Top Church in Duluth, to … Continue reading →

                                                Erik Koskinen Interview MM:  Let’s start with your roots, where you were born, where you grew up? EK: My father was born in Helsinki and was adopted in Negaunee, Michigan as a young child. As an adult he traveled … Continue reading →

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (2011. Tantor Audible. ISBN 978-1853261749) I’m a Conrad fan. Victory. Heart of Darkness, his short stories. I’ve read and loved them all. But I hadn’t heard of, much less listened to, Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, until my … Continue reading →

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal and proud of that label. So, take my musings with a grain of salt. Recently, I’ve been troubled by a segment of America continuing to support the former Occupant and his vision of the future for … Continue reading →