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X-WR-CALNAME:Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum
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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum
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DTSTART:20250101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260627T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260627T120000
DTSTAMP:20260305T033131Z
CREATED:20260305T033131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T033131Z
UID:3599-1782554400-1782561600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:The War at Home: Minnesota during the Great War\, 1914-1920
DESCRIPTION:Americans went to war in 1917 not only against Germany but also against each other at home.  The controversial declaration of war came during a contentious time when farmers and workers challenged the wealthy\, African Americans struggled against Jim Crow and lynchings\, women campaigned for suffrage\, and millions crusaded against alcohol.  In The War at Home\, Greg Gaut focuses on the lives of individual Minnesotans to tell the dramatic story of this period\, when the state experienced bitter polarization\, nativism\, flagrant disregard for democratic norms\, and intense\, occasionally violent\, confrontations.\n \nThe Minnesota Commission of Public Safety ruled the state with an iron hand during the war. Led by John F. McGee\, the commission pursued a “loyalty” campaign especially against trade unions and the Nonpartisan League. McGee’s most prominent adversary was Charles A. Lindbergh Sr.\, whom the Nonpartisan League nominated to challenge the governor in the fiercely contested 1918 primary.  Although Minnesota’s home front experience was the product of a particular confluence of events and personalities\, it raises issues about how democracy can give way to authoritarianism when economic inequality\, anti-immigrant nationalism\, and racism rule the day.\n\nGreg Gaut is an historian whose career has included two decades of teaching at a liberal arts college and a decade of work as an historic preservation consultant primarily preparing National Register of Historic Places nominations around the state of Minnesota. With his wife and co-author Marsha Neff\, he is a frequent contributor to Minnesota History\, and two of their articles won the David Gebhard Award for the best article on Minnesota’s built environment. A lover of libraries\, he published Laird’s Legacy: A History of the Winona Public Library and Reinventing the People’s Library\, a history of St. Paul’s Arlington Hills Public Library which is now the East Side Freedom Library. His article on a World War I espionage case\, Hardware Store Sedition: The Case of Charles W. Anding\, won the Solon J. Buck Award for the best article in Minnesota History for 2020. He holds a doctorate in Modern European and Russian history from the University of Minnesota.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/the-war-at-home-minnesota-during-the-great-war-1914-1920/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-War-at-Home.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260812T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260812T210000
DTSTAMP:20260715T030047Z
CREATED:20260715T030047Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260715T030047Z
UID:3671-1786561200-1786568400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will begin a study of a classic – many say the most important – 20th century book on philosophy\, Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Originally published posthumously in 1953\, it has undergone four editions. Any of these editions is acceptable\, but\, like usual\, the later ones are better. New paperbacks run from about $20 and up\, and\, unusually\, ebooks are more expensive\, starting at around $30. However\, used copies of the books should be easy to find\, and there are copies of the complete book online for free. There are also plenty of commentaries and study guides\, which you may find useful. For our first meeting\, we will cover §1- §133.\n\n \n\nThis is not a long book\, but it is also not an easy one. Wittgenstein has a rather idiosyncratic method of presenting his arguments\, listing them as a series of aphorisms rather than logically segmenting them into chapters\, and using interlocutors to argue with himself\, sometimes making the point he wants to offer confusing. But then\, the MISF Philosophy Study Group can also be happily idiosyncratic and confusing\, but we always manage to muddle through.\n\n\nCurt
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-95/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Philosophical-Investigations.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260829T113000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260829T130000
DTSTAMP:20260816T170259Z
CREATED:20260701T202529Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260816T170259Z
UID:3664-1788003000-1788008400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Annual Picnic
DESCRIPTION:This is our annual summer picnic. MISF will provide the drinks\, plasticware\, and grills\, and St. Paul Parks & Rec the electricity and more grills. You provide a dish to share and your best topics for good conversations.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/annual-picnic-6/
LOCATION:Cherokee Park Picnic Shelter\, Chippewa and Winona Streets\, St. Paul\, MN
CATEGORIES:Social
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Picnic-7-with-border.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260909T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260909T210000
DTSTAMP:20260822T181748Z
CREATED:20260822T180632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260822T181748Z
UID:3703-1788980400-1788987600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will continue our study of Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein by reading §§134-315\, covering rule-making and private languages. And while we encourage our members to participate in our sessions in ways that correspond to what we’re studying\, this discussion will not be done in pig latin. \nCurt \n 
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-96/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Philosophical-Investigations.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260926T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260926T120000
DTSTAMP:20260927T132810Z
CREATED:20260808T165922Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260927T132810Z
UID:3689-1790416800-1790424000@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Surviving a Massacre
DESCRIPTION:A massacre is the killing of several people at one time. Sometimes\, these horrendous events follow civil rights movements. Why do massacres happen? What happens to the survivors? How do they recover and live with the trauma? How does a society recover from these horrendous events? In Teresa Ortiz’s presentation\, she will share her experience as a survivor of a massacre when she was a young student activist\, in Mexico City\, in 1968. She will also talk about how in 1997 she listened to and reproduced the testimonials of the survivors of a 1997 massacre of indigenous Maya people in southern Mexico\, while she was doing research for a book on the Zapatista movement in Chiapas. \n \nTeresa Ortiz – Bio / Artist Statement \nTeresa Ortiz\, an immigrant from Mexico\, is a published writer and poet. In her writing\, Teresa aims to portray her identity\, the land where she has lived and the lives that have touched her own. Her published work has included her book of testimonials of indigenous Maya women Never Again a World Without Us: Voices of Maya Women in Chiapas\, Mexico (EPICA 2001)\, short stories “El Rio” in Lake Street Stories (Flexible Press 2018) and “The Children’s Mountain” in Home (Flexible Press 2019)\, and she just published with Lupe Castillo the poetry collection Alma y Corazon: Writing in the Rhythm of Life (Flexible Press 2026). A founding member of the Latine spoken word group Palabristas\, Teresa has performed in many venues throughout the Twin Cities and participated in many festivals and cultural events and she has facilitated poetry workshops for youth and adults. \n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/surviving-a-massacre/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Human-Massacre.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261014T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261014T210000
DTSTAMP:20260925T035743Z
CREATED:20260925T035743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T035743Z
UID:3719-1792004400-1792011600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will finish our discussion of Part I of Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein by reading §§316-693. We will not read Part II. Research since the original posthumous publication has indicated that Part II was most likely not intended to be part of the book.\n\n\n\nIn this last selection from Part I\, Wittgenstein gets into philosophy of mind\, thinking\, and intentionality. This works well for us\, since we don’t mind thinking intentionally about anything.\n\n\nCurt
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-97/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Philosophical-Investigations.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261024T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261024T120000
DTSTAMP:20260831T184347Z
CREATED:20260831T163910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260831T184347Z
UID:3709-1792836000-1792843200@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Why I chose to write psychological literary fiction and what I have done as a writer
DESCRIPTION:When I was young\, I was a voracious reader. I fell in love with the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald in high school\, happened upon Dostoyevsky in a bookstore the summer after I graduated from high school\, and discovered Proust a year later. These are three of the greatest authors of psychological literary fiction. I also developed an interest in psychoanalysis when I was young. My senior year in high school\, my psychology teacher gave me a book by Freud to read\, so we could talk about the possibility of him including the book in his course the next year. I read the book\, became fascinated by Freud\, and by the time I finished undergraduate school\, I’d read most of Freud’s major works. When I was a French professor\, I taught courses on Proust\, as well as other authors of psychological literary fiction\, and on Freud—the influence of literature on Freud\, and Freud on literature. And when I retired from academe\, I finally had the opportunity to write my own psychological literary fiction. It has been quite a voyage\, and I intend to replicate that voyage with you. \n–Bio– \nBrian Duren earned a Doctorate in French literature from the University of Paris\, as well as a B.A. in English and a Ph.D. in French from the University of Minnesota. He taught modern French literature\, European cinema and interdisciplinary courses on psychoanalysis and literature at the Universities of Texas\, Tulsa\, Iowa\, and Minnesota\, until he became an administrator. After retiring from academe\, Brian launched a new career as an author of psychological literary fiction. He writes innovative novels with an introspective quality about nomadic characters who travel through time and space\, always returning to what haunts them. His first novel\, Whiteout\, praised by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a “stunning debut novel\, worthy of national recognition\,” won the Independent Publisher Gold Medal for Midwestern Fiction. Award-winning painter Nancy Robinson lauded Brian’s second book\, Ivory Black\, for “putting an imaginary paint brush into the hands of the reader and leading the way through an experience so real\, it seems like more than a dream\,” while Junot Diaz described his third\, The Gravity of Love\, as “a magnificent haunting duet of grief\, absence\, and the unshakable bonds of family …” Brian’s fourth novel\, Day Brings Back the Night\, will be published in June of 2026.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/why-i-chose-to-write-psychological-literary-fiction-and-what-i-have-done-as-a-writer/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-gravity-of-love.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20261121T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20261121T120000
DTSTAMP:20260930T195355Z
CREATED:20260930T184608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260930T195355Z
UID:3723-1795255200-1795262400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Enshrining Equality: The Push for the Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment
DESCRIPTION:Minnesotans know how to stand against threats to our freedoms. But we also know that progress can be undone. In a time of escalating national threats\, we must enshrine equality\, fairness\, and freedom directly into the foundation of our state laws.\nJoin us for a discussion on the future of our civil rights\, where we will share information about Minnesotans for Equal Rights — a cross-sector coalition fighting to cement a comprehensive Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) into the Minnesota State Constitution. We will lay out the long-term strategy for the 2028 ballot and discuss how passing one of the nation’s most inclusive ERAs will offer the strongest possible protections against discrimination\, no matter who is in power. Learn how we can make Minnesota a state where equality isn’t just a hope—it’s a constitutional promise.\n\n \n\nMonica Meyer\nPolitical Director\, Gender Justice\nshe / her / hers or they / them / theirs\n\nMonica Meyer has been leading organizing\, activism\, fundraising and policy advocacy on behalf of issues of equity and justice since 1992. Monica’s most recent job was working for LGBTQ liberation as the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota. During Monica’s twenty years at OutFront Minnesota\, she loved getting to work with thousands of justice-loving people fighting to make Minnesota more loving and equitable.\nDuring this time\, OutFront was involved in securing some key victories advancing LGBTQ equity including helping to form and lead Minnesotans United for All Families\, the campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from the right to marry and secure marriage equality through the Minnesota legislature. They also worked to pass one of the country’s strongest anti-bullying laws\, a policy to secure trans inclusion in sports\, and elect pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.\nSome of Monica’s recognition includes the Humphrey Institute’s Public Leadership Award\, the Lynx’s Inspiring Women Award\, HRC’s Brian Coyle Award\, the Charlotte Striebel Award from MN NOW and the MN School Social Work Association’s Friend of Social Work Award.\nMonica received her master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota\, and her undergraduate degree from Hamline University.\n\n\n\n\nLauren Himiak\nCommunications Director / MN4ER Campaign and Coalition Manager\nshe / her / hers\n\nLauren Himiak is a strategic communications leader who started her career as a journalist and has spent more than 20 years building communications infrastructure\, storytelling strategy\, and stakeholder trust for organizations working on the front lines of social justice\, global health\, and reproductive rights.\nLauren has led communications strategy at both the international and grassroots level. Early in her career\, she led communications for global health organizations including Population Council and Women Deliver\, shaping strategy and messaging for global health and advocacy initiatives. She later brought that same strategic instinct to reproductive rights work in the U.S.: at the Center for Reproductive Rights\, she created a new storytelling initiative that wove abortion storytelling into litigation\, national campaigns\, and policy advocacy\, and at the Women’s Equality Center\, she helped launch UnRestrict Minnesota\, building trust and alignment among a wide range of stakeholders to advance reproductive rights in the Midwest — work that gave her deep\, firsthand ties to Minnesota that she has maintained ever since.\n\nMost recently\, Lauren served as Associate Vice President at Fenton Communications and Senior Director at Metropolitan Group\, where she led communications strategy and supervised staff across a range of social justice clients. She holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs\, Governance & Human Rights from The New School and a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing & Communications from SUNY Cortland.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/enshrining-equality-the-push-for-the-minnesota-equal-rights-amendment/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Equal-Rights-Amendment.jpg
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