HEARTLAND

Leave it to the Dutch to think outside the box. Thanks to the new blogs over at St. Louis Mag (specifically Stefene's post) - just found out about a little dutch art show all about the heartland...that giant vein around the mississippi. The cats down at boots are involved, bless their heart(land).



HEARTLAND - programme:
"While not an official region, what Mark Twain once called the ‘body of the nation’ encompasses for us the area roughly in the middle of the United States, linked by the symbolic Mississippi River. Ranging from New Orleans in the south, up to Minneapolis in the West and Detroit in the East, this cultural melting pot has brewed much of the country’s social, religious and racial activism. The presence of the Mississippi River has dominated its his- tory being the carrier of different moments of migration, industrialization and struggle."

Don't tell me you don't agree! Seriously, don't tell me.

Memphis love

So this cat just sent me a BUNCH of "esoteric" Memphis blogs (the "what makes memphis memphis crowd), per my request - I am stoked! Ask and you shall receive! I mean, hey - bloggers are a friendly crew. I've really gotten into the NOLA blogs that were reccomended to me by this fella - they're quite organized/mobilized/active down south. I think st. louis has just as many blogs and bloggers ... but wouldn't a st. louis version of rising tide be cool? Just a thought. If the opportunities to make a little change coming out of katrina -- of which there are plenty o' examples in NOLA - drift right up the river, let's catch'em!

In other words, I love river city bloggers/blogs. There's a lot we've got in common (good and not so good) going on with our respective municipalities, and hey, if the meeting of minds begins on the blogs, it begins on the blogs! I think it's very safe to say I'm not the first to note that there's a lot we river towns can learn from each other. So, school is in session for me - I have some reading to do!

In the ain't life funny section of this post, this is a picture of where I learned to walk...in Memphis. I'm pretty lucky that I can say I took my first steps on my own two feet right here on the mini mississippi river replica - Mud Island - in the Memphis. Props to Grandma White for encouraging me to learn to walk in a totally awesome and prophetic sorta place!