Announcing You're Not From Here Are You?: Volunteers Needed!

It’s a rare day! I’m announcing a new public activity, and an opportunity for anyone (not from here) to share a bit about themselves in a fun way.

The Twin Cities have long been justifiably lampooned as being insular, close-minded, unwelcoming, and the like. The cliché is that everyone is still hanging out with their high school friends, and it’s mostly true. (Hi Scott!)

It's also too bad. It’s long past time time to be more welcoming to the expats among us, people from places that aren’t in the seven-county metro, to center and learn from folks from elsewhere. Some of my best friends aren’t from here. I can confirm that they are generally wonderful. 

Anyway, this is an idea that I’ve been cooking up with my friend Wes Burdine, who owns the peerless and historic Black Hart of St. Paul bar. It's called You're Not From Here, Are You?: A Show for Transplants.

One of the great things about frequenting a place like the Black Hart is that you get to know people from many different place and walks of life in an informal, low-commitment way. That’s the idea! We want to reach out and showcase other places around the country and the people who have left them behind. 

Anyway, it should be fun. If you’re not from here, and might want to be a future guest in a short program at the Black Hart, sharing a few stories about your possibly love/hate relationship with your home town, please don’t be shy. Let me know at info@blackhartstp.com. 

I’ll fill you in. I guarantee it’s a low-stakes commitment. Help us local rubes understand where you’re coming from, and I'll try to make it fun.

The first event is planned for early May. Let me know if you're interested. I look forward to hearing from you!