October/ Lokakuu 2018 an Author’S Journey Diane Dettmann
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October/ Lokakuu 2018 An Author’s Journey Diane Dettmann For October, we welcome Diane Dettmann, a Minnesota writer whose lifelong love of writing has led her to explore many directions in storytelling. Diane Dettmann began writing stories on small tablets as a child. She graduated from the University of Minnesota and received her master’s degree from Hamline University. She taught many years in the Saint Paul Public Schools, where she also facilitated staff development training in literacy instruction. Diane coauthored Miriam—Daughter of Finnish Immigrants , a memoir published in 2008 about her grandparents settling in the 1920s in Embarrass. In 2011 she released her memoir, Twenty-Eight Snow Angels: A Widow’s Story of Love, Loss and Renewal . This book is endorsed by professionals from the national grief foundation, Open to Hope, in Palo Alto, Calif. and Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, Ariz., and continues to offer hope and support to others. In 2012 Diane took the leap to historical fiction. Courageous Footsteps is set in a World War II Japanese internment camp in the United States. It reveals a piece of America’s history seldom told. Positive reviews and reader comments inspired her to write sequels, Yasu’s Quest and On Liberty’s Wings , completing the award- winning trilogy. Diane lives in Afton, Minn. with her loving husband Allan. See her website for an interview, her blog, and more information on her books: http://www.outskirtspress.com/footsteps As always, treats, coffee and conversation will follow the program. Program in Brief An Author’s Journey Diane Dettmann Friday, October 19, 7 p.m. FACA Event Cancellation Policy International Institute of Minnesota If St. Paul public schools are canceled due to bad weather, then a FACA event scheduled for that day will also be canceled. FACA members may 1694 Como Ave., St. Paul (across from the Fairgrounds). contact any board member if they have a question. FACA 2018 –2019 President’s Message Board of Directors By Pam Rahkola Terve kaikille! President Pam Rahkola I hope you were able to join us for September’s FACA 651-429-3319 program. Shirley Barber gave us much to think about [email protected] when considering passing down treasured items and Vice Pres./Program Chair brought back many good family memories for me. Kathy Jorgensen Urho and I attended the Salolampi Adult Week, September 8 –14. This was our 651-459-2654 first weeklong camp. We highly recommend it! We had great Finnish language [email protected] teachers. Three levels were available: Sirpa (beginner), Tiina (intermediate) Secretary/Archivist and Joona (advanced). The food was tremendous, including many recipes from Teresa Tjepkes Beatrice Ojakangas’s The Finnish Cookbook (e.g., cabbage rolls, tomato-potato soup, mustikka piirakka [blueberry pie] and pork loaf with apples). There were Treasurer crafts (pine-cone tonttus [elves], birch tree suncatchers, wooden bead bracelets) , Janie Ahola singing, learning to play mölkky and kyykkä . Presenters included Finlandia 651-455-6152 Foundation performer Juli Wood, and lecturer Frank Eld. Games, music or [email protected] Finnish movies were available. One or both of the saunas were hot, with golf Hospitality cart transportation available to lakeside. We had an amazing week, meeting Marlene Moreno people from all over the U.S. and Canada! 651-731-1703 Thank-you Anne Shadrick for sharing about Suomi Koulu at our September [email protected] program. Check out their Facebook page at Communications https://www.facebook.com/suomikouluMN/ or on FinnSource at: Louise Morgan http://finnsource.org/2017/09/suomikoulu-finnish-language-school-starts/ 612-590-1673 [email protected] Watch for details of current planning for an itsenäispäivä (Independence Day) celebration on December 6 and a Joulu/Kauneimmat Joululaulut event at Christ Church Lutheran on Saturday, December 8. FACA Newsletter Committee From a Scholarship Recipient: Editor Jeanne Swope Dear members of FACA, 612-827-6773 Thank you for the $100 scholarship that you awarded me. I immensely [email protected] enjoyed my week at Concordia Language Villages. I had so much fun Graphic Design and I am glad that I went. It was very educational and I fully intend Darlene Esko to come back next year. 651-455-8843 Ystävällisin terveisin , [email protected] Tuomas Rahkola Membership/Mailing Urho and Pam Rahkola 651-429-3319 [email protected] Thomas Rahkola, Pam and Urho Rahkola’s grandson, receives his first- Website: finnfaca.org year pin from Salolampi Dean Amy Facebook: Tervola-Hultberg (Iida). https//www.facebook.com/ groups /116365755059161/FACA 3015-2016 B Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc. 2 U.P. Fifth Generation Finnish American Nordic American Thanksgiving Breakfast to Star at Minnesota Opera By Janie Ahola From Marianne Wargelin and Minnesota Opera website This year’s Nordic American Thanksgiving Breakfast Miles Mykkanen, a young opera singer from Bessemer, takes place Tuesday, November 20, 2018, in the Grand Mich., will be singing the major tenor role in Silent Ballroom of the DoubleTree by Hilton, located at 7800 Night at Minnesota Opera, November 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, Minn. Doors open at and 18. This Pulitzer-prize-winning opera was world 6:30 a.m., program begins at 7 a.m. premiered by Minnesota Opera in 2012 and now returns (in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.) PROGRAM SPEAKERS : • Freedom —Geir H. Haarde, Icelandic Ambassador On the world’s concert to the USA and operatic stages, • Faith —Gabrielle Gerbaud, Executive Director Mykkanen has of the Minnesota Trade Office garnered recognition • Family and Friends —Jacob Frey, Mayor for his “focused, full- of Minneapolis voiced tenor” (The New York Times) . MUSIC : Minnehaha Academy Madrigal Singers, Director Opera News wrote, Karen Lutgen “Mykkanen was a MASTER OF CEREMONIES : Don Shelby, Senior Journalist knockout as Lensky. EVENT CO -CHAIRS : Dr. Örn Arnar, Honorary Consul The lyric intensity of General for Iceland his singing made each KATRÍN SIGURDARDOTTIR : Honorary Vice Consul for moment count, and the Iceland Miles Mykkanen to perform at duel-scene aria was a the Minnesota Opera in stretch of sheer vocal The Nordic American Thanksgiving Breakfast is a November. gold,” of his charitable event supporting Second Harvest Heartland performances in and Minnesota Military Family Foundation. Please help Eugene Onegin at the Juilliard School. support these charities by donating at the breakfast. Mykkanen attended local Bessemer schools until his Tickets are $25 per person or $250 per 10-person, senior year at Interlochen Music School. He earned reserved table. Students pay $20 per person. bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard. His Reservations are required and may be purchased through parents are both music teachers, now retired, in the Janie Ahola: email [email protected], or call Gogebic County schools. They recognized his gifts 651-455-6152. Tickets may also be purchased online at early and encouraged him to take singing seriously. www.sonsofnorway.com or call Sons of Norway at 612-821-4640. This is an opportunity for Finnish Americans in the Twin Cities to cheer on a fifth-generation Finnish American For those with food allergies and specific dietary from the Upper Midwest. Bessemer fans will charter a restrictions, contact Janie Ahola or Sons of Norway. bus to attend a performance. Find Sons of Norway on Facebook! Find more information visit http://mnopera.org . www.facebook.com/NATBreakfast Purchase Minnesota Opera tickets at https://my.mnopera.org/single/eventlisting.aspx . Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc. 3 September Board Notes The meeting adjourned at 7:36 p.m. The next board By Teresa Tjepkes meeting will be 5:30 –7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, at the Wilder Center. Notes from the SISU Finnish Language and Culture Seminar By Kathleen Ristinen Jonas The twelfth SISU Finnish Language and Culture Seminar concluded at the University of Minnesota Duluth, on August 4. According to one participant, it was a “finntastic” week! The seminar began on Sunday evening, July 29, with a Left to right: Janie Ahola, Teresa Tjepkes, Louise Morgan, voileipäpöytä (smorgasbord) and presentation by Sirpa Pam Rahkola, Kathy Jorgensen and Marlene Moreno Tuomainen (Finland’s First 100 Years) . On Monday The FACA board meeting on September 19, 2018, was morning we were welcomed to UMD by Mimmu called to order by Pam Rahkola at 5:38 p.m. at the Salmela, Interim KUMD Station Manager and Director Wilder Center in St. Paul. Also present: Janie Ahola, of Development. Class sessions began with teachers Eija Kathy Jorgensen, Marlene Moreno, Louise Morgan, Ojala, Laura Tuomainen and Sirpa Tuomainen. Teresa Tjepkes and Urho Rahkola. Presenters were: The August meeting minutes were read and approved. t Janie reported the current treasury balance, a very Historian Maria Lähteenmäki —A Long Road from healthy start to the new year. Duluth to the Murmann Legion: A Story of August Wesley Kathy updated the board on speakers for the year. Plans t Tom Watrous —Legends from the Kalevala including are in place for the fall programs, with only a few stories plus watercolor images of the Kalevala by months in the spring still in the works. Janie, Louise and Patrick Kroboth Marlene gave a few suggestions. t Sheila Packa —Deep Roots: Finnish poets, Writing & Finnish American Identity ; Packa read some of her The board discussed asking for donations from poems and described approaches to writing poetry. nonmembers at special programs. We can only ask for t Lyz Jaakola —Invisible Finndians; Jaakola donations rather than charge for entry, as charges would illustrated and spoke of her life in the Finndian have tax implications. Donations would go to guest culture. speakers, because our honorarium is much lower than many speakers make at other events. We went to Sampo Beach near Saginaw, Minn., for our traditional Wednesday evening picnic (held The board discussed current benefits for membership, indoors due to rain).