Author: Patti

Patti Kameya was born on Tongva land before it became "the OC." She writes, forages wild plants, and treats historical amnesia in the Dakota homeland of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Why Teach Historical Context for Creative Writing?

Our writing emerges from an understanding of ourselves and others; historical context is one tool that helps us refine that understanding. I define historical context as the conditions that reveal a specific time, such as cultural and social events or trends. With historical context, we can both sharpen distinctions between experiences and draw parallels between… Continue reading Why Teach Historical Context for Creative Writing?

Intramurals and forty-three pickles.

After I drove through the old limestone arch, Google Maps took me the wrong way around the parade grounds of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. Retired librarian Richard Kettering was waiting for me outside the clock tower of Shumway Hall, which dates from 1887. Richard kindly introduced me to what Kiyoshi Kitagawa’s world might have been like… Continue reading Intramurals and forty-three pickles.

A Japanese cadet in Faribault.

October 5, 1927. Arose at 6. Partly cloudy. Drove to Faribault to see Kiyoshi. Gave him things. Saw boy’s drill and found Kiyoshi has trouble to carry gun which is too heavy for him. Stayed there short while and left the school and reached home at 12:10 noon. Business was very poor to-day. In brief… Continue reading A Japanese cadet in Faribault.

To Call Yourself Home as a Hmong American on Dakota Land

This week I am featuring a guest blog post by writer Chee Vang to broaden conversations on Minnesota history and identity. Chee reflects on indigeneity and decolonization as a US-born Hmong American on Dakota land. This blog post is a shortened version of a longer essay. America. This place meant a new life after the… Continue reading To Call Yourself Home as a Hmong American on Dakota Land

Beginning, Again

This week I am featuring a guest blog post by writer Claudette M. Webster to broaden conversations on Minnesota history and identity. A proud immigrant and longtime New Yorker, Claudette shares her story of community building in Minnesota. I moved to the Twin Cities, flyover country, in March 2018. I came because I was at… Continue reading Beginning, Again

What’s the Point of Native Acknowledgments by White People?

This month I am featuring a guest blog post by writer Debra J. Stone to broaden conversations on Minnesota history and identity. A lifelong Minnesotan, Debra offers her insights into memory, community trauma, and the place of reparations. Before there was a Rondo Avenue, before the Métis voyageurs, before German, Swedes, Irish, and Black people… Continue reading What’s the Point of Native Acknowledgments by White People?

Culture and Voice on Dakota land.

April 12, 1933. Madison-born Nobu Kitagawa held a senior piano recital for the prestigious MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis. Her ruffled evening gown draped elegantly to the floor as she drew out a Beethoven moonlit fantasy. Later as she played Mendelssohn’s “On the Wings of Song,” her audience might have imagined themselves flying over… Continue reading Culture and Voice on Dakota land.

Success on Dakota land.

Mapping a loss. Nobu Kitagawa was born in Madison Wisconsin, home for Ho-Chunk, Kickapoo, and other Indigenous peoples. But her Japanese face ensured that only Japan would follow her throughout her life. She spent about two years of early childhood in Japan. After she moved with her family to Dakota land in 1919, she probably… Continue reading Success on Dakota land.

Japanese on Dakota land.

Midwesterners tell me about Japanese Americans they’ve known. The Japanese American favorite aunt. The Japanese American classmate who got the girl in the end. The Japanese American classmate who was elected student body president and homecoming king, yet who could not find a prom date. The Japanese American teaching mentor who taught with a sense… Continue reading Japanese on Dakota land.