Under Purple Skies

by Frank Bures

In recent years, Minneapolis has become a literary powerhouse. Under Purple The Minneapolis Anthology collects some of the most exciting work being done in, or about, Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, with narrative threads that stretch back not just to Scandinavia, but across the world. The writers here have won, or been shortlisted for, the Newbery Award, the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer, the Caldecott Award, the National Book Award, the Minnesota Book Award, and many others. Contributors include Kelly Barnhill, Marlon James, Kao Kalia Yang, Michael Perry, Bao Phi, Danez Smith, Shannon Gibney and many more, alongside new and first-time writers.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Anthologies

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Frank Bures is the author of "The Geography of Madness." He frequently writes for magazines and his work has been included in the Best American Travel Writing, and selected as “Notable” in the Best American Essays and Best American Sports Writing. He lives with his family in Minneapolis.

Reviews

[William Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a St Paul person at heart being born and raised on the Westside. But as a young kid I often thought about Minneapolis. Thinking at times of what's there that isn't in St Paul? St Paul had everything that I held dear. So why did other people keep saying Minneapolis was the better city?

Years later after having visited Minneapolis I came to love it as much as St Paul. Many of the stories I can relate to or see so clearly from the way the story was told. I didn't get into the poems as much but I'm going to be honest and say I was really engrossed into the stories instead. So I'll go back and read them again. The story about the unfinish tattoo from the artist Mo was the main reason I bought the book. I've met her husband many times. After reading the story I did end up shedding a few tears. Knowing how she touched the author and how much she's loved by her husband brought the emotions forth and there was no stopping them. I wish I could have met her. I wish I could have seen the tattoos she did for the author.

A book about adventures, about life and people that have graced the streets in Minnesota. It makes a guy like me who is Minnesota everything be nothing but proud this book is out there. I only wish more people would visit and see that Minnesota is a great state.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A uneven collection (as most collections are) of essays and poems about life in Minneapolis. Weather, sports, music are familiar topics, but stories of immigrant and indigenous experience contribute to a fuller picture.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One needn't be in or of Minneapolis to enjoy this anthology, but I am and I did. An excellent batch of local writings, poetry and non-fiction, that shows off the city and its writers.

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under Purple Skies, an entry in Belt Publishing’s series of non-fiction anthologies showcasing various Midwestern cities, is a solid, diverse collection of essays and poems that capture life in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and what makes them different from any other metropolitan area. The authors included, from prominent local writers like Kao Khalia Yang to visitors like Jonathan Raban, explore many aspects of the people and history of the Twin Cities, and their place in Minnesota, the region, the US, and the world, both the good and the bad.

The pieces included tackle the subject from various points of view, from cultural and historical perspectives, to the role that the region’s climate plays on the former, to its political and racial dynamics. In addition, the collection includes works written specifically for the collection, as well as some excerpted from collections from as far back as the sixties, helping to evoke how the city has changed over the last few decades. In particular, the strong musical character of the Twin Cities was a major theme among the essays.

Going along with this, though, the collection could perhaps have used a little more editorial curation, as there appears to be no particular order to the entries. It would have been slightly stronger if there had been some sort of arrangement by chapters based on some of the themes included, the aforementioned music, perhaps, or maybe the environment, or the social character of the city.

All in all, though, I think this was perhaps the most accessible of such collections I’ve seen, though I may be biased. I’ll have to check out a few other of Belt Publishing’s anthologies and learn a little more about Milwaukee or Cleveland as well.

[Alysha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not a style of book that I like to read. There wasn’t anything wrong with it but the fact it took me a month to finish says a lot. There was no story or poem that I really remember or loved. Overall this book just wasn’t for me. If you like short stories and poems and are from Minnesota (this is key there are a lot of references to us and the cities that you won’t get necessarily if not from here) then you may like this book.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good - probably closer to 3.5 stars than a full 3. Overall, the stories and poetry were fun to read and made me happy about my home. Some of them dragged a bit and I felt like the editing could have been a bit stronger. I liked it, though, and would definitely recommend it to someone living in Minneapolis or planning to move there!

[Rose Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Minneapolis native I highly enjoyed this anthology of poetry and fiction. It made me more aware of the vast culture and communities that make up our city. It has some big name authors in it and lesser known ones too.

[Bethany Whitehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really uneven as a collection. There were some gems- and some duds. I also don't love Minneapolis or Prince enough to give this book a fair shake.