Issue 28: Winter/Spring 2025

A vibrant mural painted on a long wall in Prampram, Ghana, depicting historical and cultural themes. The artwork includes an image of a figure in regal attire, a portrait of another individual, and a raised fist. Text on the mural features quotes, including one referencing Marcus Garvey. The wall is set against a sandy ground with a palm tree to the left and a partly cloudy sky above. Image courtesy of Ebony Aya. Alt text generated by Perplexity AI.

Spirituality and Ecology: (Re)Membering Black Women’s Legacies

By Ebony Aya Editor’s note: This feature article has been peer reviewed. I feel the need to start this article by being clear that I…

Uncategorized

Action Camps Everywhere: Solidarity Programs in the Anthropocene

By John Kim Introduction to the Mississippi River Open School The Mississippi River Open School for Kinship and Social Exchange (Open School) (2022–2025) has…

A small fishing settlement on the Paraná River bluffs near Rosario, Argentina, featuring white tents and makeshift structures surrounded by dense green vegetation. Two yellow boats, one labeled "Rosa ET," are docked along the riverbank, with fisherfolk working nearby. The scene includes tools, wooden poles, and scattered supplies, set against a backdrop of lush trees. Image courtesy of Claire Pentecost. Alt text generated by Perplexity AI.

Feature

Bioculture Now! The Paraná Talking with the Mississippi

By Brian Holmes For the best experience, read this article with a widescreen view here. From the 1930s onward, the Mississippi has been a…

Activism Art Engagement Environmental Justice History International Research

Feature

Imagining Life-as-Place: Harm Reduction for the Soft Anthropocene

By Sarah Lewison During the summer of 2023, at a conference of the Mississippi River Open School, an experimental learning group I belong to,…

ecology Environmental History Environmental Justice Middle Mississippi River Research

A nighttime view of the Mississippi River near Sunshine, Louisiana. The dark silhouette of trees lines the horizon, while distant industrial lights create a soft glow in the sky and reflect faintly on the calm water. Alt text generated by Perplexity AI.

Feature

Moving Spirits Through Water Together

By Stephanie Lindquist frozen On mornings when it is 17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, it is hard to crawl out from my warm sheets….

Artistic Expression Engagement Essay United States

A tall pokeweed plant with vibrant green leaves grows in front of a weathered stone structure nestled in a wooded area. The dense foliage of surrounding trees creates a shaded, tranquil atmosphere, with sunlight filtering through the leaves. The plant stands prominently against the textured stone backdrop. Image courtesy of Jennifer Colten. Alt text generated by Perplexity AI.

Feature

Pokelore: How a Common Weed Leads Us to Kinship with Our Mid-River Landscape

By Lynn Peemoeller “A weed is a plant growing in a place where we don’t want it, and I have seldom seen a poke…

ecology Engagement Environmental History Middle Mississippi River Research

A sailboat with a red sail floats on the Mississippi River under an overcast sky. In the distance, faint outlines of buildings are visible on the shoreline. Image courtesy of Thomas Turnbull. Alt text generated by Perplexity AI.

Feature

Fluvial Networks of Creative Resistance

By Joseph Underhill The ship is the heterotopia par excellence. In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and…

Education Environmental Education Experiential Education Mississippi River Basin

Blue painter's tape is arranged on a polished concrete floor to depict a simplified map of the Mississippi River system. The design features branching lines representing tributaries and the river network, with a white column intersecting part of the layout. Alt text generated in part by Perplexity AI.

Geographies

Big River Drawings: In Support of Learning, Welcoming, and Community Engagement

By Aron Chang A common directive in community engagement is to “meet people where they are.” One way to do that is to locate…

Art Community Engagement Engagement Environmental Education Mississippi River Basin

A view downstream of a wide and placid river shows a steep impounded bank on the right, and a shallow gravelly bank on the left. The shoreline is treelined downstream. The foreground is a rocky spit. The sky is bright blue with wispy cirrus clouds.

Perspectives

The (Non)Territoriality of the Mississippi River

By Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles The Mississippi River is one of the most defining features of Minnesota. It is a body of water that commands…

Essay Geography Research Upper Mississippi River

Plein-air paintings on stands in front of a long and sloping grassy hill with two artists in smocks discussing the paintings.

Perspectives

Plein-Air Painting as Countervisual Performative Fieldwork

By Sarah Lewison We can open a portal to the stories of those whose lives have been subjugated by acts of economic control upon…

Art Education Middle Mississippi River

Issue Contents

Action Camps Everywhere: Solidarity Programs in the Anthropocene

By John Kim Introduction to the Mississippi River Open School The Mississippi River Open School for Kinship and Social Exchange (Open School) (2022–2025) has...

By John Kim

Feature (Peer Review)

Spirituality and Ecology: (Re)Membering Black Women’s Legacies

By Ebony Aya Editor’s note: This feature article has been peer reviewed. I feel the need to start this article by being clear that I...

By Ebony Aya

Feature

Bioculture Now! The Paraná Talking with the Mississippi

By Brian Holmes For the best experience, read this article with a widescreen view here. From the 1930s onward, the Mississippi has been a...

By Brian Holmes

Feature

Imagining Life-as-Place: Harm Reduction for the Soft Anthropocene

By Sarah Lewison During the summer of 2023, at a conference of the Mississippi River Open School, an experimental learning group I belong to,...

By Sarah Lewison

Feature

Moving Spirits Through Water Together

By Stephanie Lindquist frozen On mornings when it is 17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, it is hard to crawl out from my warm sheets....

By Stephanie Lindquist

Feature

Pokelore: How a Common Weed Leads Us to Kinship with Our Mid-River Landscape

By Lynn Peemoeller “A weed is a plant growing in a place where we don’t want it, and I have seldom seen a poke...

By Lynn Peemoeller

Feature

Fluvial Networks of Creative Resistance

By Joseph Underhill The ship is the heterotopia par excellence. In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and...

By Joseph Underhill

Geographies

Big River Drawings: In Support of Learning, Welcoming, and Community Engagement

By Aron Chang A common directive in community engagement is to “meet people where they are.” One way to do that is to locate...

By Aron Chang

In Review

Showing Up (for Each Other)

By Lynn Peemoeller Editor's note: This article was written in January 2024. Here in the Middle Mississippi River region, one thing we’ve managed to...

By Lynn Peemoeller

Perspectives

The (Non)Territoriality of the Mississippi River

By Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles The Mississippi River is one of the most defining features of Minnesota. It is a body of water that commands...

By Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles

Perspectives

Plein-Air Painting as Countervisual Performative Fieldwork

By Sarah Lewison We can open a portal to the stories of those whose lives have been subjugated by acts of economic control upon...

By Sarah Lewison

Primary Sources

Mississippi as Method

By Michelle Garvey Praxis of Place When I think about the kinds of praxis—the application of theory—that enable liberatory movements, I remember bell hooks....

By Michelle Garvey

Primary Sources

Perceptual Ecologies of Sound and Vision at Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing

By Sam Pounders In the Midwest of North America, as in many places, settlements accumulate below confluences where the modern riparian condition unfolds as...

By Sam Pounders

Teaching and Practice

Networking a Network

By Jen Liu and Monique Verdin Beginning in May 2023, we started building an emergency communication network to connect an existing network of mutual...

By Jen Liu and Monique Verdin

Teaching and Practice

Building a Small, Solar-Powered Work Shed

By Joseph Underhill What does resistance to the current set of unsustainable, unjust, and unhealthy practices look like? In the face of large-scale, daunting...

By Joseph Underhill

Teaching and Practice

How to Launch a River Semester: Creating Experimental Programs in Higher Education

By Joseph Underhill How do we create the wildly different kinds of programs needed to respond to the multiple, compounding crises of our day...

By Joseph Underhill

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