Executive Director Update  

Tomorrow morning join the fun at Guthrie's Level Five Express for our monthly Rendezvous Readers' Book Chat. MCC Member Mary Bednarowski has chosen the book Emily, Alone and will start the conversation. You'll find details in the column on the right.  

Several MCC volunteers are helping MCC Member Lois Libby Juster who is recovering from a reaction to a pre-op procedure. To help schedule transportation, we have put together a calendar of ride requests for Lois on the members only website. Click here to be directed to the site. Please let me know if you need help using this volunteer tool.  

Social Bridge
Wednesday, January 4, 3:00 - 5:30 pm;  Joanne Von Blon's Loft, 700 South 2nd Street

Join advanced or intermediate bridge players for a round of social bridge. You are expected to come with a partner at your level. (Advanced players play all the major conventions comfortably.) If you need help finding a partner, contact Linnea Tweed at 612-455-3329, and she will assist you. Plan to arrrive early as we will begin play immediately at 3:00.

MCC Members, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-3329.  Guests, email Linnea.

MCC Men's Coffee and Conversation
Thursday, January 5, 7:30 - 8:30 am; Nicollet Island Inn, 95 Merriam Street

Caffeine and camaraderie for the male members of MCC! This group meets  every other Thursday at Nicollet Island Inn and is hosted by various members who get the conversation going. Ron Vantine leads the conversation this Thursday!

MCC Men, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-3329.  

Poetry Reading: Jim Moore
Thursday, January 5, 5:00 - 5:45 pm; Sabina and John Sten's Loft, 600 South Second Street #506 

MCC neighbor, Jim Moore, will read from his collection of poetry that includes
Invisible Strings, Lightningat Dinner, The Freedom of History, and The Long Experience of Love. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, the Nation, the New Yorker, the Paris Review, the Threepenny Review, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, and in many other magazines and anthologies.  Moore has received numerous awards and fellowships from the Bush Foundation, The Loft, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. He teaches at Hamline University and at The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, as well as online through the University of Minnesota Split Rock Arts Program. 

MCC Members, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-329. Guests, email Linnea  

Technology Helpdesk
Monday, January 9, 7:00 - 8:30 pm;  MCC Office, 17 Fourth Street SE  

Get all those nagging technology questions answered and find out how to make the most of your technology at our complimentary helpdesk, staffed by MCC's tech guru, Andy Trawick! Andy knows MAC, Windows, and Linux and can deal with whatever issues you may have in your digital life.  Linnea will confirm the time of your 20-30 minute one-to-one session with Andy. In order to maintain the schedule, some questions are not appropriate for these sessions including those that require installing or upgrading software and creating accounts. 

MCC Members, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-3329.   

Making Pies Part 2: The Filling!
Tuesday, January 10, 10:00 - 12:30 pm; Carol and Ron Vantine's Loft, 45 University SE, #606 

MCC Member Carol Vantine has a reputation for making amazing pies. We've convinced her to host a hands-on cooking class to show us how. This second class is about making the perfect filling. Participation is limited.   

MCC Members, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-329.   

Great Decisions Discussion
Monday, January 16, 7:00 - 9:00 pm; Marcia Townley's loft, 600 S. 2nd Street, # 105

A Great Decisions Discussion Group is composed of interested individuals who want an opportunity to learn and participate in the foreign policy decision-making process. Discussions are centered on the Great Decisions briefing book developed by the Foreign Policy Association. This well researched annual publication provides eight timely global topics to be read by group participants prior to each session.  This month's topic: Exit from Afghanistan and Iraq.

MCC Great Decisions Members sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-3329. 

Play Reading: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 - 9:30 pm; Guthrie Theater's 8th Floor Learning Center, 818 S. 2nd Street

In the course of one sultry evening, a prominent Southern dynasty is pushed to the brink, when tender memories are relived and life altering secrets are revealed. It's the 65th birthday of wealthy Southern plantation owner Big Daddy and his family has gathered to celebrate, while sparing him the news that he's dying of cancer. As one son Brick, a hunky former football hero, mysteriously retreats from his desirable but sexually frustrated wife Maggie, his money hungry brother and sister-in-law plot to secure more than their share of the family fortune.  Don't miss this Pulitzer Prize winning gem, an emotionally intense drama that sizzles with passion and greed like you've never experienced before. If you'd rather listen than read, let Linnea know.

MCC Members, sign up here, or call Linnea at 612-455-3329. Guests, email Linnea.

News From Members

Around Town

"A photograph can be as much a piece of fiction as it is a document of the real world-these realms are separate yet somehow complicitous. Indeed, the most compelling photographs shed light on reality in much the way good fiction does." - Wing Young-Huie

Winning Recipes from The Pillsbury Bake-Off

Saturday, January 14, 2:00 pm;  Mill City Museum  

See how history is revealed in a demonstration of Chocolate Cherry Bars, a Bake-Off winning recipe from 1974. Learn about the 60-year history of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, sample treats, get baking tips and take home a copy of the recipe.

Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District Calendar (DID)

The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District web site has a calendar feature with lots of great information.  To check it out, use this link. 

Upcoming MCC Events