Contributors Letter from the editorial director Earlier this year, a PhD student caused a minor Internet stir with his Tumblr post about what he called “Weird Twitter.” He described a group of people who post Twitter updates that are experimentally poetic and/or absurdist, sloppily punctuated, use a stream of consciousness style, etc. It’s a subculture that’s largely hidden from most people who use the site to share straightforward personal updates (even funny ones), links, and conversations. Says the student: “Weird Twitter definitely exists, and it is bigger and weirder than I imagined.” The idea of this vast but inaccessibly offbeat sector of social media reminded me of the “deep Web,” a term I learned about in journalism school. The stuff that gets scooped up by search engines is actually just a small fraction of what’s out there online. The parts of the Internet that can’t be caught in Google’s net because they’re private or unlinked or in certain formats or generated by certain scripts outnumber exponentially the sites that can be found with a few quick clicks. Just as Weird Twitter definitely exists, so does Weird Minneapolis, and I’m sure that it’s bigger and weirder than I can imagine. Something that’s been our mission from the start with MPLSzine is to explore that, to find intriguing people and places and subcultures that may not be widely known about. We don’t want to be basic like Google, keeping it at a surface level; we want to dig into the deep Minneapolis, learning more about the past and the underground of our city and the things--like Weird Twitter--that may not be immediately accessible or pleasant to confront. All this is a roundabout way of saying that Mystery, this third issue, is our first direct dive into Weird Minneapolis. There are considerations of the oddities of everyday life here, a visit to a Minneapolis UFO society, an exploration of a fascinating abandoned building, an unsolved mystery from the past, and a look inward at the mysteries of faith. There’s even a mini-tour of what to many Minneapolitans might be the most unknowable place of all: St. Paul. The fact that we’ve titled this issue “Mystery,” though, doesn’t mean we’ll be done exploring and questioning after this. If you’re part of Weird Minneapolis, we want to hear from you. Even if you’re from a Minneapolis that you don’t find weird, but that many people aren’t familiar with, we want to hear from you. Let us know what you’re into--what you’re up to when you’re in the back getting weird with your weird friends. We’ll be looking for strange and interesting places to peer into, and we hope you’ll let us take at least a peek inside. Sincerely, Colleen colleen@mplszine.com
Andrew Casey is a photographer residing in Minneapolis. He migrates towards shooting stationary objects and street scenes. He has had a long-held passion and appreciation for street art and graffiti, which led to a history of documenting the artwork under the alias Urban Camper. Chris Cloud is a Creative Thinkdoer and the Publication Director of MPLSzine. He is very excited that MPLSzine gets to highlight remarkable creative work from the MPLS community. He hopes you enjoy the fruits of their labor, time, and passion. chriscloud. com Clarissa Hamilton is a graduate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is a designer living and working in Minneapolis and has an obsession with making zines. Visit her website: www.clarissaham.com Brian Matthew Hart is a Minneapolis-based artist. His eyes are always hungry. He hopes yours are, too. Google: brianmatthewhart. Julian Sean Howley is an illustrator and designer who has done work predominantly with surface and apparel design. He earned his BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2012. He enjoys ink on his hands, metal music, and making his girl laugh at the degenerate things he draws. julianhowley.com Katie Heaney is a writer in Minneapolis. She works as a contributing editor at BuzzFeed, and her first book, Never Have I Ever, comes out with Grand Central Publishing in 2014. Follow her on Twitter: @KTHeaney. Catherine Jensen is a thinker to the danger of thinking too much. She loves symbolism and is a collector of things: books, poetry, art, music, and, especially, dance moves. After a year spent in China, she searches for a job related to her B.A. in English and history. Read about China and more current activity on her blog: cajensen11.blogspot.com. Paul Merrill, known on Tumblr as Stuff About Minneapolis, is a Minneapolis native, lifelong Twin Cities resident, and amateur local historian. He and his wife have two daughters and live in Robbinsdale. Colleen Powers is from Rockford, Illinois and lives in Northeast Minneapolis. You can usually find her at dance parties, libraries, or rap shows. Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” is her one weakness. Rebecca Schultz is a Chicago-bred senior English major at Macalester College. When she’s not pounding away on her laptop, you can find her in between library stacks, taking a nap. Tweet her: @rebeccaschultz. Thelma Townie troglodyte adrenaline junkie. On all the tallest roofs and deepest shit tunnels. Shit, glitter, rooftops, and tunnels. Kate Worum is a Minneapolis based illustrator and designer. She earned a BFA in Illustration at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2011 and is currently working at Target, City Pages, and freelancing. When she is not occupied by work you can find her relaxing with her Shih Zu herd in Golden Valley. kateworum.com MYSTERY // MPLSzine
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