Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Celebrating “the big blue wave” election results November 4, 2026

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Waves in Green Bay, used for illustration only of blue waves. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

WAVE TO GO, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and on and on. All contributed to the blue wave sweeping the nation in Tuesday’s mid-term elections. I couldn’t be more excited about the results, with the exception of some localized races.

My husband, Randy, crafted this sign for last Saturday’s weekly protest in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2026)

It’s good to feel optimistic, to feel like “we the people” are reclaiming our country from the brink of disaster. I’ve felt for nearly two years now like the United States has been failing on so many levels under the leadership of a narcissistic, power-hungry president (and his minions) who could care less about the people.

Election results, which now put Congress in DFL control, give me hope that this country will see a restoration in the balance of power (among executive, legislative and judicial branches), an end to the corruption which has marked this presidency, and real change that will move us back into a good place.

It’s clear from election results that people are fed up with out-of-control prices, tariffs, trade wars, the Iran War, illegal immigration enforcement, unaffordable healthcare, constant belittling of people, hateful rhetoric, attacks on free speech and the press, destruction of the environment, gutting of government agencies, and on and on. You add your own concerns.

All of these DFL candidates, featured on the side of a Get Out the Vote tour bus in Faribault last week, won election to top state offices in Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2026)

In Minnesota, we’ve elected our first female governor, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Ohio did the same. Minnesotans also elected the country’s first female Native American senator. Our neighbors to the east in Wisconsin voted in their first Black governor and Georgia elected its first Black woman to that state office. Texas will welcome its first Latina governor. And in Michigan, voters elected the first Muslim to the U.S. Senate. All are DFLers.

It was a big night, a big blue wave, for the Democratic party. If the President was expecting an endorsement of him and his policies when he asked voters to vote like he was on the ballot, well, that didn’t work out so well for him. He was resoundingly defeated. It seems he’s losing his grip on those who believed his promises to Make America Great Again.

I crafted and carried this sign at the October 31 weekly protest in Faribault and then placed it in my front window up until the election. That’s a Rebel Loon pin on my stocking cap. It’s a symbol of resistance that arose during Operation Metro Surge. The loon is our state bird. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo by Randy Helbling, October 2026)

In my U.S. First Congressional District in southern Minnesota, typically a Republican stronghold, voters flipped the seat. Jake Johnson, a high school math teacher, is the apparent winner over the incumbent Republican by a slim margin of 323 votes. Representative Brad Finstad has asked for a recount. I’m thrilled that, if results hold, I will have a representative who listens, who will continue to host town halls, who seems to genuinely and deeply care about the people he will serve.

We need that now more than ever. A willingness to listen. A willingness to stand up to the President and his policies. A willingness to work together for the good of all, not just the good of the wealthy and those with a singular, selfish agenda.

I’m excited about my local city council, which will now have four women serving, joining two councilmen and the mayor. On the school board, though, the only Latino on the ballot failed to get elected, a major failure on the part of voters, in my opinion. We needed his representation for our diverse community.

Republicans retained control of state House and Senate seats in my districts, another disappointment. But their challengers did well. That should send a strong message to the incumbents.

All in all, Tuesday’s election results give me hope that life will get better here in America.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

My take on the state-hosted Allina-Sutter community forum in Faribault July 31, 2026

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I sat behind these healthcare professionals at the meeting hosted by the Minnesota State Attorney General’s office. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

I’VE BEEN SITTING on pages and pages of notes from a community forum held in Faribault earlier this week on the proposed sale of Minnesota-based Allina Health to California-based Sutter Health. The Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office hosted the meeting, which drew around 200 people.

The intent of the listening session, according to Attorney General Keith Ellison, was to evaluate if the proposal is in the public interest. He cited concerns like wages, competition, unions and access to services. By state law (Statute 145D.01), Ellison is required to consider public input and then make a decision.

But Wednesday’s listening session, which allowed those who signed up in advance to comment for one minute each, seemed anything but a community-oriented event. Rather, Sutter flew in top leaders. Likewise Allina was well-represented by leaders and employees. This seemed well-orchestrated and slanted toward the proposed acquisition. Sixty-two people, nearly all healthcare leaders or professionals and others in leadership positions, spoke.

AVERAGE PERSON UNHEARD

I felt like the average person, the patients, the people in my city and surrounding areas served by Allina Health, were not well-represented. Maybe it’s their fault for not showing up more than they did. Maybe they weren’t aware of the meeting. Maybe they were, like me, intimidated by speaking before a crowd. Maybe jumping through the hoops to comment and/or register online and then waiting to learn the meeting location proved too technologically difficult. I think all factored into the voice of everyday people being mostly left unheard. Two friends of mine who registered online never received email notification of the meeting location.

I didn’t speak. I could have. But I’m uncomfortable standing in front of and addressing a large audience. I’d prefer a roundtable approach, where every voice, not just those of polished professionals, is heard, in person, not via a comment form.

Follow the top right pointing arrow to the emergency room at Allina Health Faribault Medical Center. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

AN IMPACTFUL STORY

Yet it was the voice of a rural Faribault resident who made the most impactful comment of the evening, in my opinion. And it was because of a personal story he shared. Stories connect us, proving to be undeniably powerful in making a point.

This man spoke of a neighbor finding him unresponsive, an ambulance transporting him to the Faribault hospital and then learning from his healthcare team that he had been within minutes of death. His point: He likely would not have survived a longer transport to a hospital in another community.

“If we have to go back to the municipal model, let’s do it,” he said. The Faribault hospital was community-owned until Allina bought Rice County District One Hospital in 2015. And now, 11 years later, change could be, likely will be, coming again with a large California-based healthcare nonprofit buying a smaller Minnesota healthcare nonprofit.

The birthing center in our local hospital, left, recently closed. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

FROM OUT OF STATE & BIGGER

That concerns me—a much larger entity from out of state buying a healthcare system that currently provides services throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin, including in Faribault and neighboring Owatonna. Allina just recently closed Faribault’s birthing center.

The CEOs of both Allina and Sutter used the word “partnership” multiple times in describing the proposed purchase of Allina by Sutter. In my head, I was thinking, “Call it what it is, a sale.”

I get my primary care here, at the Allina Health Faribault Clinic. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

EMPHASIS ON LOCAL CARE

Allina CEO Lisa Shannon, stating that “healthcare is in real trouble,” something we all know, promised access to affordable and high quality care, keeping the patient as close to home as possible. Likewise Sutter CEO Warner Thomas said several times that “Local care is best care.” I agree. I prefer local to going out of town for my healthcare, although I understand sometimes that’s necessary.

I hope the two CEOs mean what they said. Numerous commenters asked for assurances in writing to protect patients and employees. That seems a valid request.

TECHNOLOGY & FINAL THOUGHTS

The topic of technology also came up repeatedly in referencing benefits of the acquisition by Sutter Health. That bothered me, not because I don’t consider advances in technology in healthcare to be important, but because technology was emphasized so much. It is people who are at the heart of healthcare, not technology.

I could write much more about the positives and negatives expressed during the state-hosted listening session. But rather I’ll stop, hoping that the distrust, doubts and concerns I feel are unwarranted. I will continue to stay informed.

I hope, if this purchase happens, that healthcare in Faribault remains strong—available, accessible and affordable for everyone. That means no closures, no loss of services. I hope I can continue to get most of my healthcare locally from professionals I’ve grown to know and trust. That’s important to me, especially as an aging Baby Boomer.

THOUGHTS?

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Escaping the heavy wildfire smoke in north central Minnesota July 16, 2026

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Signage on an escape room business in downtown Brainerd, photo taken Monday afternoon before wildfire smoke rolled in. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

IN THE EXTREME HEAT and humidity of Monday afternoon, my husband and I and our eldest daughter and her family escaped to Copper Cat Escape Games in Brainerd to sleuth for Granny’s hidden secret recipe. It was great fun finding and solving clues, unlocking boxes and finally solving the mystery with five minutes to spare.

Driving into and through wildfire smoke early Wednesday afternoon near Garrison. I took these photos as a passenger. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

On Wednesday afternoon, we escaped, too, but this time from intense wildfire smoke which blew in from the north, enveloping the Brainerd Lakes area cabin where we were vacationing. We’ve experienced smoke on previous visits. This time, though, the smoke was especially thick, intense and oppressive.

After leaving Mission Park and before reaching the cabin, I photographed this sign by the Mission Town Hall. Fire danger was low here Wednesday with the smoke (seen to the left) coming from wildfires up north. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

The smoke rolled in as Randy and I were hiking at Mission Park only a short drive from the Horseshoe Lake cabin south of Crosslake. We emerged from the woods to see dense smoke. Initially, we thought someone was burning, but soon realized the source—wildfires to the north in Canada and northern Minnesota.

Driving through dense smoke along Crow Wing County Road 11 south of Crosslake early Wednesday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Wildfires are raging in areas in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with campers there evacuated earlier in the week and the BWCA closed. Evacuation orders have been issued in parts of St. Louis, Cook and Lake counties in the northeastern part of Minnesota. Camps are closing, kids sent home. And on and on. Resorts, outfitters and other businesses that rely on seasonal income are suffering.

And across nearly all of Minnesota, we are breathing in smoke at levels classified as hazardous, very unhealthy, unhealthy and more by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. That includes right here in my county of Rice in the southern part of the state far from the wildfires.

But the level here in Faribault is nothing compared to what we saw and breathed in yesterday in the Brainerd Lakes area. That smoke smelled of infinite campfires, stung our eyes, made it hard to breathe, reduced visibility.

Our plans to spend the day exploring and enjoying the small towns near the cabin quickly pivoted to packing and heading home a day earlier than intended. Our daughter and her family left a day prior, as scheduled.

Looking across Horseshoe Lake in the thick smoke late Wednesday morning. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

It was the right decision to leave on Wednesday. Already visibility across Horseshoe Lake was so limited that the opposite shore appeared only an outline of trees. Smoke and the stench of smoke hung in the air. The toxic air felt suffocating.

Northbound toward Crosslake, this shows the heavy smoke in the area at the intersection of Crow Wing County roads 3 and 11 early Wednesday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Once on Crow Wing County Road 3, Randy and I could see the scope of the smoke spreading far and wide, blanketing the landscape.

Driving through the smoke, past charred trees, right, burned in the Flanders Fire in May south of Crosslake. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Onward we drove, turning onto county road 11, passing stands of charred trees and cleared land from a mid-May wildfire in Mission Township. The irony was not lost on me.

Mile after mile, we traveled in smoky conditions. In Crosby, life appeared business as usual with a packed downtown, despite the smoke. Shoppers walking in and out of shops. Bikers biking.

Smoke surrounds the roadside deer statue in Deerwood. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

In Deerwood, a roadside deer statue appeared to leap through the smoke in an attempt to escape.

Wildfire smoke screens the view of Mille Lacs Lake by the roadside walleye statue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

In Garrison, visitors at the Mille Lacs Lake overlook could see the roadside statue, but not much of the lake.

Wildfire smoke backdrops a docked boat on Mille Lacs Lake Wednesday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Down the road a bit, a guy jogged alongside U.S. Highway 169. Smoke still hung thick. I wondered how his body could tolerate the polluted air. Mine can’t.

Motorists travel through thick wildfire smoke along US Highway 169 south of Mille Lacs Lake early Wednesday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

We thought we would soon drive out of the wildfire smoke. But we drove past endless towns along highway 169—Onamia, Milaca, Princeton, Zimmerman… Not until we reached Elk River in the northwest metro two hours later did the smoke dissipate and open to blue skies. Then and only then did I feel like I could breathe easier.

I hope Minnesotans living near the 17 uncontrolled wildfires, and firefighters, plus our Canadian neighbors, can soon breathe easier, too. Rain is needed.

Looking across Horseshoe Lake late Wednesday morning, the opposite shoreline is obscured by wildfire smoke. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo July 2026)

Yet, I know these fires can burn for weeks, ravaging the landscape, polluting the air, impacting businesses and sometimes changing vacation plans. But leaving the lake cabin a day early to escape the smoke is nothing, truly nothing, in the story of wildfires.

TELL ME: Are you being affected by wildfires? If yes, I’d like to hear your story.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

The aftermath of a hit-and-run from a mother’s perspective May 15, 2026

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Twenty years ago an ambulance took my son to the Faribault hospital after he was struck by a car while crossing the street. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND, the mother said, how anyone could drive away, leaving her son lying in the road. I don’t understand either.

Tuesday morning the Fridley woman’s 17-year-old son was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike to Spring Lake Park High School. The driver left the scene.

Twenty years ago to the date, May 12, 2006, my then 12-year-old son was also struck by a vehicle while walking to his school bus stop along Willow Street less than a block from our Faribault home. That driver, too, left the scene.

Neither of the boys was seriously injured. My son suffered a broken bone in his hand, bump on his head, possible rib fracture and scrapes. The teen from Fridley suffered scratches and skid marks across his body, according to a media report.

But we all experienced trauma, compounded by the drivers of the vehicles who drove away. Drivers who left our sons lying in the street. Drivers who failed to show the decency and compassion to stop. Drivers who, for whatever reason, decided to continue on their way while our boys, our families, dealt with the fall-out of their actions and decisions.

I understand the anger of the Fridley mom. I felt the same 20 years ago. While time has mostly erased that anger, the questions remain. Who? Why? I would like to ask the driver, “How could you simply drive away, go about your morning, your day, your life as if nothing had happened, as if you had not just hit a child and left him lying on the side of the street?”

Despite a description of the vehicle as a blue 4-door, possibly a Chevy Cavalier or Corsica; a $1,000 reward (which is no longer valid); and investigative efforts by Faribault police, the driver was never found. Twenty years after this crime, I wonder if that driver carries any guilt.

I carry the memory of that day, fully aware that the results could have been much worse. Likewise, the mom in Fridley realizes the same. She is only in the early stages of dealing with her anger, her trauma, her questions. Twenty years removed from the hit-and-run involving my son, all three of those issues remain, although lessened by the passage of time, by the gratitude I feel of still having my son.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Standing in strong solidarity on No Kings Day in Faribault March 28, 2026

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One of my favorite signs, expressing truth no matter your political affiliation. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

WE GATHERED, 175 STRONG, in Faribault on Saturday morning for the third nationwide No Kings Day protest. In a city which is decidedly red, this number impresses. This marked a record turn-out, far surpassing our top participation of eighty. I saw many new faces. And a few new dogs.

This shows only a small portion of the line of protesters, some of whom brought their dogs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

From a preschooler, who plastered stickers onto a cardboard sign and held his mom’s hand, to a first-time protester in her eighties, and all ages in between, we came.

The Faribault protest site is along Minnesota State Highway 60 outside the Rice County government services building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

We stood along Minnesota State Highway 60 in this city of 25,000 an hour south of the Twin Cities to raise our voices. We care about this country enough to step up and speak out. And not a single one of us was paid to protest, as some erroneously claim.

We came with hope and energy and enthusiasm.

Another favorite sign, for its message, creativity and humor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

We came, too, with our signs. Grievances. Concerns. Demands. Strong statements in support of freedom, democracy, voting rights, immigrants… Strong statements against the leadership in this country, immigration enforcement, the war in Iran. Strong statements about the state of the nation, the economy, whatever worries us.

When I saw several protesters without signs, I offered extras I brought. Pulling the signs from the back of the van, I asked them to put the signs back before they left. They did.

My friend Ann, center, came in a flower power sweater she handcrafted. I absolutely love this vintage 70s look, which fits protesting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

We came in our red Norwegian resistance hats and our handcrafted flower power sweaters and our Rebel Loon shirts.

A sign, with a humorous twist, that shows deep concern about Trump’s presidency. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

We came, too, with our music, a guitarist and a bagpipe player adding a celebratory tone to the event. This was, after all, also a rally for like-minded folks who care about each other, their neighbors, this community, this state and America.

The Rebel Loon, on the backs of these shirts, has become a symbol of resistance in Minnesota. The loon is our state bird. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

It felt good to stand in solidarity, to talk and smile and lift each other up. To not feel so alone in one’s beliefs in a mostly Republican town.

My husband, Randy, made and carried this humorous sign, which garnered lots of laughs. And compliments. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

It felt good also to laugh at humorous signs. To compliment those who made especially creative signs. To recognize that every person lining the sidewalk on both sides of the highway had a vested interest in publicly standing up for what is right and good and decent.

I walked the protest line, welcoming protesters, looking at their signs, thanking them for coming, encouraging them to return next Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon.

This is not done. This resistance.

As a Christian, this sign really resonates with me. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo March 2026)

We will continue to come with our signs. We will come with our peace and Minnesota state and American flags. We will come with our stories and our words and our voices.

We will come in the spirit of peaceful resistance. In the spirit of resilience and strength and compassion. We are, and remain, Minnesota Strong.

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THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the No Kings Day protests at 3,100 sites across this nation today. A special thanks to those who showed up in Faribault. To those I invited, those I met, those I knew from past protests, know how much I value you and your voice. To the estimated 100,000 who attended the flagship event at the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul, thank you for showing the world the strength of Minnesotans. To protesters who gathered in other countries, this American is grateful for your support. Continue to stand strong in solidarity for freedom. We must. We will.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

How you can help my southern Minnesota community of Faribault following Operation Metro Surge February 26, 2026

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A painting on burlap by Mexican artist Jose Maria de Servin from my art collection. It seems to fit the moment. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

AS I GATHERED INFORMATION for this blog post, I wondered how to start. I’ll begin with one simple statement: The need is great here in Minnesota following the largest mass federal immigration enforcement in the country.

That’s a broad, undefined statement which I want to narrow down to specifics in my community of 25,000 in southeastern Minnesota, an hour south of Minneapolis. Faribault is a blue collar city, home to many people of color, including Somalis, Hispanics and Latinos, the demographic hit hardest by the months’ long Operation Metro Surge.

I can’t tell you how many people have been taken from my Greater Minnesota community by ICE. I can’t tell you how many people have been racially profiled, stopped and questioned. But residents of Faribault have been taken. And stopped, because of their skin color. I know this simply by being out and about, talking with people. This federal activity, which initially saw 3,000 immigration agents in the state, is not done, despite statements otherwise.

This shows a portion of a promo I received in the mail this week from the Community Action Center with locations in Faribault and in Northfield.

FACING FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

That brings me to the topic of today’s post. Need. And how you can help the many people in my community who now find themselves facing financial challenges due to ICE activity. Many have been sheltering in their homes, afraid to go to work or the grocery store or church. Afraid to take their kids to school…

The fear they’ve felt of being detained, even if they’ve done nothing wrong, even if they are here legally, even if they are American citizens, has been great. As a white woman, as a human being, I feel a moral obligation to do what I can for my neighbors who are suffering. Many people in Faribault have stepped up—taking kids to school, delivering groceries, driving people to work, donating food and money…

Some of you have asked me how you can help, and some of you have already helped. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your kindness, your care, your compassion, your support, your encouragement and your financial gifts.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church has been a collection site for food and non-food items during the current crisis. (Graphic sourced from the Our Savior’s Facebook page)

FACING EVICTION

Monies for rental assistance seem to be the main need right now. Last week the Faribault City Council did not move forward with a request from the Faribault Community Action Center for $50,000 in emergency rental assistance. I won’t get into reasons behind that denial. It’s done.

The demand for funds to assist renters facing eviction is high. These are people who have not gone to work because they fear ICE. No work equals no income equals no money to pay the rent or other expenses.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Faribault is among the organizations helping people in my community. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

HELPING PEOPLE IN FARIBAULT

I’ve compiled a short list of selected places to which you can donate monies that will help those impacted by federal immigration enforcement, and others, in Faribault. Please click on the boldfaced organization names to reach websites, where you will find donation tabs and more information. Thank you for considering my request to help people in my community. I am grateful.

Faribault Community Action Center. Donate to the CAC Community Response Fund which meets urgent and evolving needs such as for food and rent. Please designate your gift for the FARIBAULT CAC as one exists in neighboring Northfield. That town’s council approved a $50,000 request for emergency rental assistance.

Spreading Warmth: Supporting Immigrant Families in Faribault. This is a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $30,000 (a new goal) to help struggling immigrant families. Thus far, the effort has raised nearly $21,000. The organizer provides detailed info on needs and how families have already been helped.

Faribault Supporting Families. This group manages a small community-supported fund to help families facing urgent immigration-related challenges.

Three Rivers Community Action. This organization offers multi-faceted services, including in the area of housing, such as rental assistance.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This faith-based nonprofit offers food, clothing, household and limited financial aid to qualifying individuals and families.

©Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Every poem is a witness in “Words to Meet the Moment” February 25, 2026

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Mark Heiman designed the book cover. (Image sourced online)

IN A SLIM VOLUME of poetry collected by a small town Minnesota independent bookstore and printed by a small town printer, 22 area poets raise their voices in response to the massive immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota. The result is 26 powerful, empowering, strongly-worded poems that hold back nothing.

These poets unleash their fury, their fears, their frustrations, layers of intense emotions. “Let every poem be a witness,” writes my friend and former Northfield Poet Laureate Rob Hardy in his poem, “A Witness.” He writes that in the context of the fatal shooting of mother and poet, Renee Nicole Good, by a federal immigration agent on the streets of Minneapolis on January 7.

The poets and their poems plus an intro by Lindsay Ness, co-owner of The Grand Event Center. She introduced a “Words to Meet the Moment: Poets Against Fascism” poetry reading which preceded publication of this chapbook. If you find the title of a poem offensive, read the poem and you will understand the title. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

Every poem in this chapbook, Words to Meet the Moment: Poetry Against Fascism, is a witness.

Two poems, “Last Words” by Susan Jaret McKinstry and “I’m Not Mad at You” by Marie Gery, quote Renee Good’s final words—”I’m not mad at you”—spoken to a federal immigration agent right before her fatal shooting.

The words within these 26 poems reflect not only individual poets’ thoughts but also a collective community reaction to ICE in Minnesota. Themes of anger, fear, unity, dignity, hope and light run throughout this poetry.

Colorful merchandise inside Mercado Local in Northfield, where I met Mar Valdecantos and read poetry with Becky Boling and D.E. Green. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I especially appreciate the writing of two immigrants, including my friend Mar Valdecantos, who came to the U.S. from Spain many years ago. She uses humor to make a point, stating that perhaps she should cover her dark hair with a blonde wig. That would allow her to semi hide her ethnicity and allow her to feel safer while out and about in the community. Safe against racial profiling, used freely by immigration agents to stop people of color in Minnesota.

Latino immigrant Heriberto Rosas, in “Minnesota es un lugar de contrastes,” writes of whence and why he came to America, the challenges he and other immigrants have faced, and the hope and gratitude they hold. It’s an especially revealing poem written in Spanish and translated into English on the opposite page.

My poet friend D.E. (Doug) Green also writes “hope” into his poem, “A Bridge Too Far,” as he references the Civil Rights Movement and the bridge crossed, literally, “in the face of violence, cruelty and terrible hatred.” A bridge which must once again be crossed.

I picked up my copy of the chapbook at Content Bookstore after a morning of protesting in Faribault, thus the flat hair. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo by Randy Helbling)

These poems are raw, relentless, sometimes raging in content. That includes my “Fiery Resistance” and “Death of a Poet.” Words hold power. “We the people have a job to do,” writes Orick Peterson in “ICE Prowls Our Streets.” He asks us to muster our courage against the bullies, take on our neighbors’ fears, lean into each other.

Steve McCown, who died unexpectedly on the day he was to read his original poem, “Ice and Fire,” at a “Words to Meet the Moment: Poetry Against Fascism” event on January 18 in Northfield, summarizes everything well in the final line of his poem: “We can build a fire on ice.” Let me repeat his final line, with emphasis: “We can build a fire on ice.”

FYI: The 42-page chapbook, Words to Meet the Moment: Poetry Against Fascism, is for sale only at Content Bookstore in Northfield. Cost is $10. The bookstore will ship domestically at a cost of $4.99, the media mail book rate, with an additional $1 charge for each book ordered.

Content Bookstore published the chapbook with printing By All Means Graphics. The original print run is 300 books. Once expenses are paid, proceeds from sale of the chapbook will go to the Northfield Community Action Center.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Authors for Minnesota Day on February 28 supports community & immigrant rights February 24, 2026

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(Graphic sourced online)

THE MINNESOTA WRITING COMMUNITY has always impressed me as talented, prolific and generously giving.

Now add united activism to that list as 50-plus Minnesota authors join from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 28, in an Authors for Minnesota Day event at 24 independent bookstores across the state. Their efforts focus on “A Day of Books, Community, and Support for Immigrant Rights.”

I could not be more proud of these writers and booksellers who are publicly raising awareness of the challenges our immigrant neighbors, our communities and small businesses (including indie bookstores) have faced, and continue to face, in the wake of massive federal immigration enforcement throughout Minnesota.

These authors and bookstore owners are taking their support to the next step—action. Anyone who makes an on-site donation to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and/or the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota Immigration Rapid Response Fund on Saturday will get a free, signed copy of a participating author’s book, while supplies last. (See online donation options at the end of this post.)

Bestselling mystery writer William Kent Krueger will be at Once Upon a Crime bookstore in Minneapolis along with Allan Evans and Patrick Barb. (Graphic sourced online)

Among participating authors are Heid E. Erdrich, Allen Eskens, William Kent Krueger, Lorna Landvik, Bao Phi and many others, including Jess Lourey. She co-organized the event with Kristi Belcamino as “a coordinated act of civic support,” Lourey writes on her website. I’ve read many of Lourey’s bestselling mysteries and heard her speak at my local library. “Find your people and tell your truth,” she said at one of those appearances in emphasizing the value of community.

Saturday it will be all about community and supporting community as book lovers meet with authors in bookshops across Minnesota. While most host sites are located in the metro, three are in greater Minnesota—Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, in the far northeastern corner of Minnesota; Hey Darling in Austin near the Iowa border; and then Content Bookstore in Northfield, south of the metro and a 20-minute drive from my home.

(Book cover sourced online)

Bestselling mystery and thriller author Allen Eskens of nearby St. Peter, and one of my favorite Minnesota writers, will be at Content Bookstore signing his latest novel, The Quiet Librarian, now out in paperback. Northfield writer Mary Bleckwehl will also be at Content with her children’s picture book, ARRRGH! Me Have to Wait.

Signage on Content Bookstore along Division Street in downtown Northfield. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

Here’s a complete list of independent bookstores hosting Authors for Minnesota Day from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday: Avant Garden (Anoka), Big Hill Books (Minneapolis), Birchbark Books (Minneapolis), Black Garnet Books (St. Paul), Comma, a Bookshop (Minneapolis), Content Bookstore (Northfield), Cream & Amber (Hopkins), Drury Lane Books (Grand Marais), The Enchanted Quill (North Branch), Excelsior Bay Books (Excelsior), Hey Darling (Austin), Inkwell Booksellers (Minneapolis), Irreverent Bookworm (Minneapolis), Lake Country Booksellers (White Bear Lake), Moon Palace (Minneapolis), Next Chapter Booksellers (St. Paul), Niche Books (Lakeville), Once Upon a Crime (Minneapolis), Red Balloon (St. Paul), Scout and Morgan (Cambridge), Subtext (St. Paul), Tropes and Trifles (Minneapolis), Valley Bookseller (Stillwater), and Well Read Books (Elk River).

FYI: For those of you who can’t attend but still want to support this cause, you can donate online to the two recipient organizations. Click here for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. And click here for the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota Immigration Rapid Response Fund.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Dispatches from the protest line in Faribault February 22, 2026

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Protesters line up along Minnesota State Highway 60 in Faribault two weeks ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)

WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday, grabbed our signs from the back of the van and headed to the sidewalk. There Randy and I joined others filtering in to protest by the Rice County government services building along busy Minnesota State Highway 60/Fourth Street in Faribault.

For six Saturday mornings now, people have gathered here to raise their voices against aggressive federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and against many other policies and directives of the Trump administration negatively affecting our lives (and that of our neighbors) and/or threatening our country. Whatever concerns someone—democracy, Constitutional rights, due process, tariffs, the economy, voting rights, authoritarianism, immigration—those topics are covered in signage and/or in conversations.

Saturday morning we stood some 40 strong in 15-degree temps with a biting wind. That’s about half our usual number. Some of the regulars were missing, but I also saw many new faces.

Protesting against ICE two weeks ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)

ICE IS STILL HERE

Top on all of our minds remains Operation Metro Surge, the largest mass immigration enforcement effort in the country which saw 3,000 federal agents descend on Minnesota. That includes here in our community, home to many Latinos, Hispanics and Somalis.

Despite the announced drawdown of those agents, ICE activity in Faribault has not decreased since they started working here in early December, according to one protester I questioned on Saturday. He laughed when I inquired, a telling response. He’s a trustworthy source, a boots-on-the-ground individual who is active and informed.

Groceries and personal care items collected by a church in the south metro for those in need. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)

THE PERSONAL & FINANCIAL FALL-OUT

To hear stories of retired teachers giving kids rides to school is simultaneously heartening and heartbreaking. Parents should be driving their children to school or walking them to the bus stop. But, because of ICE, others are doing that while they are sheltered at home, afraid to leave, not working, not going to the grocery store.

Food shelves have sprung up in schools and in churches, supplementing already existing nonprofit food shelves. The need is great. I recently started volunteering at a local food shelf.

Families unable to pay rent now face eviction. The Faribault City Council last week denied a request from the Faribault Community Action Center for $50,000 in emergency rental assistance. In neighboring Northfield, the city council unanimously approved an identical request from the Northfield Community Action Center.

Faribault is a blue collar community that runs red. Northfield is white collar blue.

A sign held at a previous protest. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

REACTIONS TO OUR PROTESTS

Whenever we protest, we are subjected to profanity, vulgarity and negative behavior from passing motorists among the overwhelmingly positive support. Based on my observations the four past Saturday mornings, the loudest and angriest are white women probably in their forties. I don’t understand the intensity of their angry outbursts. We just smile and wave, figuring we got to them with our messages.

Near the center of this frame, a protester carries a Rebel Loon sign. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)

THE STORIES

I like to mingle when I protest. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, to hear stories. Like that of an elementary school student who returned to classes last week after a two-month absence. Or the first-time protester whose husband, an immigrant, has worked mostly remotely rather than drive to his job in Minneapolis. Or the man who crafted a Rebel Loon (the Minnesota state bird) sign and was protesting for someone who could not be there for fear of ICE.

These are real stories of real people in my community. I may not know the little girl who returned to school or the protester’s husband or the friend of the Rebel Loon guy. But I do know that I care about the people in my community who have lived in, and continue to live in, fear of federal immigration agents regardless of legal status. Residents of my community have been racially profiled, stopped, questioned because they are black or brown, have an accent, dress differently. I have talked to a Hispanic woman, an American citizen, who was stopped by ICE.

This is why I protest in the deep cold of a Minnesota winter, standing beside others with signs, Minnesota state flags and peace flags in a town of 25,000 where protesting exposes you to criticism. It matters to my profiled and targeted neighbors that I am publicly standing up for them. They’ve told me so. I cannot remain silent. We are stronger together. Minnesota Strong.

The winter boots I wear while protesting. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

BREAD BAGS

We protesters brave the cold for those who cannot safely stand here. We wrap scarves around our necks, put on parkas, pull on long johns and ear flapper caps and wool socks and winter boots, sometimes adding foot and hand warmers. Several of us joked about returning next week with bread bags inside our boots for another layer of warmth, a throwback to our childhood days.

By then I’d been outside for an hour, my cheeks slapped red by the wind, my fingers and toes growing numb. But I was laughing, deep belly laughing, at the bread bag stories. It felt good to laugh with these protesters, to find comedic relief in the darkest of times.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Words to Meet the Moment,” a timely poetry chapbook from southern Minnesota February 19, 2026

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“Words to Meet the Moment,” published by Content Bookstore, Northfield, Minnesota, and printed by Northfield-based By All Means Graphics. (Book cover designed by Mark Heiman)

POETRY HOLDS POWER. And perhaps no time has that been more evident in Minnesota than during the massive federal immigration enforcement, Operation Metro Surge.

In January, poets from my area of southern Minnesota gathered to read original poetry at a “Words to Meet the Moment: Poetry Against Fascism” event in Northfield. I was in Wisconsin, unable to attend. But a poet friend, Becky Boling, read my two poems, “Death of a Poet” and “Fiery Resistance.”

T-shirts for sale at Content Bookstore. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo February 2026)

Now those two poems and others read at The Grand Event Center in January have been printed in a chapbook, Words to Meet the Moment, published by Content Bookstore. That’s an independent, socially-conscious bookshop in the heart of historic downtown Northfield. Once printing costs have been covered, all proceeds from chapbook sales will be donated to the Northfield Community Action Center, a nonprofit serving the community.

The work of 20 poets, some of whom I know personally (and have read poetry with) or whom I’ve heard read, are printed therein. These are gifted poets, many with their own published collections of poetry. Several were previous poet laureates in Northfield.

I picked up this zine when I was recently at Content Bookstore. It includes three poems, “Ice and Fire” by Steve McCown, “Last Words for Renee Nicole Good” by Susan Jaret McKinstry and “A Witness” by Rob Hardy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo February 2026)

All of us wrote in response to ICE’s presence in Minnesota and/or in reaction to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent on January 7. This was prior to the second fatal shooting, that of Alex Pretti, by ICE agents. Good was a poet, which makes this new chapbook especially meaningful.

Whether you like poetry or not, this is one collection you should read to better understand how we as Minnesotans, we as poets, have been feeling these past few months. Poetry holds power. It is a way to raise our voices against injustice, a way to express our thoughts, our feelings. A way to make a difference. A way to meet the moment.

FYI: To pre-order/order Words to Meet the Moment: Poetry Against Fascism, click here. The chapbook is priced at $10. Content Bookstore will ship the chapbook domestically for an additional cost of $4.99, the media mail book rate, plus an additional $1 per book shipped. Only one printing is planned, unless the chapbook sells quickly. Books will also be available for purchase in the store.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling