This bald eagle was perched above Lake Nokomis this afternoon, and neighbors report that it has been seen there a lot lately. Its mate was seen sitting on the nest in Ed Solomon Park near Hwy 62 and Cedar Ave. at about the same time. Despite the crow's attempts to harass it, the eagle sat calmly preening itself for several minutes as people out for an afternoon stroll around the lake stopped to stare.

In a reprise of last year’s opening event, the Midtown Farmers’ Market, at Lake Street and Hiawatha, will be encouraging folks to “Shed Your Winter Coats,” and offering a sheep sheering demonstration at 10 a.m. and noon to inspire you. With a chance of rain in the forecast, you might want to, instead, trade in your winter coat for a raincoat. The MOQ editors will be there, sipping hot organic coffee (available at the market, we hope), with the spring issue of MOQ as well as an assortment of back issues.

These vivacious poems tumble off the page with a rhythmic fluidity that wraps around your mind while at the same time prompting you to pause and ponder their meaning.

Several of the poems examine hardship and mental illness with eloquent compassion. In “to operate, pull pin,” Graves writes:

We were planning to post this lovely poem by Barry Casselman for Poetry Month anyway, and then Mother Nature decided to provide the perfect accompaniment to go with it! Herewith, our Poetry Month offering. --eds.

We stumbled upon a local trio playing lively Parisian swing sounds recently at the Midtown Global Market (Lake St. and Chicago Ave.) and are pleased to let you know they will be performing there again this Saturday, March 22, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. -- free! Or you can catch them tonight and next Wednesday at Cafe Vin (5555 Xerxes Ave. S.), with vocalist Rhonda Laurie, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Here’s how we “discovered” them a couple of weeks ago.

Barbara Harman's “Nuthatch Spring,” which graces the cover of the new issue of MOQ, encourages us that this colder-than-usual March really will melt into the colorful warm spring that we all are aching for. You can also see Harman’s art in the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM) All-Member Juried Exhibition at Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts through April 12 (6666 East River Road, Fridley, www.banfill-locke.org ); her multi-media piece, “Sparrow” was awarded third place and is included in the show.

The past year behind bars has been a “bother,” reports former Minneapolis City Council member Dean Zimmermann in a recent letter to supporters, but the longtime local activist admits it’s not been a completely negative experience.

This evening, Saturday, Dec. 8, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) celebrates the publication of their 19th Winter Book. Each year since 1988, they’ve been publishing a beautiful letterpress-printed, classically designed, hand-bound book, calling each the Winter Book and inviting local literary luminaries such as Patricia Hampl, Bill Holm, Louis Jenkins and many other artists and writers, plus bibliophile volunteers, to contribute to the project. It has always been a collaborative creative project, but this year’s edition takes the idea of collaborative creativity to a whole new level. You might even say it turns the Winter Book tradition completely on its head.

Barry Casselman discusses his book, North Star Rising: Minnesota Politicians on the National Stage, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, December 6, at Magers and Quinn Booksellers. MOQ co-editor Craig Cox had the opportunity to read the book this fall and here is his review.

We came across Teri Bloch’s artwork on MnArtists.org after seeing an announcement for an urban-themed art exhibit at Dean Gallery on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. There was something about the little dog and the mittened hand holding its leash that said “winter in the city” to us and was just right for MOQ’s winter issue (pictured at left), so we were delighted when Bloch agreed to let us use the image on our cover. The winter issue was just printed on Saturday and will be wending its way to subscribers in the next couple of days. Here's a little more information about Bloch and her artwork.