Critical Grooves Book Lab

May 18, 2023, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

This event is canceled.

Select Thursdays, 6:30-8 PM

  • February 23: Midnight Hour (Stories 1-10)
  • March 23: Midnight Hour (Stories 11-20)
  • April 27: Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder
  • May 18: Devil in the Blue Dress

For our third iteration, we will read a collection of twenty short stories by twenty writers of color as well as works by both Valerie Burns (aka V. M. Burns) and Walter Mosely. In Midnight Hour (edited by Abby L. Vandiver), we discover twenty voices of color who take us through an expansive terrain of crime and mystery writing, sure to keep you reading well past the dead of night. Valerie Burns’s Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder promises a sassy, stylish mystery set in a cozy little Michigan town—the first installment of Burns’s Baker Street Mystery series. Finally, Walter Mosely’s classic Devil in a Blue Dress takes us on a scintillating ride down mean streets, through bedeviling political plots, and right into the house of American-as-apple-pie-style relationships.

To encourage broad participation, you may acquire the selected texts through convenient means, as per your situation. Also note: Critical Grooves Book Lab selections will also be available for purchase from The Store at Plains Art Museum. Ages 16+ are welcomed. We exercise respect among ourselves.

For more information and/or participation contact Dr. Kelvin Monroe kmonroe@plainsart.org.


Events Calendar

December 2016

Other Exhibitions

2025 Scholastic

February 15, 2025 - March 09, 2025
Art & Writing Awards Exhibition

This exhibition celebrates the vision, ingenuity, and talent of North Dakota teen artists. Since 2015, Plains Art Museum and the Red River Valley Writing Project have partnered to serve as the state affiliate for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

View Exhibition

Jaque Fragua

April 05, 2025 - January 04, 2026
Ghost Writing

Ghost Writing is a compelling, mid-career retrospective showcasing work by Jaque Fragua, a contemporary artist from Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. Fragua works in a diverse array of media, including digital painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. His distinct style is characterized by bold colors and mark-making as well as thoughtful approach to appropriation.

View Exhibition

Mickey Smith

January 18, 2025 - May 25, 2025
Morphologies

Over the past two decades, Smith has documented significant cultural shifts in academic and public libraries, primarily across the United States, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Her work highlights the library's role in knowledge stewardship, capturing the evolution from traditional card catalogs and stacks to digitization and artificial intelligence.

View Exhibition