Guides and Lists Posts

Duluth Book Releases in 2024

Every year a gob of books by Duluth-area writers and/or about Duluth-area topics hit the shelves of local bookstores and warehouses of e-commerce corporations. Here’s a look at what’s new and coming soon in 2024.

List of Duluth-area Podcasts No Longer in Production

They might be on hiatus or they might be done. Some lasted a handful of episodes, others lasted a decade. Some were never meant to keep going. There are no recent episodes of the audio productions listed below, but the archives are still available … or, at least they were the last time we checked.

Perfect Duluth Day’s look at archived podcasts no longer in production is a companion piece to the “Guide to Duluth-area Podcasts,” which features shows currently, or at least recently, in production.

Guide to Duluth-area Podcasts

Left: Jebah Edmunds, host of “Cultural Curriculum Chat.” Top center: Hailey Eidenschink, host of “Attracted to Duluth.” Top right: Tom Jamison and Yvonne Myers, hosts of “For the Love of Duluth,” along with 2022 guest Charlie Parr. Bottom: Marie Zhuikov and Sharon Moen, hosts of “The Fish Dish.”

There are more than 50 active podcasts that have some connection to Duluth and the surrounding area. Some feature Duluthians talking about Duluth, while others are produced in the region but meant for broader audiences. The topics span a wide range — history, phenology, hockey, education, aquaculture, Christianity, gardening, entrepreneurism and so on.

Perfect Duluth Day has resisted the urge to create a podcast about Duluth podcasts and instead used the written word and images to put together this guide to local digital audio. The list below includes only podcasts with recent episodes; we have a separate “List of Duluth-area Podcasts No Longer in Production.”

Duluth Broadcast Television Station Guide

The Duluth market has seven broadcast television stations producing 29 channels of digital programming. Here’s a look at what’s available to those willing to jostle an antenna.

Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2023

Musicians gather around the fire pit at Girl Scout Point in Billings Park for the first concert of the 2023 Superior Porchfest season.

Outdoor music saw a boom during the pandemic out of necessity, but on warm summer days the preferred concert venues have always been those with free-flowing air. With the Duluth-area music scene continuing to flourish and touring artists on the move, the season has music to soothe all souls with genres spanning the realms of rock, pop, hip hop, folk and more.

From porches, patios and piers to amphitheaters, big tents and city parks, the outdoor summer concert options are numerous. Below is Perfect Duluth’s Day’s annual guide to al fresco music in 2023.

Duluth Album Releases in 2023

Dirty Knobs
666666SuperSatan
(Jan. 6)
Available on Bandcamp

God’s Holy Blood
Self titled
(Jan. 20)
Available on Bandcamp

Ill Fortune
Ill Ol’ Me
(Jan. 28)
Available on various platforms

Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2022

Birding, broadcasting, micro-agriculture, astronomy and motherhood are just some of the topics Duluth-area writers are blogging about. Every two years or so, Perfect Duluth Day scans the web to see who’s active in the local blogosphere, compiling a comprehensive-as-possible guide to the region’s active web logs.

Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2022

Charlie Parr performing outside Wussow’s Concert Cafe in the spring of 2021.

The noticeable change in recent years to the outdoor concert scene in the Duluth area is the extension of the season. It used to be a mid-June to mid-September thing. In the pandemic era the patios and canopies of the region host music from April to November. But things still kick into high gear in July and August.

What’s hot on stages this summer? Here’s a summary.

Duluth Book Releases in 2022

Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Written by Rob Greenfield
Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis
Contributions from April Hepokoski, Zion Lights, Heidi Rose, Alyssa Binns Gunderson and Michelle Cassar
February
Quarry Books
Available at quartoknows.com

The Girl in Duluth
Sigrid Brown
Feb. 2
Available at amazon.com

Be the Change: Rob Greenfield’s Call to Kids―Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World
Rob Greenfield and Antonia Banyard
April 20
Greystone Books
Available at greystonebooks.com

Kekekabic
Eric Chandler
May 20
Finishing Line Press
Available at finishinglinepress.com

Guide to Duluth-area Podcasts in 2021

About half of Duluth-area podcasts are a repackaging of radio content, but there are still plenty of independent programs covering everything from politics, history and sports to paranormal encounters and general geekery.

Duluth-area food truck scene expands

The U.S. food truck industry is now a $1.2 billion market. Duluth-area food truck options have grown steadily since the city’s first mobile restaurants hit the streets in 2012. That summer there were four mobile eateries. Now there are at least 15.

Perfect Duluth Day Outdoor Summer Concert Primer 2021

A Band Called Truman, seen here performing as part of the Chester Creek Concert Series in 2017, returns to Chester Bowl on Aug. 10 as part of the 2021 series. (Photo by Brian Barber)

Last summer was such a bummer, Perfect Duluth Day didn’t even bother publishing its annual preview of outdoor concerts. There was nearly nothing to report. With the pandemic seemingly under control in 2021, however, the list of options is lengthy. Rock, however, seems to have barely survived the pandemic. Bluegrass, folk and country dominate the concert scene.

Duluth Book Releases in 2021

Hands and Heart Together: Daily Meditations for Caregivers
Patricia Hoolihan
Jan. 19
Holy Cow! Press
Available at holycowpress.org

The Old West End
Nick Nerburn
February
Available at niknerburn.bigcartel.com

It Could be Worse: A Girlfriend’s Guide for Runners who Detest Running
Beth Probst
Feb. 1
Available at circletouradventures.com

Prax and the Hazardous Countdown
Matthew Francis
Feb. 17
Available at amazon.com

Duluth Album Releases in 2021

Minorbirds
Self titled
(Feb. 4)
Available on Bandcamp

Rich Mattson and the Northstars
Skylights
(Feb. 5)
Available on Bandcamp

Vallhünd
Millions of the Mouthless Dead
(Feb. 8)
Available on Bandcamp

Guide to Duluth-related Blogs in 2020

While social media platforms with single-sentence content and auto-deleting videos get all the hype, old-school blogging remains as popular as ever. A cataloging of Duluth-related web logs reveals there might be more of them than ever. So if you’re interested in following the musings of those who do more than tweet, snap, tik and tok, read on.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!