Join us at independent bookseller Magers & Quinn from 7:00-8:30 PM to hear readings and open mic night, hosted by FY25 MSAB Creative Individuals grant recipient Marianne Manzler ft. Dralandra Larkins, Michelle Zamanian, Tish Jones, Daniel the Violinist, and more.
Pre-register here!
About the artists:
Michelle Zamanian is an Iranian American fiction writer, screenwriter, and poet. In 2018, she received her MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato and began working at the Rumpus—where she edits a series called We Are More, which publishes Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) and SWANA diaspora writers.
Dralandra Larkins is an award-winning spoken word poet, teaching artist, storyteller, and co-editor of Cracked Walnut’s anthology “Rewilding Hope, 2023” and Hansel-Cabello's "The Nations Underground: Writing with Our Ancestors 2024" based in Minneapolis. Her work has been recognized in the Minnesota Women’s Press, The Edge Magazine, Insight News, Witness Writers, The Agates and other anthologies.
Her spoken word performances weave together words, rhythm, and intimacy to create a haven for healing, advocacy, and self-discovery for those seeking solace, empowerment, and connection. She has graced numerous stages with her captivating storytelling and performances, leaving audiences spellbound and inspired. She's collaborated and competed on platforms including Button Poetry, NAACP, Mill City Museum, MN State Capitol, Minnesota Black Authors Expo, the MN Black Business Ball Enterprise, TruArtSpeaks, Artstart, KFAI Radio, MN Public Radio, Modist Brewing, Poets & Pints, and others. She invites her audience to confront their own traumas and find strength in vulnerability. Her work is rooted in the art of healing, spirituality, community, self-love and liberation. Poetry serves as a form of therapeutic release for herself but also for those who listen to her words.
Tish Jones is a poet, emcee, and Hip Hop Theater artist from Saint Paul, MN, with a deep and resounding love for Black people. Her work explores themes of Black love, liberation, politics, and Afro-Futurism. Jones has exhibited her work throughout the United States, and abroad, as a public performance artist for over two decades. Her writing can be found in We Are Meant to Rise (University of Minnesota Press), A Moment of Silence (Tru Ruts and The Playwrights Center), the Minnesota Humanities Center’s anthology entitled, Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press) and more.
Tish is grateful to have been supported through numerous grants, fellowships, and awards throughout her career. Including, but not limited to, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, an Arts Matters Fellowship, a Springboard for the Arts Fellowship, The MN State Arts Board, and more. That generous support has allowed her to excavate the kind of stories and cultural and liberatory practices that chart new worlds. Jones also serves as the Founding Executive Director of TruArtSpeaks, an arts & culture organization in Saint Paul, MN.
Marianne Manzler is a writer, educator, and editor. Raised in Cincinnati, she is the graduate of The Ohio State University and University of Washington, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing–Prose. There, she taught writing to youth and undergraduate students. She has also worked in the magazine and book publishing industry in both editorial and marketing departments. She manages the education program at The Loft Literary Center and teaches creative nonfiction at Carleton College.
Her work has been recognized by Best American Essays 2022 and published in Fourth Genre, The Seventh Wave, 5280, and elsewhere. She has received support from Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Sundress Publications, Anderson Center at Tower View, and Vermont Studio Center. She is a 2025 recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant and a 2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship Finalist in Literature-Prose. Within the past decade, she has served as a Fulbright scholar, AmeriCorps member, and Urban Leaders Policy Fellow. She is an Essays Editor at The Rumpus, prose reader at Quarterly West, and poetry reader at The Offing. She hosts the podcast series Mumu Stories. Her memoir-in-essays is about illness, identity, and the persistent ties of home.
Daniel Gilbert is a Minneapolis-based violinist and violist whose musical journey is rooted in passion, precision, and a deep love for collaboration. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Violin and Viola Performance from Millikin University, with graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he refined his craft and artistic voice.
Originally from Evanston, IL, Daniel’s early talent was nurtured by his mother, Linda Gilbert, and shaped by inspiring mentors and programs like the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. Today, he’s known for bringing heart and elegance to every performance—whether he’s playing for non-profits, high-profile events, or intimate celebrations. His collaborations include organizations such as Girl Scouts River Valleys of Minnesota, MEDA, Abria Pregnancy Resources, Science Museum of Minnesota, Make-A-Wish MN, the Minnesota Vikings, and countless weddings and proposals.
Beyond the stage, Daniel thrives in creating musical experiences that resonate. He curates custom playlists and cultivates spaces where fellow artists can shine. For him, every note is part of a larger story—one that continues to evolve with each performance.
Marianne Manzler is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.