Spotlight Interviews with the many talented, interesting folks in and around Minnesota geek communities. Let’s shine a spotlight on them!
Interviews with the many talented, interesting folks in and around Minnesota geek communities. Let’s shine a spotlight on them!
Aug 08 2026
Joseph Scrimshaw on Bringing His Minnesota Indie Horror Film to the Masses
Dead Media, the debut feature from Minnesota-born writer/director Joseph Scrimshaw, premiered in October 2025 at Minneapolis’s Parkway Theater. Since then, it has secured a deal for distribution and is returning to Minnesota on August 18 as part of the Bonus Features Tour, a national roadshow…
Sep 02 2025
Going Behind the Needle with Rae Lundquist of DreamStitcher Custom Costume
Rae Lundquist is the cosplayer and sewist behind DreamStitcher Custom Costume. You might know her from her presence at Twin Cities conventions—including the Minnesota Comic Book Association‘s conventions, where I had the chance to talk to her. With her cosplay first-aid station (which I…
Jun 06 2025
Quick Questions with Twin Cities Cosplayer and Artist Fira Rae
During my time volunteering with the last Minnesota Comic Book Association (MNCBA) convention, I got the chance to meet artist and cosplayer Fira Rae, whom I’d seen frequently at Minnesota conventions since I started attending regularly. Her booth was delightfully pink and covered with characters…
Jun 05 2025
Tips and Tales with Midwest Cosplayers Sara Spookystitch and LaRire Cosplay
At Anime Fusion 2024, I got the chance to meet a few featured cosplayers attending the event, including Sara Spookystitch and Lizz Henderson of LaRire Cosplay. As both of these cosplayers have competed and judged cosplay contests in the past, I took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the…
May 17 2025
Minneapolis Musician Val Lowry-Ortega on Dreamy-Folk Musical Storytelling
When I sat down with Val Lowry-Ortega, lead vocalist and songwriter for the Minneapolis band Oceanographer, it felt almost like I already knew them. I didn’t, of course, but I had been listening to their band’s debut EP, Deep Sea Diver—a sometimes intensely personal record about queer love,…
Apr 06 2023
Matt Kessen Wants to Make You Laugh about Monsters
Full disclosure: I’ve been fortunate enough to be friends with Matt Kessen, known to most as the brainiac behind Reverend Matt’s Monster Science, for seven years. As a legitimately credentialed reverend—whatever that process entails—he’s able to perform weddings (including…
Mar 19 2023
Dan Jurgens Talks Booster Gold, “Death of Superman” at 30, and Getting His Start in Comics
Minnesota writer and artist Dan Jurgens is a fixture in the world of comics. Though he’s best known for his work on the iconic story “The Death of Superman” and for creating the character Booster Gold—who’s been in the news recently thanks to James Gunn’s announcement of DC’s upcoming projects—he’s…
Mar 13 2023
A Peek into the Writing Process with Minnesota Novelist David Oppegaard
St. Paul–based author David Oppegaard‘s new novel, Claw Heart Mountain, was published earlier this year by CamCat Books, and I caught up with him after a recent publication reading to ask a few questions. David is a Bram Stoker nominee and has been blurbed by none other than Stan Lee, so I was excited…
Dec 17 2022
Jeff Ray Discusses His Pandemic Album, In the Fire
Over the summer, local jam band Jeff Ray and the Stakes released In the Fire, an album that was developed during the pandemic. I spoke with Jeff Ray about the group, their inspiration, and the Twin Cities music scene.
T. A. Wardrope (TCG): Can you tell us a little bit about the history of writing In the Fire…
Nov 19 2021
Ashwini Ramaswamy, Choreographer of Let the Crows Come, Talks Dance and Cultural Legacy
Ashwini Ramaswamy has danced all over the world—first as part of Ragamala Dance Company, founded in 1992 by her mother, Ranee, and sister, Aparna. Ramaswamy still works with Ragamala as a choreographic associate and dancer, but in 2014 she began choreographing and performing her own work. Her most…