Ellen Burkhardt

Minnesota is rich in peat and distilleries. So when will a Minnesota peated whiskey become a reality?

Award-winning feature exploring Minnesota's complicated relationship with the Mississippi River

One (tiny) town’s pitch for why you should want to be their neighbor.

The sign marking Georgia Totto O’Keeffe’s birthplace is even more unremarkable than the corn and soybean fields surrounding it. Discreetly tucked away near the intersection of Town Hall Drive and County Highway T, some three and a half miles southeast of downtown Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, it is dark blue with plain white lettering and so modest that I don’t notice it the first time I drive by.

A three-day road trip through southern Minnesota reveals unexpected insights into the towns, people, and realities of life in the Heartland.

Classic country music and sunlight fill Northeast Tattoo & Fadeaway Laser Removal. Art covers the golden-yellow walls and includes a hand-carved Indonesian Garuda sculpture, drawings by the shop’s three tattoo artists, and a large print of Il Sodoma’s “The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian.” It’s eclectic and warm, and feels more like a funky coffee shop than a tattoo parlor and federally HIPAA-compliant, Minnesota Board of Medical Practice-certified clinic.

How Minnesota's top arts institutions are tweaking their programming to reach a broader audience

Twin Cities-based actors, painters, musicians and composers explain why they came to and/or stayed in Minnesota instead of fleeing for the coasts.

A battering ram of carbon dioxide punches me in the face and leaves me coughing for air. It’s been trapped inside its wooden tank prison for a little over two years now, the byproduct of a long, slow Berliner weisse fermentation, and it’s not wasting any time getting the hell out.

The comprehensive timeline of the creative peaks, surreal twists, and untimely end that marked Prince’s time on earth

How are arts groups enticing young adults? The latest thinking goes beyond ticket deals and discounts.

In Minnesota, the average age of a bride is 26.9. It's just not socially acceptable to be unmarried past age 28. I'm 30, and I'm unmarried. But I'm not unhappy.

Five itineraries. Twenty-five landmarks. One long purple journey.

An encounter with an old woman in Budapest leads to unexpected emotions, insights.

A tell-all essay supporting all choices as good choices when it comes to having sex (or not) that sparked a worldwide conversation/debate, garnered millions of views, and ranked as a Top 10 Article for 2014.