P Street

Pacific St. Wild: From Lost to Found On the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (born 1968) is an account of the author’s hike through the length of the Pacific Crest Trail. If you saw the movie instead, as this author did, try to resist the temptation to scream when she reveals that she didn't read the instructions for her cook-set or for her tent prior to setting out on the trail. This author is a strong advocate for the idea that ill-prepared hikers should pay all rescue fees including a huge monetary tip to the rescuers for being ill-prepared. It's called hiker responsibility. There is another unsettling scene where Strayed finds out that the camping and hiking store, REI, will send her a new pair of boots at no charge simply because Strayed did not bother to buy the right size. Maybe there should be a rule called "consumer responsibility."

Page St. Alan Page (born 1945) is an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, a position to which he was first elected in 1992 and a former professional football player. He first gained fame as a defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970s. His children's book, Alan and His Perfectly Pointy Impossibly Perpendicular Pinky  (by Alan Page and his daughter, Kamie Page) was published in 2013.

Palace Ave. “Buckingham Palace” is a poem by A.A. Milne (1882-1956). They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. Alice is marrying one of the guard. "A soldier's life is terrible hard," Says Alice. They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. We saw a guard in a sentry-box. "One of the sergeants looks after their socks," Says Alice. They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. We looked for the King, but he never came. "Well, God take care of him, all the same," Says Alice. They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. They've great big parties inside the grounds. "I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds," Says Alice. They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's. "He's much too busy a-signing things," Says Alice. They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace - Christopher Robin went down with Alice. "Do you think the King knows all about me?" "Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea," Says Alice.

Palmer Pl. Palmer C. Hayden (1890 – 1973) was an African-American painter who depicted African-American life. He painted in both oils and watercolors, and was a prolific artist of his era. Hayden was one of the first in America to depict African subjects in his paintings. He is included in A History of African-American Artists: From 1792 to the Present  by Romare Bearden (1911-1988) and  Harry Henderson (1914-2003) and published in 1993. Helen Marion Palmer Geisel (1899 – 1967) was a children's author, editor, and philanthropist. She was married to fellow author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, from 1927 until her death. Her best-known books include Do You Know What I'm Going to Do Next Saturday?, I Was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo, Why I Built the Boogle House, and A Fish Out of Water.

Park St. Mansfield Park is the third novel by Jane Austen, written between 1811 and 1813. It was published in May 1814 by Thomas Egerton.

Park Ridge Ct. Lulu and the Duck in the Park is a 2014 children's book written by British author,  Hilary McKay and illustrated by Priscilla Lamont.  Published by Albert Whitman, Park Ridge, IL. Lulu is an "incidental diversity" book, meaning the main character is pictured as African American but the text does not mention the significance. What is significant for readers as old as this author is that Lulu is not only illustrated as African American but also with African American facial features. Prior to 1962's The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, children's books with African American characters had Caucasian facial features. In other words, their skin color was black but they looked white.  As long as he is on the subject of African American literary characters, this author will mention the original publishing of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain went to great lengths to select the illustrator. He chose someone who was well known for drawing outlandish, grotesque images of black people. That's what Twain got for his book. Modern defenders of Finn decry any attempt to print versions of the book without the n-word. They claim the book should be left as Twain intended. Yet no one has ever clamored for bringing back the original illustrations. You can't have it both ways, people. The book, as Hemingway said, could lose the last three chapters. Why not just lose the whole book? There are much better books dealing with African American characters.

Parkland Ct. Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota - The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands Provinces is a 2005 field guide published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Parklands of the Midwest: Celebrating the Natural Wonders of America's Heartland is a 2007 book by Dan Kaercher  (Author) and Bob Stefko, (Photographer).

Parkside Dr. Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond   by Doug Ramsey is a 2007 biography of jazz great Paul Desmond. Published by Parkside Publications, Inc.

Parkview Ave. Parkview Center School is a kindergarten through 8th grade public school in Roseville, Minnesota. They have quite the Wikipedia page. Don't we all need one?

Parkway Dr. Minneapolis Park System 1883-1944: Retrospective Glimpses Into The History Of The Board Of Park Commissioners Of Minneapolis, Minnesota And The City's Park, Parkway, And Playground System was published  by the Minneapolis Parks Legacy Society in 2007. Its author? Theodore Wirth.

Pathways Dr. Circle by Jeannie Baker is a children's book about the bar-tailed godwit and the pathways it takes on its migration from the Arctic to Australia.

Pascal St. Don Empson’s book tells us that the street was named for Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), who was a French mathematician and physicist. He gets a chapter in Quantum Leaps: 100 Scientists Who Changed the World, published in  2014 and written by Jon Balchin.                The Red Balloon is a 1956 fantasy movie directed by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse. His son, Pascal, plays the part of the boy who discovers a large red balloon and finds that the balloon begins to follow him. There is also a book version of the film. Albert Lamorisse also invented the game, Risk. You can visit the Red Balloon Children’s Bookstore at 891 Grand Avenue in Saint Paul.

Payne Ave. The street is named after Rice Payne (1818-1884) who fought in the Confederate Army. This author has already expressed his views on naming streets after avowed enemies of our country. Leonidas Warren Payne, Jr. (1873 – 1945) was an American linguist and professor of English at the University of Texas. He was a co-founder of the Texas Folklore Society along with John Lomax. He edited the first anthology of Texas literature, and was one of the first to recognize the talent of e.e. cummings. Charlotte Payne-Townshend (1857–1943)was an Irish political activist in Britain. She was a member of the Fabian Society and was dedicated to the struggle for women's rights. She married George Bernard Shaw in 1898.

Pearl St. The Pearl is a novel by John Steinbeck (1902-1968). Pearl Buck (1892 – 1973), was an American writer and novelist. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces". In one of the modern hardback editions of The Good Earth published by Simon and Schuster a map of East  Asia and the nearby Pacific islands is included in the front of the book. Every piece of land and water is labeled. With the exception of a very large island just off the coast of mainland China. This author wonders if the inability to identify Taiwan was a result of the publisher not wanting to offend the other China. Who knows? Simon and Schuster never responded to this author’s query.

Pedersen St. Seedfolks (1997) is a short children's novel written by Paul Fleischman (born 1952), with illustrations by Judy Pedersen. The story is told by a diverse cast of characters living on (or near) Gibb Street in Cleveland, Ohio, each from a different ethnic group. Chapter by chapter, each character describes the transformation of an empty lot into a vibrant community garden, and in doing so, they each experience their own transformations. (from wikipedia)

Pelham Blvd. Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, (1881 – 1975) was an English humorist whose body of work includes novels, short stories. He is known  in his writing as P.G. Wodehouse.

Pennock Ave. The street is named for Pennock Pusey (1825-1903) who, Don Empson tells us, was a “man of considerable literary and musical ability.” He also managed to get his family tree published as The Pusey Family: A Brief Historical Sketch of Its Origin in England and America. It’s available on the internet. Now there’s an achievement.

Pennsylvania Ave. Jerry Spinelli (born 1941) is an American writer of children's novels. He is best known for Maniac Magee and Wringer. He was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. James Albert Michener (1907–1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history. He was raised by in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bright April is a 1946 children's story book written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (1880-1987), who later won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature for The Door in the Wall. Bright April is a story about a young African-American girl named April who experiences racial prejudice; it is also the story of her bright personality and her tenth birthday and the surprise it brought. The story is set in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bright April was the first children’s book to address the issue of racial prejudice.

Perlman St. Fiddler to the World: The Inspiring Life of Itzhak Perlman is a children's biography of the famous musician. Written by Carol Behrman and published in 1992.

Petit St. Le Petit Prince is the French title of the famous book, The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944)

Phalen Blvd. Phalen Lake and Boulevard are well-known in Saint Paul. They were named after Edward Phelan (also Phalen) (1811-185?). The book, Minnesota's Oldest Murder Mystery: The Case of Edward Phalen, St. Paul's Unsaintly Pioneer  (published 2011 by Gary Brueggemann) tells the story. Don Empson’s book tells us that there is a Poetry Park in the southwest part of Phalen Park at Ivy Avenue and Earl Street. Congratulations to the East Side Arts Council who initiated the project in the late 1990s.

Pierce Butler Route Pierce Butler (1866 – 1939) was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1923 until his death in 1939. He is a distant cousin of the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats.

Pierce St. The street was named after President Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). Don Empson’s book tells us that there was once a Pierce County in Minnesota but the name was changed after the Civil War due to Pierce’s support for slavery and his opposition to President Lincoln. Now, if an entire county can change the source of its name in order to disassociate itself from slavery proponents why is it the City of Saint Paul continues to keep street names that honor those who promoted slavery? Mildred Pierce is a 1941 crime novel by James M. Cain (189 –1977). It has been made into a movie twice. There once was a restaurant named Mildred Pierce on Randolph Avenue in the early 2000s.

Pig’s Eye Lake Rd. Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant (177?-?) was the first person of European descent to live within the borders of what would eventually become the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. An Internet and library search revealed no literature pertaining to Pig’s Eye other than a short story called “Pigs Eye” by Rick Bass in The Best American Short Stories 1991. Clearly Pig’s Eye Parrant is a vastly overlooked subject for a book. Should you ever need to write a love letter, try this one: “Why didst thou not take me away before her, seeing for me to live, without her, is but to languish? Ah! Badebec, Badebec, my minion, my dear heart, my pigsney, my duck, my honey, my little coney…” -- François Rabelais, The Works of Francis Rabelais, translated by Thomas Urquhart, 1653 Pigsney is a Middle English word that means “pig’s eye.”

Pillsbury St. Albert Pillsbury (1849 – 1930) was a Massachusetts lawyer who drafted the bylaws of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He does not appear to be related to the Charles Pillsbury of  flour mill fame and for whom the street is named. Roy Wilkins (1901 – 1981) has a long association with Saint Paul. A biography of him was published in 2014. Roy Wilkins: The Quiet Revolutionary and the NAACP is by  Yvonne Ryan. Touring downtown Saint Paul can be a wonderful trip for anyone. The memorials in the vicinity of the State Capitol are especially fascinating. Look for the one dedicated to Roy Wilkins.

Pine St. Sherlock Holmes and the Red Demon is a Sherlock Holmes mystery written by Larry Millett (born 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota). The story takes place around the scene of the 1894 Hinckley Fire, in Pine County, Minnesota.

Pine View Ct.

Pinehurst Ave. Eudora Welty (1909 – 2001) was an American author of short stories and novels about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. The Eudora Welty House at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson, Mississippi,  has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a house museum. Early users of email served through the University of Minnesota might have used the Eudora email client which was named after the author. She was reported to have been pleased by the connection.

Plato Blvd. Plato (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BCE) was a philosopher, as well as mathematician, in Classical Greece. He has often been thought to have been opposed to poetry on the grounds that poetry was imitative and did not reflect reality. Thankfully, his student, Aristotle, disagreed. Aristotle said that history can only teach us what was. Poetry can teach us what might be. Aristotle is often quoted as having written “Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.” Two other quotes that seem to reflect the abilities of poetry or non-fiction to help us learn more about ourselves:  “I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic.” (Abigail Adams (1744 – 1818)) and  “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)) Ann Plato (c. 1824–unknown) was a 19th-century mixed-race (African-American and Native American) educator and author. She was the second woman of color to publish a book in America and the first to publish a book of essays and poems. (from wikipedia)

Pleasant Ave. Deb Pleasant is a Saint Paul writer and contributor to the Saint Paul Almanac. Skulduggery Pleasant is a series of fantasy novels for children written by Irish author Derek Landy (born 1974) . The books revolve around the adventures of the skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant, and a teenage girl, Stephanie Edgley, along with other friends.

Plum St. Janet Ahlberg (1944 –1994), Her book, Each Peach Pear Plum, won the 1978 Kate Greenway Medal in England. Thích Nhất Hạnh (born 1926) is a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He lives in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France. He has written many books including, the 1996 collection of his poems, Call Me By My True Names. Here is the title poem: Call Me by My True Names Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive. Look deeply: I arrive in every second to be a bud on a spring branch, to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile, learning to sing in my new nest, to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower, to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone. I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope. The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive. I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river, and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time to eat the mayfly. I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond, and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence, feeds itself on the frog. I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks, and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda. I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat, who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate, and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving. I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands, and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my people, dying slowly in a forced labor camp. My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life. My pain is like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans. Please call me by my true names, so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one. Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up, and so the door of my heart can be left open, the door of compassion.

Point Douglas Rd. Edgar Lee Masters (1868 – 1950) was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology and Children of the Market Place (published 1922). The latter book is a fictional biography of the 19th century politician, Stephen Douglas, and is available to read online. Point Douglas Rd. is named for Stephen Douglas.  (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live for the naming information)

Portland Ave. Saint Paul radio host and author, Garrison Keillor, lived on Portland Avenue until the local newspaper, The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, published his address. This author lived in Portland, Oregon, for a number of years. He met his Minnesota-born wife there which is how he managed to leave utopia and enter dystopia. He has since changed his view and finds Minnesota perfectly charming. Portland figures into a few literary associations. Powell’s Bookstore is worth a visit. They shelve new and used books together so check each copy to be sure you are getting the one you want. This author once  had a lovely encounter with the original owner, Walter Powell. While the author was innocently strolling the aisles, Walter waylaid him and sold him the complete collection of books by Victor Hugo. At a very good price. When the author moved to Minnesota, he resold the collection to the bookstore for more than he had paid for them. Walter had since passed away but he would have probably been pleased. He was a wonderful man.

Powers Ave. Winn Powers (1861-1939)  was  editor and publisher of the Odd Fellows Review when he  lived in Saint Paul. The street was named after him. (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live for the naming information) When attempting to find another literary connection this author uncovered an obituary for Marjorie Lorraine Winn Powers (1925-2014) of Montana. She had married a man with the last name of Winn and then, when he died, she married a man named Powers. She apparently went by both last names. This author’s need for coincidence knows no boundaries.

Preble St. Fletcher Pratt (1897–1956) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and history. He is best known for his works on naval history and on the American Civil War. He was the author of Preble's Boys: Commodore Preble and the Birth of American Sea Power (published 1950) which tells the story of Commodore Edward Preble for whom this street is named.

Prescott St. Orville Prescott (1906– 1996) was the main book reviewer for the New York Times for 24 years. The street is not named for him.

Prince St. The street is named for John Prince, a five-time mayor of Saint Paul. (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live for the naming information)  The most famous prince in literature is possibly, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, from Shakespeare's  play. Then there is also a more famous prince: Prince, the musician.

Princeton Ave. F. Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896–1940) attended Princeton University but did not graduate. The street is named for the university.  (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live for the naming information)

Prior Ave. The Durable Dozen: A History Of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Paul by Margaret Morris (born 1915) tells the story of the Sisters whose convent was located on Prior Avenue.

Priscilla St. Priscilla Alden (c.1602–c.1685), for whom the street is named, was a noted member of Massachusetts's Plymouth Colony of Pilgrims, and the wife of fellow colonist John Alden (c.1599–1687). She is one of the three main characters in The Courtship of Miles Standish, an 1858 narrative poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Prospect Blvd. Prospect: The Journal of an Artist (published 1996) by Anne Truitt  (1921–2004), is a memoir by one of America’s leading 20th century sculptors. The New York Times reviewed her memoir with the following: ''Prospect'' is one of those books that reveal what is at total risk of imperceptibility in one's life, lying there, waiting to be discovered.” Her sculpture, 'Australian Spring', 1972, is installed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Prosperity Ave. Prosperity does not appear to be used as a title or subject in any literature other than economic-related. The only comment this author can leave is to repeat the old joke regarding Alfred Nobel and his prize: There is no mystery why there is no Nobel for mathematics. The mystery is why there is one for economics.