🙋♂️ Frequently asked questions
More about the project, what you'll get, what you'll pay, and who's behind it.
What is it?
Longfellow Whatever is a news service focused on the fine-grained details of life Longfellow. It's delivered via e-mail a few times a week. It launched March 1, 2024, with the help of 124 founding subscribers and is funded almost entirely by the readers it serves.
What do I get?
In practical terms: You're getting access to frequent, brief updates on neighborhood happenings delivered to your inbox and the full archives on our website.
Big picture: You're getting more information about the curiosities, goings-on, and colorful people that make up the Longfellow communities than would make sense anywhere else. In theory, that should translate to a more interesting day-to-day life and a deeper connection to your immediate surroundings. That's the hope, anyway!
How often will I hear from you?
A couple times a week. Brevity and casualness are the norm, though there are some more in-depth features mixed in. It shouldn't feel like a chore to keep up with.
What kind of content?
Some common story archetypes: How’s business at [neighborhood business]? What’s the deal with [neighborhood curiosity]? What’s the plan for solving [neighborhood challenge]? What's [interesting person]’s story? Did you know about [piece of neighborhood history]? A vast majority of the stories are not covered anywhere else.
Is this part of a bigger business or project?
Nope!
What area are you focused on?
The same boundaries as the Longfellow Community Council: Hiawatha Avenue, the Greenway, and the river. That encompasses the neighborhoods of Longfellow, Cooper, Howe, and Hiawatha.
Who’s writing this?
Hi: I’m Trevor, the main voice behind the project, though not the only contributor. I don’t want to make this too much about me, but some resumé-type details that might be relevant:
I’m a former reporter for the Associated Press, and I've written for most of the local outlets, including the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, City Pages, Racket, and MinnPost. I spent another chapter of my career in local government doing community engagement and communications for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. I have a BA in journalism and an MA in communications both from the U, where I was also an editor at the Minnesota Daily.
I served on the Minneapolis city council's pedestrian advisory committee and Seward Neighborhood Group's history committee. I’ve co-authored a book about dominoes and was part of the group that wrote the Seward neighborhood history book. I’ve lived in or immediately around Longfellow for 17 years and currently live in Cooper with my wife and dog.
Editing help from Longfellow's own Tatum Fjerstad. Logo by Paul Novak with the good-humored permission you'd expect from Matt at East Lake Liquor.
How did you land on that price?
Basically, it's the lowest price that gives the project a chance to sustain itself. It's in line with other newsletters of our kind (run by a dedicated professional, about a hyper-specific topic): Less than the Star Tribune or New York Times, more than stuff that's free, about the cost of a burrito per month. And it's really easy to cancel if at any point it feels like you're not getting your burrito's-worth.
I'd really like access but I can't afford it right now.
The Longfellow Community Council has generously sponsored a limited number of yearlong subscriptions for people for whom the cost is a barrier. You can sign up for a sponsored subscription here.
We're also lucky to have some great free sources of information in the neighborhood, including the Longfellow-Nokomis Messenger, the Longfellow Community Council's newsletter, and the Facebook group Longfellow Social.
Are readers saying any nice things about it?
OK, you didn't actually ask that, but the answer is yes ☺️:
Just wanted to say how much I'm loving the newsletter – and today's edition especially! We've lived in Howe for three years now and have really enjoyed getting to know our neighborhood better through your work the last few months. You've already addressed so many of the curiosities I've compounded over thousands of hours of neighborhood dog walks over the years.
I very much appreciate the time you take to write and report on the happenings and history of this neighborhood. Your reporting style is fact driven but with personality. And so much of it shares a bigger picture of the neighborhood through connection of the community that lives in it. Well done!
Longfellow Whatever is one of the best emails that pops up in my inbox every week, thanks so much for all the work you do on it.
Keep up the great work. Your reporting is becoming one of the mainstays of my local reads every week!
Detailed information on local businesses and activities, great writing style. Just so enjoyable. Thank you for doing this!
Just a quick note to say - well done! Really enjoying your work, informative, interesting, humorous, and well written. Hope you are thriving. A great service to the community! Cheers!
It has been great to read your newsletter, and I already think of it as an invaluable part of living here in Longfellow.
I am so happy I subscribed. My husband and I recently moved to the neighborhood and it’s been a great way to get to know the area, past and present. You write very well (I work in publishing so I really mean it!) and I enjoy every email. Plus the inside scoop on upcoming businesses is so exciting! Thank you for helping Longfellow feel like home :)
It’s so cool that you just answer the questions I have without asking.
The fact that we can get news this specific is amazing! I love your more in depth pieces that clearly have taken weeks of research to put together, but this type of on the spot chutzpah is really what I'm subscribing for. Keep up the good work!
Wow. I drove by this morning, saw the sign up on the building and thought, “I need to research that later.” Opened my e-mail and you’ve already done the work! Thank you - I’m really enjoying my subscription and the stories you’re bringing.
I just wanted to give you a compliment: Having been a copy editor and proofreader for more than 20 years, I admire your writing style and professionalism. Keep up the good work!
Hello! Just wanted to send a note of thank for your work on the newsletter! I was hesitant to sign up and add another monthly subscription but this is well worth it. My husband and I just bought a house in Longfellow and we love having hyper local news. Keep up the great work!