Poetry Posts

Poet Laureate Collection unveiled at UMD

The Twin Ports area has long been a literary center for Minnesota. Now, the history of the literary community in Duluth is open and available to researchers and readers alike in the Archives and Special Collections of the Kathryn A. Martin Library at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Poet Laureate Program is the heart of a collection of materials available to the public.

Chester Park has a new kind of tree: A poetree

“This book is offered in the form of a poetry chrysalis to encourage us to think about how we are a part of nature and how our actions cause change,” Wildwood wrote on the note. (Photo by Rob Wildwood via Facebook)

Picking a new summer book just got easier. Duluth writer Robert Wildwood has taken the free library idea to new heights, offering up copies of his latest book of poetry to the public in a novel way. This month, chrysalides of poetry appeared in Chester Park trees, and they are a gift for you.

Placemats as Time Capsule of Duluth Poetry

As part of the Duluth Poet Laureate collection being built at the University of Minnesota Duluth Kathryn A. Martin Library Archives & Special Collections, Sheila Packa donated some poetry placemats that were collected for use at an Empty Bowl event.

Sheila Packa on MPR

Sheila Packa was interviewed by Cathy Wurzer on Minnesota Public Radio. She asked her what poem made her want to become a poet.

Poetry Slam Dunk

On March 5, the Duluth Poetry Chapter, working with Caddy Shack Indoor Golf & Pub, hosted a Poetry Slam Dunk, a play on the usual open-mic format of a poetry slam. Poetry slams are typically held in bars, with the alcohol making the reading of poems less intimidating and the listening more relaxed, too.

A year of a poet laureate

I’ve been working with Bart Sutter to record the history of the poet laureate program in Duluth. Sutter was the first poet laureate, and the only author to win the Minnesota Book Award in three different categories.

Oral Histories of Poetry in Duluth

Bart Sutter has shared with me some of his important work as poet laureate. Below is a document from his collection, a partial transcript of a panel he organized. The panel set out to construct an oral history of poetry in Duluth.

I would love more info about the panel or about the clubs and organizations listed therein.

Call for Poems and Nonfiction Writing (Journals, Essays, etc.) about “What I Learned from a Travel Experience”

University of Minnesota Duluth students in Writing Studies 4200, “Writing and Cultures,” will edit a collection of creative writing (poems and nonfiction) about what can be learned from a travel experience. They are soliciting writings from everyone (students, alumni, and the broader community) on this topic for inclusion in the collection.

Seven AI-generated poems about Duluth, written by ChatGPT and illustrated by Dall-e 2

AI image prompt: a Japanese woodblock print of a large lake in a storm with a city on a tree covered hill in the background and seagulls in the sky

ChatGPT prompt: Write a haiku about Duluth

Duluth by the shore
The waves crash and the gulls cry
Nature’s symphony

The Slice: Duluth Poet Laureates Reading 2022

A series of readings was held in October celebrating past poet laureates of Duluth and introducing the next generation of the city’s poets.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Bits of Bly: August Sun

The five-part series of clips from a 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD concludes with the poet reciting his poem “August Sun.”

Bits of Bly: The Time of Grief

In part four of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about the future of American poetry.

Bits of Bly: Transfusions from Other Cultures

In part three of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about Spanish poetry and other influences, including the Indian poet Ghalib.

Bits of Bly: The Suburbs of Jerusalem

In part two of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about nature as an influence and following a thread with words.

Bits of Bly: The Sibling Society

Poet and social critic Robert Bly, who penned many of his works from a cabin on Moosehead Lake about 30 miles southwest of Duluth, died on Nov. 21 at the age of 94. He was interviewed in the fall of 1997 on KUMD radio in Duluth, and a cassette of the interview survives in the Perfect Duluth Day archive. Consider the clip above to be part one of a short series.

The interview took place the year after Bly’s book The Sibling Society: An Impassioned Call for the Rediscovery of Adulthood was published.

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