Thursday, September 18, 2008

Reading in Bemidji This Weekend

On Saturday, 9/20, I will be reading in Bemidji with some old friends. The readers are Gail Rixen, Anthony Swann, Diane Pittman, and Erin Marsh. Gail Rixen and I go back over ten years. We met in CarolAnn Russell's "Bemidji Poetry Salon," and have since taught together in a Bemidji Elementary "poet in the schools" day, and at the Thief River Falls Young Author's Conference. Gail has been a tireless supporter, and especially pushed and encouraged me to send out my full-length manuscript. I was thrilled when Loonfeather accepted it and Gail was named as the editor (along with Betty Rossi). Her insights are always good, and her poetry excellent. Diane Pittman was a regular attendee of the Creative Words Coffeehouse that I ran ten years or so ago at the Headwaters School of Music and Art. I remembering envying the volume of poetry she had memorized. I look forward to hearing her new work! Anthony Swann was also a Creative Words Coffee-houser, and has also had some connection through the Jackpine Writers Bloc. I don't know Erin Marsh, but look forward to meeting her.

Bemidji has such an important place in my poetic development--it was while attending BSU and studying with CarolAnn Russell that I really began writing poetry seriously, and being affiliated with her and with the vibrant writing community there was crucial for me. It will be a lot of fun to be back there, in that place and with those people.

Here are the details:

7 p.m.
September 20, 2008
Masonic Building
501 Bemidji Avenue, Bemidji
Free and open to the public

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