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This Ground Beneath Our Feet was named an Editor’s Choice by NewPages.com and received this lovely review from TweetSpeakPoetry.
Listen to my interviews with Cathy Wurzer on MPR News, with Charity Nebbe on Talk of Iowa (final third of the show), and with Lori Walsh on In the Moment.
Wednesday, April 8 at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 14 at Next Chapter Books in St Paul, MN, 6 p.m.
Thursday, April 16 at Content Books in Northfield, MN, 7 p.m.
Monday, April 20 at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 16 at Foxes & Fireflies Bookstore in Superior Wisconsin, 2 p.m. with Claudia Daly, Paula Cisewski and Sandra Hisakuni.
Sunday, May 31 with poet Joanne Esser at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, MN, 2 p.m.
I just found out that “Fierce Delight” is headed for its THIRD print run! It’s so exciting to have these poems out in the world, getting seen and shared. Below is a part of a lovely note I received from a reader.
I am so delighted by this cover for my next book! When the editor of Holy Cow! Press encouraged me to select work by a local artist for the cover, I wasn’t sure where to start. But then this spring, I saw this gorgeous painting by Evan Abrahamson at a gallery, and I just stopped in my tracks. I’m so grateful to have his work on the cover.
Reviews are starting to come in from fellow poets, and here’s a sampling:
“Bright gorgeously illuminates the ‘wild goodness’ of being alive.”
—Ed Bok Lee, American Book Award-winning author of Whorled
“What begins as a commission from the past ends in a love song to the world of here and now.”
—Joyce Sutphen, former Minnesota Poet Laureate
I couldn’t ask for a better national debut than this lovely piece on NPR. Listen here.
For more, listen to my radio conversation on MPR News with host Tom Crann here.
Listen to my conversation on IPR’s “Talk of Iowa” with host Charity Nebbe here (third segment, starting about 30 minutes in.)
It’s National Poetry Month, the birds are singing outside my window (literally, there’s a whole chorus happening), and I have news on TWO books to share.
1) “Fierce Delight: Poems of Early Motherhood” is now available for pre-orders! Order here. It makes a great Mother’s Day gift…
2) My second poetry collection “This Ground Beneath Our Feet,” will be published by Holy Cow! Press next April, 2026. These are narrative and lyrical poems about home and seeking common ground, both literally and metaphorically.
I am currently seeking an agent for my Middle Grade novels, including a beautiful middle grade novel-in-verse about living with your heart in two places. It’s called “Charlie, In-Between,” and I would love to see out in the world.
My debut poetry collection Fierce Delight: Poems of Early Motherhood is forthcoming from the lovely North Star Press in May of 2025!
How am I going to wait a whole year to share this with the world?
Well, I’m not really. I’ve got two readings coming up:
Midstream Reading Series at Unity Church in St Paul March 11th at 7 pm
at ArtStart with the theme “visioning of a new world” May 18 at 7 pm
I always think it’s kind of funny when authors have photos that are a decade or two old. That was easy to laugh at when I was 20, but now that I’m a bit older it occurs to me that, with all the things to do in life, getting one’s picture taken just might not be top priority.
But I finally did it. Many thanks to the wonderful Christine Nguyen for lovely new author photos on a beautiful day in the park!
Two years ago, I did a story about a rock musical about a rock—about a runestone whose veracity has sparked debated for decades. Turns out, it was the last in-person interview I did before COVID. The show got delayed, but its world premiere was this past weekend, and it runs through May 29th at the History Theatre in St Paul. Have a listen:
My thanks to Frances James of the Minneapolis Poetry Sanctuary for putting together this virtual poetry reading with some talented ladies. It’s such a pleasure to listen to and give poetry readings. Oh, how I’d missed it! I’m the third poet here.
Remember April and early May, when we thought it was a matter of just toughing out another week or two of quarantine, then things would go back to normal?
That’s the moment we wanted to document in this podcast episode from MinneCulture. I produced the audio diary from Ed Bok Lee, which delves into the creation that comes from chaos…while fielding knock-knock jokes from his 4 year-old. Also, an effervescent interview with hiphop artist NUR-D about producing his new EP “Trapped in my Room.” If you’ve heard him perform, you know how lovely his personality is. If you haven’t, you may love him by the end.
So here's the story behind this one...we were just about to launch it when George Floyd was killed, so we set this one aside and charged into producing an artist response to his death. Subscribe to the MinneCulture podcast or scroll down my feed to hear that one, too.
And please help us share. The artists all live in Minnesota, but the stories are wide-ranging and relatable to all.
I am proud to share the latest episode of the MinneCulture Podcast: What do we do now? Minnesota Artists respond to the Killing of George Floyd.
This episode will take you on a tour of Minneapolis, from the memorial where folks gather for a healing jingle dress dance...to the American Indian Cultural Corridor, where rapper Tall Paul describes catching some teens from Wisconsin allegedly trying to rob a liquor store and making them call their parents....to the area of the scorched 3rd precinct, where we get a tour from a graffiti artist who will absolutely change the way you think about graffiti art and community conversation.
Listen here:
Proof that Scandinavians arrived in this country in the 1300s? Total hoax? I recently learned about the Kensington Runestone--a story that is very devisive locally. And now, it's a musical! A rock musical! (rimshot)
The World Premiere was supposed to take place next month, but it’s been postponed until the fall, so consider this a sneak preview:
Ever since I learned how to produce radio stories, I've wanted to produce a non-narrated story--one without my voice in it. These are deceptively hard to do. You need great background audio, and you need an interview subject who speaks clearly and succinctly. Lots of people don’t do that.
Finally, mission accomplished! Hear how St. Paul hiphop artist Tou SaiK connected this American style with his Hmong roots: by free styling with his grandma.
Composer in Residence. It’s not a common job. But that was the title Kashimana Ahua held for a year in the central Minnesota town of Willmar. The goal was to help the town's increasingly diverse community of residents get to know each other--by writing songs together.
When Juxtaposition Arts in North Minneapolis had to demolish a building, they knew they would have a vacant corner lot on their hands. And they weren’t about to let a great opportunity like that go to waste. What stands there now is a vibrant community space and skate-able art part—and teenagers were involved in every step of the way. It’s only there for a limited time…Listen in.
They call it the Twin Cities, but relationships between Minneapolis and St Paul were not always so sisterly. During the 1890 census, the battle over which city would prove to be bigger turned into a scene from a crime novel. Ever heard of the phrase “Padding the numbers?” Yeah, you’re welcome world…here’s the origin story from a time when people weren’t so Minnesota-nice.
Recently I attended a neat concert…the launch of the first album in a generation written for (and partly by) Somali youth…and it came from the heart of Minneapolis!
The kids teamed up with London-based Somali musician Aar Mantha. Even the educational songs (updated, with modern twists) have a groovy beat. Listen in here on the making-of.
You might not imagine abstract poetry and folk songs could come from the same brain, but why not? For Brian Laidlaw, these two are endlessly interconnected and inspiring…