Minnesota Reads

In college I had a poetry writing professor who was famous by her own right, but the sister of a far more famous writer. Our assignment was to find a collection of poetry, read it, learn a bit about the writer, analyze the work, and then present our findings. I hopped down the street to [...]

Like a CSI television drama, Find the Girl captures our full attention. The poems deal with the death of and lurking danger to girls and young women. Author, Lightsey Darst's verses urge the reader to tap into the days of innocence when running through fields was brave exploration and lips were stained red by Kool-Aid, [...]

Jazz music, sassy aunts, and sweet home-cooking are nostalgically portrayed in Philip S. Bryant's memoir, Stompin' At The Grand Terrace. Technically a book of poetry, Stompin' also contains prose, photos, an extensive jazz who's who, and even a CD of music by Carolyn Wilkins. Bryant's way of storytelling may even inspire you to pick up [...]

Unrest is an edgy social commentary that expertly blends nature with the chaos of human life. Poet and Master Gardener, Joanna Rawson can look into the fury of a garden with all its encroaching weeds, buzzing wasps, and bold blooms and find a connection to almost anything. Joanna Rawson Reading 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 11 [...]

Let me start out by saying that I am no expert on poetry. The following review is based not on the formal structure of a poem, or what poetry should or shouldn’t be, but based strictly on my love for the written word. Friends of mine would tell you that I’ve never been a huge [...]

If I were ever inclined to tear covers off books, I would do it to this one. Dull brown with a grainy black tree photo and a title that is too uninspired for such a dense work of emotions, The Storm that Killed the Tree is plainly not a good name. I'm not questioning that [...]

Un-Coded Woman is not quite a love-story, yet there is a subtle romance in Anne-Marie Oomen's words. The alliterations and symbolism she uses seem to be a practiced art. Oomen sets us sailing through rich images that delight our senses. Lake Michigan is the ocean and the northern wilderness it's shore. Life isn't a beach-y [...]

Coal Mountain Elementary has a lot of great things going for it: a snappy title, introspective photography by Mark Nowak and Ian Teh, moving newspaper reports and testimonials from the perspective of the coal miners, and disturbing lesson plans comparing mining to cookies. The only confusing aspect to the book is the lack of poetry. [...]

Reading The Divine Comedy took a lot out of me. I feel like I accompanied Dante on his journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. There is so much meaning and information packed into these poems that I needed to take notes just to keep things straight. Even doing that, I missed so much that several [...]

Katie Ford recounts the experience of Hurricane Katrina and humbles us to the indiscriminate tragedies of this world in her new book of poetry Colosseum (Graywolf Press, 2008). It is organized into three sections: Storm, Vessel, and Colosseum. Each section begins with a quote or literary excerpt and one poem is dedicated to the poet [...]