Many birds who summer in Minnesota are headed South, although the hardy ones stay. Today we honor them with a look at “Little by Little, the Bird Builds Its Nest,” made up of poetry about birds from some of Minnesota’s most accomplished poets, including Mike Hazard, Jim Lenfestey, Donna Isaac, Thomas R. Smith, Michael Moos, Donna Isaac and Diane Jarvenpa
(Courtesy of Paris Morning Publications)
“The poems in this collection celebrate birds of all kinds — beautiful songbirds, homely stalwarts — and eloquently describe the work they do to find their place in the natural world,” writes Julie Pfitzinger, publisher of Paris Morning Publications. “We observe their persistence, their glory, their stillness, their noise. Little by little — petit a petit — these poems invite us to build our own ‘nests’ of appreciation for the world that surrounds us.”
This attractively designed collection, edited by jd Hegarty, is divided by the birds’ actions — Hatch, Perch, Song, Nest. From blue jays to drunken robins, owls to to swallows returning to New York, these thoughtful, amusing, gentle poems will strike a chord with everyone who loves nature, especially those enthusiasts who spend the year tending feeders and keeping fresh water available for winged visitors (and fighting the squirrels).
Some contributors to the collection will read at the book launch at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Saint City Catering, 218 E. Seventh St., St. Paul. Among them are Klecko, Julia Klatt Singer, Michael Moos, Donna Isaac and Scott Vetsch, with others to be announced. The program, presented in partnership with SubText Books, is free and open to the public.
‘Belongings’
Margaret Hasse, another of Minnesota’s high-profile poets, is celebrating publication of “Belongings,” made up of 31 new poems and others from her previous eight books. Hasse, who lives in St. Paul, is a poet, teacher, and writing mentor who has been a national consultant to arts organizations. After moving to Minnesota in 1973 from California, she became involved in the growing literary community, teaching at correctional facilities, the Loft Literary Center and for COMPAS poets-in-the-schools.
Award-winning St. Paul poet Deborah Keenan writes of Hasse’s new collection: “Within the word that names this book, I think about the poet be-ing in the complex and bountiful world she writes from, and I consider her longing, what is longed for, and in what myriad ways she answers this huge idea of belonging. In all Hasse writes about, we witness her extraordinary gifts as maker of image, her deep understanding of tone, and her willingness to convey the essence of her assigned and chosen worlds. Here is a poet worth celebrating.”
Margaret Hasse (Courtesy of David Grothe)
Hasse will launch her book with a party and reading at 7 p.m. Friday, Unity Church-Unitarian, 733 Portland Ave., St Paul. The free event, hosted by publisher Nodin Press, will also be aired via Zoom. Go to bit.ly/MHasseOct25. No registration required.
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