Making Place: How Poetry Invents the World

Last November, I was asked to read some poems at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Asked what to call the presentation, I chose the lofty title above. The talk looks at the influence of place on poetry and the influence poetry has on our perceptions of place. Poems can change the way we see the world, and in that way construct the world. Here is a link to the talk, if you're into that sort of thing. There are lots of poems from all three of my books and lots of stories about the poems and the places that shaped them. There is also quite a bit of heckling from a rowdy audience of word lovers. Enjoy. Making Place: How Poetry Invents the World

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