in which One Finds a Revitalization Effort and a Bone to Pick

It's been a theme in my life that I do best when I have multiple initiatives in the works all at once until they all collapse (end of the semester grading generally) and I have to slowly pick them up and start juggling again.
Since I don't have the ability right now to take up my poetry or short story just yet, I thought setting some literary thoughts down on the interweb would be a serviceable alternative. Especially when I have a bone to pick, but don't feel it'd be in the spirit of the store blog.

Spirit Lake Poetry Series was started 20ish years ago now. Its aims were(are?) to bring great poets into the area and help to highlight poets and poetry interest in the Twin Ports. I know Louis Jenkins was integral to its creation and long-term success. I'd have a lot more to share about the series if they had a website. I'd even be able to support what I have here if The Reader had a real website since I learned a lot for the Louis Jenkins interview a year or two back. But that's not the case.

And that is part of the problem. It's a great initiative that doesn't seem capable of recognizing how great it is. No one university in the area is large enough to really draw in great poets from across the nation. But between all the writers and educators we have between the 3 universities, 3 community colleges and different writers' groups, there are plenty of connections to wonderful poets across the country and beyond! Spirit Lake Poetry Series offers poets a visit to Duluth to read for an hour, then relax and leave. No classes to teach unless they seek them out. No panels or conferences to prepare for ahead of time. Just a clean reading and a chance to chat with some Duluthians who know and love poetry.

But this year the majority of the readers are either Duluthians or have read in Duluth in the last year. We do have great writers in Duluth, and I treasure them dearly. But there are plenty of venues and times for them to share their craft in the city. They are close enough that they can run courses and come in to the Universities. There have generally been two events for local/regional poets: St. David's open mic day and a release-type reading from whomever has a book coming out near to the event. Everyone else would be coming in from out of town. It may not be their first time, but they've at least been away and working for several years.

This year the only poet who falls into the category of new, visiting poet is Beth Ann Fennelly. I really do like her work and I'm looking forward to hear her read again, since she's done a lot of work since I last saw her read at Miami University. Everyone else on the slate has read in Duluth within the last year. Great talent, but how is that really serving the poetry/writing community?

Have the connections run dry? Are the resources less? Do we really think that we are so low on local venues that we need to utilize the one that was meant to showcase talent from out of town? I am WAY for localism and community spirit, but a part of that HAS to be awareness and recognition of the larger picture. It's what keeps communities from becoming redundant and solipsistic. I don't think we've crossed those lines yet, but the 2008-09 series does very little to inspire my confidence that we will continue to be a dynamic writing and literary community in the northland.