Writing this blog entry feels a little like starting a free write. Where do I begin? Yesterday was the first full day of our annual retreat at the South Dakota State University Oak Lake Field Station and lodge. It was oppressively hot and humid.
Thankfully, we got a break today from the heat. To my eyes—I’ve lived away from South Dakota for years—a gorgeous storm blew through early this morning. The skies all around were lit by silent flashing lights and shattered by lightening. We didn’t get the 60 mph winds and hail that was on warning for the surrounding counties. But I fled my tent for the lodge anyway, and finished my night's sleep under the safety of a roof (p.s. in late morning the winds did unstake my tent on its frame. It took a roll around the lodge grounds).
Back on topic: We had a lovely, comfortable afternoon today. The breeze was strong. In the high-ceilinged lodge amidst whirring fans, this year’s mentor, Gordon Henry, Professor and Director of Creative Writing in the Department of English at Michigan State University, directed a writing workshop session with an informal discussion centered around poems written by prominent Native American poets, including Ray Young Bear and Maurice Kenny. Younger, less published writers from around the state of South Dakota sat alongside older, sometimes widely published writers. Conversations revolved around analyses of style and language choice—in particular the intersections between western literary forms and whether or not the writers achieved convincingly tribal voices that seemed culturally-based in ways that reflected relationships with particular landscapes.
Henry also spoke about the way that writing practice might come and go amidst the other things that we all need to do in life. Indeed, our group, old and young alike, is populated with teachers, professors, students, a journalist and community organizer, an architect, a psychologist, a factory worker/daydreamer/rhymer, artists, parents and grandparents, and the list goes on. Most us live and work in tribal communities. When Henry encouraged people to keep writing it was within this broader understanding of the very full lives of our members. We also talked about the need to write in ways that can be spoken. And we strategized about the need to do more readings and to create venues for literature readings in the state. After the afternoon session and just before dinner, the writers and mentors conversed informally in small groups, their conversations entwining literary, university, and tribal politics.
Tomorrow is our annual retreat reading and potluck out at the lodge. All of the participants will read poems or excerpts from longer pieces. The reading and meal draws a large and appreciative audience of academics, writers, teachers, and those interested in literature from South Dakota State University and the broader Brookings community. Our audience members also bring the food. We’ll post photos and a video of the reading soon.
Tired, but still working, blog administrator Tasi Livermont and I are here at this fantastic locally-owned coffee house in Brookings, Cottonwood Coffee, downtown on Main. We need the internet to work on the Web site, which goes live very soon. And we love the blended mochas. Not too sweet, extra shot of espresso. Life is good wired.
This just in from society member, Mabel Picotte: Poetry Day at the Fair will happen at the South Dakota State Fair in Huron on Saturday, September 3rd from 11:00-3:00 p.m. in the Women’s Center building auditorium. Open-mic readings start at 1:00 pm. Originally we posted here that sign up starts at 11:00 a.m. The organizers have revised that. In the interest of time, please contact bbroseland@venturecomm.net ASAP if you'd like to read. Following is an updated schedule for Poetry Day:
