IF YOU GO The Northfield Public Library is hosting a hometown book launch for the poetry collection entitled “We Look West” on Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. 3cd8a099-b380-42c9-a605-4f58534d154b
In the newly published volume, “We Look West,” local poet Julie A. Ryan’s same-name poem closes the collection one reviewer has titled “a bouquet of vintage memories.”
The 115-page volume published by Shipwreckt Books in Winona invites readers to sample 16 poems each from five Northfield poets who reflect upon their long paths from sunrise.
In a rambling, laughter-filled mid-morning meeting at The Hideaway, four of those five poets gathered around a wooden table to discuss their poetry, their collaboration and their journey to publication which started well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Married poets Becky Boling and D.E. Green, who have served as Northfield’s interim Poets Laureate, joined Steve McCown and Julie Ryan at the table. Boling joked that they would have made the meeting mandatory for fellow poet Heather Candels, “except she would have had to fly back from New Zealand.”
Like the serendipity of forming the Poets of the Northfield Public Library group, the five poets said they’ve found uncanny connections, are on the same wavelength, are comfortable with each other, and genuinely like spending time together.
“We laugh a lot,” said Ryan.
“We’re all creative people in solitude,” said Green.
Fate, muses and God
Asked how the five members of the Poets of the Northfield Public Library came together to compile a poetry collection, McCown remarked, “It was fate, the muses and God — along with Rob.”
McCown was referring to Rob Hardy, former Poet Laureate of Northfield and a founding member of the Poets of the Northfield Public Library group.
In an email exchange from Greece, Hardy explained exactly how the group formed and how quickly — within a week or two — the poets solidified:
“In 2018, David Walters was new to town. He met Mary Carlson at church and told her he wanted to meet other local poets and possibly join a writer’s group. Mary told him to contact me, which he did. I emailed around to other poets I knew — some long-time Northfielders like Becky and Doug, some relative newcomers like Steve McCown—and asked if they would like to start a writer’s group for poets — a group of poets who would read and comment on each other’s poetry.”
Hardy said a few of the original members dropped out soon after the group started, but the core group remained: Doug Green, Becky Boling, Steve McCown, Heather Candels, Julie Ryan, and David Walters.
“David died in December 2020 and so isn’t included in the book, but I really credit him with getting the ball rolling,” Hardy wrote.
Hardy said the poets group was formed through reaching out and making connections.
“David meets Mary, Mary puts David in touch with me, and I help him gather a community of poets around him,” he said. “These poets are all wonderful as individuals, and each one has his or her own distinctive voice, but what really makes them special, I think, is that they have formed a community. They each do their own thing, but they do it together. I think that’s pretty great.”
Meeting format
Boling explained that from the start Hardy established a format for their group: each poet would submit one poem in advance with the others. Since they try to meet twice a month, crafting two poems a month to share can often pose challenges. “Life intervenes,” said Boling. “That’s a hell of a lot of work.”
Despite the rigor system, all the poets admitted they appreciated getting creative feedback from their peers. McCown called the feedback “inspiring,” while Ryan said it gave everyone extra energy, dimension and rhythm.”
Adhering to the format certainly helped the group maintain some normalcy during the pandemic when members connected in Zoom meetings. “We tried to keep the writing flame alive,” said Green.
Not only do the poets critique each other’s written works but they also give feedback after a piece is spoken out loud.
Like the oral traditions of the Greeks, Romans and Native Americans, reading out loud not only gives the poet performance practice, reading out loud may often add a deeper, more spiritual aspect to the written words.
“It’s usually true if someone has trouble reading out loud, there’s trouble in the lines,” said Green.
“We’re not all introverts, even if we act like it,” said Boling. “Many of us have a driving desire for others to hear our work.”
Challenging process
When it came time for each poet to shape his or her 16 poems into a section for the book, the poets admitted that conflicts arose regarding framing issues. The principle issues involved line spacing, margins and hanging indents, all visual styles that may change the look of the poem, and thus the interpretation. These framing issues required sometimes intense negotiation.
“The creative process is a messy one,” said McCown.
Tom Driscoll, managing editor and CEO, Shipwreckt Books Publishing Co. in Winona, called the process of working with five living poets challenging. “We had five times the communication, five times the level of editing , five time the list of attributions, and five times the challenge of keeping it all straight,” said Driscoll.
At the same time, Driscoll acknowledged that he’s had his eye of the “Northfield literary renaissance” for quite awhile, having published separately works by Hardy and McCown.
“This may be schlocky, but true: it’s been an honor to work with five of Northfield’s many terrific poets,” he wrote in an email. “This diverse group of artists answers the ageless question, “What is poetry?”
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