Join us next Wednesday evening for some great poetry!
Poets Janna Knittel, Stanley Kusunoki, Sagirah Shahid, and Bryan Thao Worra will present their poetry in an evening of sharing the spoken word. Time for questions and answers will be provided at the end of the session.
This is such a cool opportunity and… it’s virtual!!! Sometimes, COVID brings about great opportunities. This is one of them!
If you’re interested in joining us, visit this website to sign up and reserve your spot!
Poet’s Bios-
Janna Knittel lives in Minnesota but still calls the Pacific Northwest “home.” Janna has published a chapbook, Fish & Wild Life (Finishing Line Press, 2018) and has poems published or forthcoming in Between These Shores Literary and Arts Annual, Blueline, Cottonwood, Up North Lit, North Dakota Quarterly, Split Rock Review, Cold Mountain Review, Whale Road Review, The Wild Word, and Waters Deep: A Great Lakes Anthology. Recognition includes 2021 and 2019 grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Stanley Kusunoki is the author of three collections of poetry; 180 Days, Reflections and Observations of a Teacher, Items in the News, both published by North Star Press of St. Cloud, and Shelter in Place—Poems in a Time of COVID-19, (Polaris Press, an imprint of North Star Press). He has taught creative writing to young people through programs at The Loft, Asian American Renaissance, Intermedia Arts, and S.A.S.E., The Write Place. He was the recipient of a Loft “Asian Inroads” mentorship, and was awarded a MN State Arts board “Cultural Collaboration” grant to create, write and perform “Beringia-The Land Bridge Project” with Ojibwe performance poet, Jamison Mahto at Intermedia Arts. He is the host/curator of the Bridges reading series at Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. Kusunoki most recently was the High Potential Coordinator at Red Oak Elementary School in Shakopee. He lives in St. Paul with his wife, Claudia Daly.
Sagirah Shahid is an African American Muslim poet, educator, and performance artist from Minneapolis. Sagirah has received awards, residencies, and fellowships from the Loft Literary Center, Wisdom Ways, the Twin Cities Media Alliance, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Her debut collection of poetry “Surveillance of Joy” is forthcoming from Half Mystic Press in April 2021.
Bryan Thao Worra is the Lao Minnesotan Poet Laureate and the author of 10+ books, recently appointed by Governor Dayton to the state Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans to represent the Lao community. He holds over 20 national and international awards for his writing and community leadership. This is his first reading in St. Cloud in over 15 years.
Brought to you by the Department of English and the College of Liberal Arts.
