The Present Moment

First published through my Water's Edge Press newsletter When I first read Tolstoy’s great fable, The Emperor’s Three Questions, I knew I would use it as the first work we read in AP English Literature and Composition each year. My premise was that AP English was hard work, so our…

Boon: Fifty Poems by Karl Elder, a review

Disclaimer: Midwestern poet Karl Elder was my adviser and mentor when I was an undergrad at Lakeland College in the late 1980s, and then beyond when I worked with him in a supportive role for the Great Lakes Writers Festival. Elder, more than any other person, taught me poetry and…

The Thrill of the Game

First published through my Water's Edge Press newsletterI have many ties to the movie Field of Dreams. In my high school years, I lived in Dyersville, Iowa, the site of the farmhouse and field used in the movie. Major League Baseball built a ballpark in Dyersville, adjacent to the movie…