National Poetry Month Readings at the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library

(ISHPEMING, MI) – Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month is a special occasion that celebrates poets and poetry! We are excited to bring this celebration to the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library by hosting two poetry readings on back-to-back evenings.

The first poetry reading will be on Wednesday, April 16th at 5:30pm, and it will feature local poets, Troy Graham and U.P. Poet Laureate, Beverly Matherne. This poetry performance will open with Troy Graham reading newly released poems followed by ’23-’24 U.P. Poet Laureate, Beverly Matherne’s performance of original poetry. Beverly Matherne is the author of seven bilingual books of poetry in French and English. Her latest, from Harvard Square Press, Love Potions, Teas, Incantations, is a collection inspired by paintings. She is currently completing a collection of haiku, a tribute to the Upper Peninsula. Troy Graham is a Marquette area singer-songwriter, performer and poet. He has self-published several books independently and in collective poetry groups. He has instructed dozens of interactive writing workshops for youth in schools, libraries and colleges.

The second event is on Thursday, April 17th at 5:30pm, and it will feature local poet, Kathleen M. Heideman and her new collection, The Caving Grounds. “Through poetry and historic research, ‘The Caving Grounds’ excavates the rubble of Negaunee, a small town in Upper Michigan hollowed by a century of mining. The extraction of hematite caused underground collapses and sinkholes; undermined neighborhoods were deemed unstable; homes, churches and even cemeteries were moved, and dangerous areas fenced. Thankfully, a guide will emerge: Rusty.”