Winona’s Poet Laureate plans two public events in February

WINONA, Minn. — Winona’s Poet Laureate Ken McCullough will host two public events in February.

As part of the Food for Thought Lecture Series, he will present a talk titled The Poet as Witness at noon Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the May Murray Room at the Winona Historical Society.

Memoir and creative non-fiction have become the most popular form of writing today, but first-person writing has been part of the American voice since Thoreau's "Walden" and Whitman's "Song of Myself." McCullough, who also works at Saint Mary’s University, will explore this particular American phenomenon by sharing examples from his own work and the work of other contemporary poets.

McCullough and performance artist Marilyn Klinkner will co-host a pre-Valentine's Day poetry round robin at the Winona Arts Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10. The public is invited to bring a love poem (or poems) to read (or have read), especially original work. Source books will be available. Refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact McCullough at (507) 457-8737.