it's all in the details

Be obscure clearly. ~E.B. White

I talked with Park Rapids poet LouAnn Shepard Mumm this week about her new book of poetry "Breaking the Glass" published by Loonfeather Press in Bemidji. LouAnn said to me of her poetry, "I strive for what I call deceptive simplicity. On one level very simple and straightforward but ideally there are other levels a reader can go to if they choose to."

Here's her poem "Bird Sanctuary"

I don't know how
word gets out-

whether in song

or in movement

like the bees' waggle-dance,

showing the way to all the best nectar-

but somehow they know

I've learned form girlhood

to keep the feeders filled,

to open my doors

to the broken-winged

and lost.

I have no field guide

to tell by their markings

whether they are vultures,

or eagles,

or wrens,

but I take my own notes

and add more data

with each new check

on my lifetime

list.

In our conversation LouAnn talked about the community of writers in the Park Rapids area including the Jack Pine Writer's Bloc and their publication "The Talking Stick". She also talked about some of the retreats she has gone to including St. Benedict's Retreats in Collegeville and

Arc Ecumenical Retreat in Stanchfield, Minnesota.

If you are interested in a retreat check here for retreat centers around the country. Post here if you've ever been a part of one and tell us what it was like!