Rural+Poetry+Initiative

,



In December 2005 our site applied for and received a $3,000 mini-grant to help us promote poetry and place-conscious writing in the U.P. The process involved collaboration with the National Writing Project and the Rural School and Community Trust. The Nebraska Writing Project coordinated the initiative, which was inspired by the work of Nebraska poet and United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. Upon receiving the grant, Heather Hollands and Amy Laitinen developed a Rural Poetry Initiative to celebrate and reflect rural life in the U.P. Students from across the Upper Peninsula submitted poetry, which was judged by Northern Michigan University faculty members. One student, Jeni Schrandt, was chosen to travel to Washington, D.C., as a representative for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to read her poetry at the Library of Congress.