Indigenous Nations Poets Gather in Door County

Sixteen Indigenous poetry fellows from 12 tribal nations will gather with distinguished Indigenous faculty in Door County April 23-28 for the second In-Na-Po: the Indigenous Nations Poets mentoring retreat. In-Na-Po is a new organization dedicated to mentoring emerging Native writers, founded by former Wisconsin poet laureate Kimberly Blaeser (Anishinaabe).

The poets will give a poetry reading April 27 and 28, both at 7 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County, 10341 Water St. (Hwy 42) in Ephraim. A musical performance featuring Wade Fernandez of the Menominee Nation will follow Friday’s reading. 

The retreat’s faculty members are Heid E. Erdrich (Anishinaabe), the recent winner of the Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry; Craig Santos Perez (Chamoru), whose accolades include the American Book Award and the Pen Center USA/Poetry Society of America Literary Prize; and Sherwin Bitsui (Diné), whose honors include an American Book Award and a PEN Open Book Award. Visiting faculty includes Elise Paschen (Osage), co-founder of Poetry in Motion and a past winner of the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize.