In keeping with the neighborhood theme, this is a reading and conversation with poets John David Thompson and Staci Harper-Bennett about poetry supporting a sense of place. Location in the heart of the Beaverdale neighborhood.
Staci Harper-Bennett is the author of four chapbooks- Soon is Not, Brittle Futures, Thirty, and Crime Scenes- and is known throughout the Midwest for her written and spoken word poetry. She has performed at events such as Slutwalk Des Moines and One Billion Rising, and lent her voice and experience to "Words Save Lives," an exploration of poetry as a suicide prevention tool. When not writing poetry, she can be found at home in her garden or working at the Des Moines Art Center.
John David Thompson has more than 15 volumes of published poetry. Among his most recent works - Iowa Poems 175: Poetry to Observe Iowa’s 175th Birthday. He wrote a whopping 88 new poems for this volume, which he started a year before the pandemic began. All the while, he has worked full-time as a teacher of English, commuting 40 miles a day from Pella to the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont schools. In writing poetry, he said, “I try to avoid a teaching tone rather than writing for both poetry’s sake — and the poem’s sake.”
John David Thompson’s studies include the hallowed University of Iowa Writers Workshop and Harvard Creative Writing Program.
