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Winona’s Marine Art Museum sits on the edge of the stunning Mississippi River. It’s a must-visit for any newcomer to Winona. Their statement, “great art inspired by water,” rings true, as the museum is filled with beautiful works of art that may be reminiscent of trips to the lake, river, sea, or ocean. The museum is truly a haven of art, and often provides a space for local and non-local artists alike to visit and share their work with the community.
On September 22nd, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Jim Armstrong, author of many published books of poetry, as well as one of Winona’s first poet laureates, hosted a book launch at the Marine Art Museum, for his newest book of poetry, “Empire.” Armstrong was an English professor at Winona State for twenty-four years before his recent retirement.
“A lot of what goes into this book is what I learned as a teacher at Winona State,” Armstrong said. “A lot of the things that I’ve learned as a poet come from teaching young poets how to be poets.”
The book launch began with a social hour, where attendees were encouraged to explore the exhibitions at the museum and were treated to refreshments and snacks. Then Armstrong began his live reading of “Empire,” reading poems from the book including Birding in the Pandemic, Solstice 2020, The Union, Fall Palate and more. The reading concluded with a Q&A and a book signing. Armstrong spoke of his inspirations for his poems, the beginnings of his career and methods of writing poetry.
“Well, I was very inspired by the number of poets who are politically sort of engaged,” Armstrong said. “One was Robert Lowell, who was a poet who wrote a book called Notebooks back in 1968, which was a very tumultuous year for American politics. I’m also greatly in debt to Terrence Hayes who whose book American Son- nets for my Once in Future Assas- sin was really a mind-blowing use of the sonnet.”
Events like the “Empire” book launch provide opportunities for community members of all ages to come together and appreciate art. It’s especially important to hold events like this in a college town, where there is a plethora of new voices to be heard and art to be shared. Many of Armstrong’s poems actually have very strong ties to Winona.
“There’s a lot of Winona in this book,” Armstrong said. “It pretty much documents my whole life in this town in the sense that I got here in 1999.”
Many students at Winona State appreciated all the nods to the town in which they inhabit. One student, Ashleigh Campbell, spoke highly of the book.
“The first poem immediately made me feel at home,” Campbell said. “It captured the feeling I’ve had every winter in Minnesota.”
A fifth-year at Winona State, Ben Rayburn, agreed with Campbell and had the same feelings.
“Empire is a great piece of literature that keeps it local, and hits close to home,” Rayburn said.
A few students at Winona State had the opportunity to read “Empire” prior to the event, as it was incorporated into the ENG 312 (Poetry Writing) curriculum by English professor Brooke Boulten. Boulten mentioned how important events like those are for students and the community.
“Empire is a monumental book of poetry,” Boulten said. “It’s a testament to the past and present, both timeless and palpable.”
