"We were blessedly technologically impoverished," says Bart Sutter, reflecting on his childhood. With no computers or television to attract one to the indoors, Sutter and his family spent a lot of time outdoors in and around the small towns of rural Northern Minnesota.
That desire for exploring the outdoors has remained and is now highlighted in his latest collection of poems, Cotton Grass, which includes selected and new poems focused on nature. Though his process involves plenty of drafting and vetting, Sutter also says that his experience with writing and creating has a spiritual connection. Sometimes the result is beyond expectations. "I have no idea how I did this," says Sutter, musing about one possible reaction to finishing a particularly impactful piece. "I've written something better than I know how to write."
Bart Sutter will be at Zenith Bookstore for a reading on Tuesday, September 3rd from 7-8pm. Cotton Grass can be purchased at Zenith Bookstore and The Bookstore at Fitger's, as well as online.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
