Lost Lake Folk Opera V5N1

Special Poets Laureate Issue

to celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of Folk Opera

 30 Stellar Contributors, including 6 past & present poets laureate


Poets Laureate
Joyce Sutphen • Minnesota Poet Laureate. Four Poems of the Road. Ken McCullough • Winona Poet Laureate. The Bear Husband – John Osa & Ursula. Rob Hardy • Northfield Poet Laureate. Three Poems – Rebecca, Jane & Light. Nicholle Ramsey • Winona Associate Laureate. Two Poems – Water and Sand. Jim Johnson • Duluth Laureate Emeritus. Two Trout Tales from Minnesota and Iowa. Emilio DeGrazia • Winona Laureate Emeritus. Late Thoughts – at the Mayo Clinic ER. 

Short fiction & essays                        

Anne Muccino. Dalia & J.T. Christopher Bremicker. Relapse. Justin Watkins. John Bass & other prose.  Jim Miles. My First Hunt. Steve Cooke. Lawn Adventures. Roger McKnight.Burnt Potatoes. John Torgrimson. Feast & Requiem. James Petrillo. Ashyer. Dan Coffey. Nowhere to Go. Nancy Palker. Zipper Lady. Ken Kakareka. Cabrón. Ken Fliés. Dog Days of Winter

Poetry                     

Steve McCown. Six Poems. Lee Henschel Jr. Forty Lenten Haiku. Tufik Y. Shayeb. Three Poems. Robert Wooten. Four Poems. Michael Ceraolo. Eighty Days. Kay Bosgraff. Three PoemsSteve Toth.Three Poems. Steve Schild. Three Poems. Ed Schwartz. Five Poems. Marcus Hines. Three Poems. Nicole Borg. Waiting for the Prince. Ken McCullough. The Levee: Then and Now


Everybody has one — Op-Ed                        

Tom Driscoll v5n2. My Crystal Ball

Domestication by Rob Hardy

Domestication – Collected Poems 1996-2006

Rob Hardy

Poet Laureate Northfield, Minnesota 

Available at Content Bookstore in Northfield

Amazon Reviews—

Carrie L. writes: In these beautiful, reflective poems, Domestication is a collection to be savored. As I read each poem, the words of Rob Hardy’s generous, intimate introduction resonated. Regarding a move to Minnesota, he notes, “Poetry became a map to help me make my way to this new place.” In these beautiful, reflective poems, that new place is sometimes a physical location, an experience, or a fully appreciated moment. A classicist who has spent much of his adult life noting the extraordinary in the seemingly mundane, Hardy is as astute discussing a young boy building a world with clay as he is the fall of Troy. His words, soft, powerful, and somehow always bearing his wonder and gratitude, allow the reader to feel the magnitude of the personal and the universal, the momentary and the historical. A poem I returned to again and again, “Ars Poetica While Waiting for the Appliance Repairman,” begins: These words will never fix anything. In its entirety, however, this poem stamped Hardy’s self-deprecation on my heart and righted my morning. I’ll keep this collection close at hand.

Eye Shadow – Personal Essays

Emilio DeGrazia

   Emilio DeGrazia is one of those writers who loves the ambience of a writers’ gathering––the fraternity, the probing of ideas––whether the subject is poetry or the jock strap empire of sports. What I can tell you is that not many people I’ve read, whether in Minnesota or beyond, write of the human condition with the same mixture of discovery, forgiveness and judgment that Emilio brings from his study. Years ago a small group of us, at the prodding of the toastmaster, were asked to identify three or four people who would be our choice if we were marooned on a desert highland and had to spend foreseeable months or years listening to each other. My first choice was Emilio. I never tire of hearing what this man has to say about the humanity around him. —Jim Klobuchar, Author and retired columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Amazon Reviews—

Avid Reader writes: Ramblings. This short story collection is loosely grouped in eight categories: American Dreams, True Stories, Human Nature, College Education. Embracing Technology, Military Intelligence, Jock Strappings, and Moral Compass. Each category contains a definition and several stories regarding one aspect of the definition. Like any collection, some readers will like some stories more than others will. One unexpected delight is the artwork provided for one of the stories.