Gustavus Adolphus College Professor of English Joyce Sutphen was a guest on Garrison Keillor’s live radio variety show, A Prairie Home Companion, on Saturday, Oct. 18. Keillor recited Sutphen’s poem “Girl on a Tractor”, while Sutphen read several of her poems including “Autumn Again”, “My Legendary Father”, “A Dream of Empty Fields”, and “Say It”.
You can listen to the segment featuring Sutphen and her poetry on the website of A Prairie Home Companion.
Sutphen was named Poet Laureate for the state of Minnesota by Governor Mark Dayton in August of 2011. The role dictates that Sutphen serves as the primary spokesperson, supporter, and promoter of poetry in the state. She is only the second individual to hold the title, as she replaced Robert Bly who was appointed by former Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2007.
Sutphen has published several collections of poetry including the anthology To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to the Present(2006), which she co-edited. Her other collections include Straight Out of View (1995),Coming Back to the Body (2000), First Words (2009), Fourteen Sonnets (2005), andNaming the Stars (2004), which won the Minnesota Book Award for poetry in 2005. Her other awards include the Eunice Tietjen’s Memorial Prize from Poetry magazine, a Loft-McKnight Artist Fellowship, a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, and a grant from the Jerome Foundation.
Sutphen grew up on a farm near St. Joseph, Minn., and currently lives in Chaska. She holds three degrees from the University of Minnesota including a master’s degree in English and a Ph.D. in renaissance drama. Sutphen teaches a variety of courses at the College, mainly in the areas of poetry, creative writing, and British literature.
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