Maureen Skelly joined poets Donna Isaac, MIchael Moos, and Timothy Young for a Como Cottage Salon Poetry Scrum on February 22, 2026.

Donna Isaac joined poets Michael Moos, Maureen Skelly and me for the February 22, 2026 Como Cottage Salon Poetry Scrum.

Michael Moos joined Donna Isaac, Maureen Skelly and Timothy Young at the Como Cottage on February 22, 2026 for another Salon Poetry Scrum.

On February 22, 2026 a Como Cottage Salon Poetry Salon featured poets Michael Moos, Donna Isaac, Maureen Skelly, and Timothy Young with a musical introduction by violinist Dalyce Elliott Young.  This podcast is part one of five recordings from that Poetry Scrum.

At the 2026 Minnesota Men's Winter Conference, Standing in Awe of the Thundering Ice, I gave a short explanation on why I believe that poets and poetry are a moral force. Then I read a Jimmy Santiago Baca poem as my example.  And I honored my teacher, Robert Bly as another example by calling out his name.

This episode is a live recording of the third movement of Dan Cavanagh's Mississippi Ecstasy.   Dan, a 2001 graduate of St. Olaf's College,  conducted all three movements with the St. Olaf Jazz Orchestra on May 3, 2013.  He had used my poem as a prompt for his composition.  We recorded the three movements for his first CD, Pulse, for OA2 Records in 2008.  The poem was published in my 2010 book, Herds of Bears Surround Us.

The is a special episode to begin season 3 of The Two Boots Word Vault Podcast. It is a recording of a reading I did on May 9,1990 with my friend and publisher, Jim Dochniak. Jim published my first broadside Men Don't Dance in America in 1983. I didn't know him at the time. Meridel LeSueur had herd me read the poem at an open reading at the Greater Midwestern Book Show and commanded Jim to publish the poem. This 1990 reading took place at the bookstore owned by my friend, Anthony Signorelli.  That evening in Tony's bookshop Jim introduced my to Scott King, who eventually published four of my poetry collections. This was a very special reading for me, and the only time Jim and I read together.

Bryce Black, Yata Peinovich, and Timothy Young with Bruce Hecksel lead guitar, piano, and percussion, Julie Hecksel background vocals, and Dalyce Elliott violin. Recorded by Dallas Egger. Set list for this podcast: Mississippi River Chant, Grey Goose, What I Need, This Fire I Am, My Black Guitar, My Heart is Your Home, River Song, and Peace, Salaam, Shalom.

On November 9, 2025 Como Cottage Salons hosted poets Thomas R. Smith, Scott Vetsch, Jesse Dermody and Timothy Young for a poetry scrum. Cris Anderson recorded the event and this podcast is the second half of the day. Thanks, Cris.