Yooper Poetry: On Experiencing Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Sometimes the best way to learn about a unique region is to listen to the stories told by those who’ve actually lived there. You learn things that no guidebook would ever tell you. You meet unforgettable characters who’ve strayed far off the beaten path. And you see clearly again how the power of memory is so strong that they can still recall incidents decades later. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has always been filled with remarkable sensations and indelible stories.

With this anthology, the editor Raymond Luczak sought to include poets who not only live in the U.P., but also who used to live there. What did it mean to be a Yooper then? What about now? Even for those who no longer abide there, the U.P. is indeed a special place, and it isn’t just thanks to Mother Nature. The Yooper mindset requires a particular kind of faith in resilience against persistent odds.

The poets in this collection have never forgotten what it means to be a Yooper. Come partake in our celebration!

Featuring Martin Achatz ◾ Jennifer Elen Bríd ◾ B. Harlan Deemer ◾ Chad Faries ◾ Deborah K. Frontiera ◾ Kathleen M. Heideman ◾ John Hilden ◾ Jonathan Johnson ◾ Kathleen Carlton Johnson ◾ Ellen Lord ◾ Raymond Luczak ◾ Gala Malherbe ◾ Beverly Matherne ◾ R. H. Miller ◾ Jane Piirto ◾ Dana Richter◾ T. Kilgore Splake ◾ Suzanne Sunshower ◾ Russell Thorburn

＂Yooper Poetry is a very thoughtful and beautifully published book... Some of the best Yooper writing reaches toward the poetic heights that resonate with ＂danger＂... I love the resonance that exists and helps to feed our various literatures across time and distance.＂ -- Mack Hassler, U.P. Book Review

RAYMOND LUCZAK is the author and editor of over 30 books, including U.P.-centric titles such as Far from Atlantis: Poems (Gallaudet University Press), Chlorophyll: Poems about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Modern History Press), and Compassion, Michigan: The Ironwood Stories (Modern History Press). His poetry collection once upon a twin: poems (Gallaudet University Press) was a top ten U.P. Notable Book of the Year for 2021. His work has appeared in Poetry, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere. A proud Yooper, he lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.