The Silver City Public Library will host a poetry reading of recent works by Mark Widrlechner from his chapbooks "Garden Surreal" and "On Foot" on Friday, March 7, 2:30pm.
Mark Widrlechner is a child of the Chicago suburbs of the 1960s and 70s and knew early on that he wanted to devote his life to working with plants. He moved to Ames, Iowa more than 35 years ago, where he spent much of his career as a horticulturist for the US Department of Agriculture. He retired from federal service in 2011 after losing his wife to cancer. He is now an affiliate faculty member at Iowa State University. He currently divides his time between Ames and Silver City. Up until his retirement from the USDA, he focused exclusively on technical writing related to his research findings. However, a few months after his wife's death, a completely different style of writing – poetry – unexpectedly began to flow in a very spontaneous manner. His creative writing often focuses on the natural world, as seen through the eyes of a careful observer of Nature, in both the Midwest and the "newer" world of Southwestern deserts and woodlands. Many of his poems bridge actual experiences with old memories or spiritual connections.
While his writing process is typically very rapid, Mark has also developed a love for the slower process of assembling poems into attractive chapbooks, which he shares with family, friends and fellow poets. In addition, larger collections of his poetry can be found online. Three of these compilations, "This Wildest Year," "A Short Geography of Remembrance," and "A Fragrant Cloud Rose," can be downloaded from Iowa State University's Digital Press at https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ebooks/. His most recent collection, "The Departure of Wolf," can be found at https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/departureofwolf/
For more information about library activities call (575) 538-3672 or email
