Library hosting poet laureate in Montana Conversations program

Press release

The Havre-Hill County Library will host the Montana Conversations program “An Evening with Montana’s Poet Laureate” with Lowell Jaeger Wednesday, June 27.

The program will be at the library at 7 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Funding for the Montana Conversations program is provided by Humanities Montana through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Montana’s Cultural Trust, and private donations.

At Jaeger’s readings, people can expect humor, serious reflection, and examination of the “human condition” in all its marvelous complexity.  He enjoys interacting with audiences.  He enjoys sharing the stage with other Montana poets. In between reading from his own work, he enjoys reciting from memory the poems of Robert Frost, Donald Hall, Richard Wilbur and others.

Poetry can be employed in a variety of ways to stimulate thoughtful reflection and discussion. Jaeger is a trained and experienced discussion facilitator.  It’s all about encouraging people to think and share. It’s all about learning from each other and respecting diverse perspectives. 

These conversations are of proven value to an amazing array of community meetings and organizations.  People are encouraged to give it a try; discover what’s possible when people get together, share ideas, listen, think, grow.

Poet William Stafford said of Lowell Jaeger’s poems, “He has gone inside the feelings and thoughts that mark our part of the century. He makes me realize how serious and focused—and engaged — poetry can be.”  Jaeger’s poems spring from direct experience with his subject matter — people of all walks of life, especially the people of Montana with whom Lowell has rubbed elbows for the past 30 years.

Poet Denise Levertov, who chose Jaeger’s poem “Ernesto di Fiori’s ‘Soldier’” for the Grolier Poetry Peace Prize, called Jaeger’s poems “vivid and compelling … brave in (the poem’s) wide-eyed acceptance of life as it is.” Poet Kathleen Spivak praised Jaeger’s poems as “Clear, magnificently expressed, Lowell Jaeger’s poems are poignant in their honesty.”   And poet Marvin Bell said of Jaeger’s work, “We are indicted by experience, and this is its honest language.”

Lowell Jaeger serves as Humanities Division Chair at Flathead Valley Community College where he has taught writing courses for the past 30 years. He is a national trainer of discussion facilitators for the Center for Civic Reflection, an organization which promotes civil civic discourse.

For more information, people can call the Havre-Hill County Library at 265-2123.