Award-winning poet Marie Howe to open 15th year of CLC’s Verse Like Water Series 

Central Lakes College’s acclaimed Verse Like Water visiting poet program will celebrate the start of its 15th season by welcoming Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marie Howe for a reading at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. The event is free and open to the public. 

Following the reading, Howe will participate in a book signing and a craft talk, both held in the Chalberg Theatre. Attendees will also receive a complimentary copy of Howe’s New and Selected, courtesy of the Olseth Family Foundation. 

Verse Like Water has become one of the region’s premier literary programs, bringing nationally and internationally recognized poets to Central Lakes College. Over its first 14 years, the series has hosted 55 of the most significant contemporary poets in America and around the world, including seven U.S. Poet Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award recipients, Griffin Poetry Prize winners, and two MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipients. 

The program is made possible through funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board through Minnesota Legacy grants, as well as support from the Five Wings Arts Council and other community partners. 

Howe previously appeared as a Verse Like Water guest approximately 12 years ago. Organizers were eager to bring her back to campus following her Pulitzer Prize win in 2025, recognizing her longstanding impact and influence within contemporary poetry.