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Author Spotlight | Poets Paul Brooke & Jennifer Knox

Here at the Ames Writers Collective we like to refer to Paul and Jen as the Jen and Paul Show. Together they will entertain you with banter,  conversation and poetry sure to make you laugh and to consider the wild outdoors!

This evening produced by the Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio Station is teaser for Poetry Palooza!, which is scheduled for April 19 through 20, 2024.

ABOUT THE POETS

Dr. Paul Brooke is a Professor and the Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he teaches Advanced Creative Writing, Environmental Literature, Creative Photography, Experimental Photography, Fiction, Poetry Writing, Introduction to Nonfiction, Editing and Digital Publishing, Contemporary Literature, Diverse Voices, Novel Writing, Major Authors, and Literary Theory. He has won awards for outstanding advising, scholarship, and teaching while at Grand View University, plus granted two sabbaticals. To read more about his, check him out on our Author Spotlight page.

Jennifer L. Knox is the author of five books of poems: Crushing It (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), Days of Shame & Failure (Bloof Books, 2018), The Mystery of the Hidden Driveway (Bloof Books, 2010), Drunk by Noon (Bloof Books, 2007), and A Gringo Like Me (Bloof Books, 2005).

Known for their dark, imaginative humor, her poems have appeared in publications such as the New Yorker, the American Poetry Review, Granta, McSweeney’s, five times in the Best American Poetry series, and the 2022 Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses anthology. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times and Washington Post. To learn more about Jen, check her out on our Author Spotlight page.

ABOUT POETRY PALOOZA?

Inspired by an educational and entertainment event of nearly 20 years ago, this creative experience – Poetry Palooza! – has been a long time in the making.

​In 2023, Poetry& worked in partnership with Humanities Iowa, Mainframe Studios, Franklin Jr. High Event Center, and the Iowa Poetry Association to make Poetry Palooza! a dynamic, interactive, and integrated performing arts experience.

​This three-day festival celebrated Midwestern Poets Laureate, cultivated students and emerging talent, and demonstrated the positive power of poetry.

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Author

Stephanie Hansen

What is your genre?
Crime Thriller

Are you published?
Self published

What inspired you to become a writer?
I woke up during a thunderstorm one December evening and told myself a story to fall back asleep. For days afterward, I couldn’t get that story out of my head so I started writing what would become the opening scene in my first book. Things spiraled from there and I found myself swept up in the world of writing thrillers.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I’ve really enjoyed some of Andy Weir’s interviews. The author of The Martian, he self published that book before it was discovered by traditional publishing. He’s really funny (which comes across in his books) and a total nerd. He does a ton of research for his books and as a professor myself, I find it neat the way he helps the reader digest extremely complex science and engineering concepts in his sci-fi works.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Fox and O’Hare Series by Lee Goldberg and Janet Evanovich
Sigma Force Series by James Rollins

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I’m a beef cattle professor at Iowa State University and writing is one of my side gigs. I love to travel and my books each feature a national park. I’m a coffee addict and amateur photographer. My current series, Harper and Reese Crime Thrillers, starts in Glacier National Park in Cold Woods and I am working on the second book in that series now.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Figure out what motivates you. If you need external pressure to complete the book, join a writing group. It is a great way to connect with fellow writers and help you finish the first draft. Also remember, there is a lot of writing advice out there, not all of it is right for you.

Author bio
Stephanie (S.L.) Hansen knows that isolated, stunning locations and mystery go together like peanut butter and jelly. With a passion for exploring the great outdoors and a knack for crafting heart-stopping adventures in remote wilderness settings, Hansen is always seeking the perfect backdrop for her next page-turner. So, if you find yourself hiking through the backcountry with her, don’t be surprised if she starts musing about the best spot to bury a body – after all, when it comes to creating suspense, she’s got the recipe down pat. To join in on the adventure and discover what twists and turns she has in store for her readers next, click here, and sign up for her newsletter today.

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Author

Gary Eller

What’s your genre?
Fiction, novel and short story, occasional nonfiction

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
In short: early encouragement, love reading, opportunity, and disillusionment with my first career choice.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
Co-favorites) Raymond Carver, Alice Munro
Carver: simple, minimalistic use of language, his subtexts say so much. And, as he was once described: “He taught us that literature can exist with a bottle of catsup resting on a table in a trailer house.”

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver
One-Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Friend of My Youth by Alice Munro

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I’m a well-concealed introvert whose sometimes dark writing belies the fact that I’m a quite nice guy.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Read, read, read…all the writers you love.
Remember the advice of your old favorite uncle: “Work hard and don’t give up.”
The paycheck should not matter.
And finally, this is related to the previous. Marry well.

Author bio
Born and raised in Rolla, North Dakota, I worked as a pharmacist mostly in Alaska for fifteen years. I became a writer after earning an MFA degree at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa.

My collection of short stories, Thin Ice and Other Risks, was published by New Rivers Press. I’ve also published many stand-alone short stories and nonfiction articles. My novel, True North, was published by BHC Press in late 2021.

I have several writing awards, the most significant being a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. I’ve taught fiction and nonfiction at Iowa State University.  I live and work now in Ames, Iowa, while spending parts of summers in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota.

Click here to visit Gary.

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Author

Paul Brooke

What’s your genre?
Poetry

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
Always nature has been at the forefront. My work focuses on the relationship of humans with the wild world. I am deeply interested in understanding why we mistreat the earth and how we can live in harmony with it.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
There are so many that it is hard to boil it down. In terms of poetry, Gary Snyder was an inspiration early as he understood the complexities of the natural world and he integrated a Zen philosophy, which I found intriguing. Later, fiction writers like Toni Morrison blew my mind with their historical retellings and incredible imaginations. Her book, Beloved, is my absolute favorite. Today, there are so many talented authors that it is a joy to read and discover new voices.

Name three of your favorite books
As I mentioned earlier, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, then Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridan, and Sylvia Plath’s The Collected Poems.

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I love to travel and that often fills my writing. Recently, I went to Chile and I just finished a collection that fuses nature photography and form poetry. My newest work explores the often unheard side of Antarctica and I plan to go there very soon. For me, it is necessary to have experiences that show me awe and wonder in order to find inspiration. Those moments are transcendent and illuminating. Always necessary to building the best work I can.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to a budding writer?
Revise. Revise. Revise. Be patient with your work and be patient if you send it out. There will be tons of rejections. And for most young writers those rejections can send them running away. Run into the rejection and then submit again somewhere else.

Author bio
Paul Brooke has five collections of photography and poetry including Light and Matter: Poems and Photographs of Iowa (2008) and Meditations on Egrets: Poems and Photographs of Sanibel Island (2010). Sirens and Seriemas: Photographs and Poems of the Amazon and Pantanal (2015) was published by Brambleby Books of London, England, while Finishing Line Press published Arm Wrestling at the Iowa State Fair (2018). Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal: Panthera onca at the Meeting of the Waters was published by Academic Press (2020), while The Skáld and the Drukkin Tröllaukin: Photographs and Poems of Iceland was released by Gold Wake (2022). Brooke recently was awarded both an Iowa Arts Fellowship and a grant for publishing a diversity of writers. Click here to visit Paul.

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Author

Tom Geraty

What’s your genre?
Memoir

Are you published?
Indie press publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
Writing, alongside acting and music, is simply (or at times not so simply) a way for me to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary. I find that all forms of creative expression provide me a direct link to the deepest and most profound places in my heart.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I have a lot of respect and admiration for Colson Whitehead. He finds honest, creative, and compelling ways to tell stories I am familiar with in ways that bring my understanding to a deeper, further, and more personal level.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O’Sullivan

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
Being a stay-at-home dad was the greatest gig of my life. So great that, although my sons live over a thousand miles from home, the “nest” will always feel full.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
My one bit of advice is threefold: don’t listen to naysayers, read the masters, and trust your vision and your voice.

Author bio
Tom Geraty was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Dowling Catholic High School in the late 70s and Drake University in the early 80s, where he played football for the then Division One Bulldogs and graduated with a degree in Education with a minor in Theater. Tom acted professionally in Chicago for several years before moving back to his hometown in 2002 with his wife, Katie, to raise their two young sons. He was a stay-at-home dad, continues to perform with local theaters, plays bass guitar, bakes pies, has two new knees, and holds dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland. Since the publication of his memoir, When The Trees Dance, he has learned that he has a younger half-sister he hopes to connect with soon…if he can find her. Click here to visit Tom.

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Author

Patricia Kimle

What’s your genre?
Historical fiction

Are you published?
Self published

What inspired you to become a writer?
Long ago, we followed the Underground Railroad trail from Nebraska City, NE through western Iowa to West Des Moines and Grinnell as a short family vacation when our children were grade school age. My husband developed a story line based on the history, but a job change meant the project fell by the wayside. When said children had all left me with an empty nest, I decided to pick up the story. We say now that I was research and writing and my husband “story consultant.” I had always wanted to try writing fiction and it was an easier start since the basic idea was ready for me to take on.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I grew up not far from the home of Willa Cather in south central Nebraska. I’ve read O Pioneers! and My Ántonia many times from high school to now. In grade school, I loved and read Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child. I’ve always loved prairie stories. Actually any historical fiction with a good heroine will do.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
My favorites are always changing. I read a lot of books about creativity and recently loved Adorning the Dark, by Andrew Peterson. He is a singer/songwriter and story teller. I’ve loved every Charles Martin book I’ve read. And Susan May Warren is an incredible writer, mentor and businesswoman.

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I have been an artist for 30 years. As a freelance designer, I published how-to articles and books in the craft industry before craft publishing went the way of the dodo. Next I had a wholesale jewelry business selling silver and clay jewelry until I retired the business during covid. For the last 5 years, I have been painting in oils. I have 5 paintings that were inspired by scenes from my book, The Only Free Road: An Underground Railroad Saga Unveiled, including the cover art.

What one piece of advice would you give a budding writer?
Research can draw you down lots of rabbit holes, and if you are inclined, like me, to keep digging, remember to ask yourself occasionally if you’re coming up with details that actually contribute to the story or take your reader into the weeds. Sometimes its better to make something up and keep moving on.

Author bio
Patricia Kimle is an artist and lover of history. After 30 years in the craft and jewelry industry, she has turned her attention to painting and writing. Historical fiction is her favorite genre to read, so it was fun to make up a story with her husband and work together. Working on The Only Free Road, Patricia indulged her love of research in order to try to get lots of details to enrich the story.

She and Kevin have three grown children and live in Ames, Iowa. Visit Patricia here.

On Sunday, September 24th, Patricia will be a featured author at the 2nd Annual Ames Writers Collective Swift Literary Festival to be held during the Annual Octagon Art Festival. Check our calendar for details.

Categories
Author

Joe Geha

What’s your genre?
Memoir, fiction and drama

Are you published?
Traditional publisher

What inspired you to become a writer?
A teacher in college recognized something in me and encouraged it. That “something” I consider to be a gift as well as an obligation.

What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
I consider Richard Yates a “writers’ writer,” that is, someone a beginner can learn from. Yates is known for the deceptively simple directness of his prose style, the precision of his descriptions, the way he can pierce the reader with a character’s slightest gesture.

Name three of your favorite books and their authors
Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan

What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I use poker to inform my work as an artist. In poker it’s particularly evident that nothing risked equals nothing gained. Therefore, a regular dose of low stakes poker is enough for me to keep in mind the need I have to continue taking artistic risks.

What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
Read, and read, and read. Beyond reading, I would encourage the fledgling writer to approach their work as a child approaches a sandbox—ready to play. For the moment, pay no attention to that killjoy grownup, your internal editor. Instead build and tear down and see what turns up. You’ll need that editor, but not till later, while the child’s enjoying a well-earned nap.

And read.

Author bio
Joe Geha, Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University, is also the author of Through and Through: Toledo Stories, and Lebanese Blonde. His poems, plays, essays and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies. His work was granted an NEA award, Pushcart Prize, and the Arab American Book Award. Read about Joe’s lastest book, Kitchen Arabic How My Family Came to America and the Recipes We Brought With Us, here.

Author Spotlight Featuring Joe Geha

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Joe Geha, author of Kitchen Arabic. Hear stories about his aromatic dishes and the writing of his book, which is a fabulous holiday gift idea for the “home chefs” in your life.

Joe Geha, Professor Emeritus at Iowa State University, is also the author of Through and Through: Toledo Stories, and Lebanese Blonde. His poems, plays, essays and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies. His work was granted an NEA award, Pushcart Prize, and the Arab American Book Award. 

Copies of Kitchen Arabic, perfect for your holiday gift-giving, will be available for purchase and author signing.

 

 

 

 

This event is held in partnership with the
Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.

Author Spotlight Featuring Gary Eller

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Gary Eller, author of True North.

Eller’s previous collection of short fiction, THIN ICE AND OTHER RISKS (New Rivers Press) was well-received and described by one reviewer as “reminiscent of Raymond Carver’s best work.” In addition to many short stories, he has published nonfiction articles on various topics such as commercial fishing in Alaska, rare museum collections, and post-divorce life. He has also published interviews and several articles on the craft of writing. His focus in the nonfiction genre, however, has been on baseball, one of his many loves.

His writing awards include the River City Award in Fiction, the Fowler Prize, and a Minnesota Voices Award, among others. He is a former Pushcart Prize nominee and recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also taught fiction and nonfiction at Iowa State University and lectured widely on aspects of creative writing.

Copies of True North will be available for purchase and author signing.

 

 

 

This event is held in partnership with the
Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.

Author Spotlight Featuring Dr. Douglas Gentile

Doug Gentile
Doug Gentile for LAS. (Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)

Join us for an Author Spotlight featuring Dr. Douglas Gentile, author and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University. A Zen Buddhist monk and meditation teacher, he wrote and narrated the best-selling audiobook Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and Be Happier. He has been featured on such radio shows as National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, To the Point, the BBC World Service, and his work has been reported on CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Jo Frost’s Extreme Parental Guidance, as well as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times.

Copies of Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and Be Happier will be available for purchase and author signing.

This event is held in partnership with the Ames Writers Collective and KHOI Community Radio.