Poetry Meets Music

Write On is happy to resume our collaboration with Midsummer’s Music, Poetry Meets Music. At one concert in each of Midsummer’s series offerings, a poet will read a poem written in response to a piece of music to be performed. Poets were given recordings in advance with no identifying information as to the title, composer, era, etc., and were asked not to look up this information. The result is a poem composed entirely in response to the emotions or memories the music evokes. 

For tonight’s concert, we are pleased to present Write On's writer-in-residence and former Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Bruce Dethlefsen. Tonight’s concert is Homeland Sentiments with works by Mykola Lysenko, Philipp Scharwenka, and Antonín Dvorák. To order tickets, please visit Midsummer’s Music. 

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Bruce Dethlefsen moved to Wisconsin to attend college in 1966 and stayed. A retired educator and public library director, he was chosen Wisconsin Poet Laureate and served from 2011 to 2012. He is the author of three full-length poetry books and two poetry chapbooks. Bruce volunteers in Wisconsin prisons doing poetry workshops. He is a member of the Prairie Sands Band and lives in Westfield, Wisconsin.