Winfield Public Library was selected as a Poetry Partner for “Written in the Stars,” a poetry chapbook and initiative of Humanities Kansas.
“As a Poetry Partner, the library has copies of Written in the Stars available for free to the public, and we have a variety of programs scheduled this spring to celebrate both the poetry in the chapbooks and the Kansas night sky,” said Ruth Bumgarner, Adult Services Librarian.
The chapbook features 10 poems that reflect upon the stars and planets of the Kansas night sky with original illustrations by Matthew Willie Garcia. Edited by Megan Kaminski, the chapbook includes poetry by Traci Brimhall, Megan Kaminski, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Hyejung Kook, Ada Limon, Jesse Nathan, Elise Paschen, Naomi Shihab Nye, William Stafford, and Keving Young as well as essays by Megan Kaminski and Christopher Auner.
Copies of Written in the Stars are available at the Winfield Public Library front desk. Copies will also be available at select library programs for adults, including Galaxy Paint Night, April’s TED Talk Lunch Series, The Astronomy Behind the Signs of the Zodiac, and the April 21 Bookn’ with Friends book club. Details of all these programs can be found at the library’s online events calendar at wpl.org. The library will also have grab & go kits to create blackout poetry available to patrons of all ages beginning March 20.
Written in the Stars is made possible by the Friends of Humanities Kansas, the Sunflower Foundation, Kansas Tourism, and the Greater Salina Community Foundation. According to Humanities Kansas, “Kansas have long looked to the stars to define who we are. Ad astra per aspera, “To the stars through difficult,” reveals our aspirational visions grounded in a prairie sensibility. Through poetry, Written in the Stars continues this look toward the celestial to find connections and inspiration.”