On February 3, 2023, at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, I will be Iliana Regan’s conversation partner as she launches her memoir Fieldwork, her followup to Burn the Place which was long-listed for the National Book Award. Regan went from Chicago celebrity chef to backwoods chef and innkeeper while recovering from addiction. I am so looking forward to talking with her about, among other things, foraging in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and worrying about the woods.

On February 23, 2023, 6:30 PM, at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, I will give a reading of some of my tree poems, along with Maureen Dunphy who will be reading from her new book Divining: A Memoir in Trees. You may have heard me say it already: I am in love with leaves. They strike me as miraculous.

Our next Literati Bookstore’s Eco Book Club discussion will take place in March. All are welcome as we discuss Ed Yong’s An Immense World. Details to come.

Recent Past Events (Please note Events Archive as well:

On September 30, 2022, I gave the keynote address–Go Outside, But Don’t Just Go Outside–at the Michigan College English Association conference.

On June 21, 2022, at 7 PM, in downtown Douglas, Michigan, I will read poems born on the Saugatuck lakeshore. I will be joined by poet and Great Lakes nature expert, Keith Taylor, who will introduce me and ask me questions. Keith and I have been friends for more than 30 years. This event is part of the inaugural season of Ox-Bow House, a new project of the Ox-Bow School of Art. The Library of the Great Lakes is cohost. Cocktail reception at 7. Reading starts at 7:30. 137 Center St. (the old library), Douglas, Michigan. For more information: info@libraryofthegreatlakes.org. (Free)On Saturday, May 21, 2022, join poet Teresa Scollon and me for Poems About Trees, 7 PM, in Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula at the Little Traverse Inn. Help us celebrate leaves, trees, poems, Spring, and our new books (Teresa’s Trees and Other Creatures and my A Fine Canopy. (Free)

On Saturday, April 30, 2022, 2 PM, I will lead a creative writing workshop at the Interlochen Public Library in Interlochen, Michigan: Not Just Nature Writing. Come learn about eco-writing: reading it, writing it, and finding a way forward together with all Earth’s beings. For all ages and levels. Bring something to write with and something to write on. Spend a little time outside beforehand and bring something to tell us about it. To register or ask questions, email jthornet@tadl.org or call 231-276-6767. Be sure to mention the event and the date. (Free)

On Friday, April 22, 2022, 6:30 to 8 PM, in Adrian, Michigan, Join me and my poetry sister Holly Wren Spaulding at the Adrian Center for the Arts Gallery for wine and poetry. We will talk together about our creative practices, which for both of us include deep attention to nature in out neighborhoods. The occasion is “From Petals, From Thickets: An Exhibition of Letterpress Poems and Sculpture”–work by Holly. If you don’t yet know Holly’s work, you need to. Her poems are crystalline evocations of both more-than-human nature and what it feels like to be alive now. 1375 North Main St., Building 46, Adrian, Michigan. Call 517-759-3005. (Free event)

Thursday, November 11, 2022, 7 PM, Grand Haven, Michigan’s The Bookman will host poets Alison Swan, Greg Rappleye, Jack Ridl, and Teresa Scollon for a celebration of poetry, including the work of US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. Mask up and join us in Grand Haven.

Thursday, April 29 2021, 6 PM, the Grand Ledge Area District Library will host Michigan poets, including Alison Swan, for their inaugural “Voices of Michigan Poets & Friends” — a casual virtual gathering open to all. It’s an opportunity for those who read, write, and enjoy poetry, to come together to listen, share and discuss poetry and perhaps their experiences writing poetry. To join us, click here, scroll down, and click again.

Monday, May 10, 2021, 7 PM, Marquette, Michigan’s Peter White Library will host Alison Swan, virtually, for a poetry reading.

Sunday, May 23, 2021, from 1 to 4:30 PM, the Saugatuck Center of the Arts will host Alison Swan for an in-person (outside and physically distanced) reading and conversation (1 PM) and writing workshop (2:30 to 4:30 PM). I will be joined by my friend Jack Ridl for the reading and conversation. Are you a creative person who wants to dive more deeply into awareness of place and the ways it can feed your creative work? Join us.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021, 7 PM, Skazat! Poetry Series will host Alison Swan for a virtual poetry reading, preceded by an open mic. Bring your own poem to share.