“You are a gift of gifts, Alison. I linger in your workshop, reviewing notes and handouts, eager to obtain Fresh Water. You have inspired a calm, steady, long dormant will to write, and powerful, clear guidance on how to proceed.” –Judy, writing workshop participant
Contact Alison Swan about scheduling an event.
A r c h i v e o f P a s t E v e n t s
On Wednesday, June 26, at 6:30, I was in conversation with Lynne Spriggs O’Connor, at Literati Bookstore, as she launched her Montana memoir, Elk Love. It was a Shaman Drum Bookshop reunion.
April 2024: Poetry reading, along with friends, at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti, Michigan (April 7), Lake Michigan dunes panel discussion at Western Michigan University (April 10), ecopoetry reading with Fleda Brown, Teresa Scollon, and Ellen Stone at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor (April 19).
On Friday, December 8, 2023, I read at Book Suey in Hamtramck, Michigan, with Jane Ratcliffe and Polly Rosenwaite.
On April 28, 2023, at 6:30 PM, I was at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, in Traverse City, Michigan, for a reading honoring trees and mothers (with Maureen Dunphy, Anne-Marie Oomen, and Teresa Scollon).
On April 22, 2023, I was in St. Johns, Michigan, to lead an ecopoetry workshop for the Poetry Society of Michigan.
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, in downtown Douglas, Michigan, I read poems born on the Saugatuck lakeshore. I was joined by poet and Great Lakes nature expert, Keith Taylor, who introduced me and asked me questions. Keith and I have been friends for more than 30 years. This event was 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 was cohost.
On May 21, 2022, Teresa Scollon and I read Poems About Trees in Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula at the Little Traverse Inn. We were celebrating our new books (Teresa’s Trees and Other Creatures and my A Fine Canopy.
On April 30, 2022, I led a creative writing workshop at the Interlochen Public Library in Interlochen, Michigan: Not Just Nature Writing. We explored eco-writing: reading it, writing it, and finding a way forward together with all Earth’s beings.
On April 22, 2022, in Adrian, Michigan, My poetry sister Holly Wren Spaulding and I were at the Adrian Center for the Arts Gallery to read poems and talk about our creative lives. The occasion was “From Petals, From Thickets: An Exhibition of Letterpress Poems and Sculpture”–work by Holly. Her poems are crystalline evocations of both more-than-human nature and what it feels like to be alive now.
On November 11, 2022, at Grand Haven, Michigan’s The Bookman, I read my poems along with Greg Rappleye, Jack Ridl, and Teresa Scollon. We also celebrated the work of US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
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.
Saturday, April 17, 2021, 11 AM, Kalamazoo Poetry Festival Workshop: Poems Talking Back.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 7 PM, Nicola’s Books will host me, and my friends Keith Taylor, and Holly Wren Spaulding–online–for a poetry reading and conversation. Keith, Holly, and I all have new book of poems out and we’d love to have you join us. Long ago, the three of us worked together at Shaman Drum Bookshop, late, of S. State Street, Ann Arbor.
If you are planning to attend AWP 2021—online, March 3-7—I hope you will stop by and visit with me in a virtual Meet & Greet, Thursday morning, hosted by Wayne State University Press. Arrive whenever you like and stay for whatever length of time, between 11 and 11:30.
Thursday, February 25, 2021, 6:30 to 8 PM, this is a bookstore will host me and other authors with brand new books–online–for a discussion of our answers to the question: “What brought you to this book?” Click here to register (free) and for more information. And of course bring some of your book shopping business to this is a bookstore to let them know you value events like these.
Sunday, January 17, 2021, from 5 to 6 PM, FLOW (For Love of Water) will host me for a virtual poetry reading and conversation with Dave Dempsey. Click here to register (free) and for more information . Horizon Books, in downtown Traverse City, has teamed up with FLOW to make my new book of poems, A Fine Canopy, available. If you were thinking of buying a copy (or two!), now would be a great time to support a Traverse city icon. Click here.
Wednesday, December 2, 2020, from noon to 1 PM, I will be featured writer in Holly Wren Spaulding/Poetry Forge’s Poetry as Consolation pop-up virtual workshop series.
Save Tuesday, October 6, 2020! I’m thrilled to announce we will launch my new poetry book A Fine Canopy to the world via a virtual event, hosted by Literati Bookstore, on Tuesday, October 6, at 7 PM. I will be in conversation with the inimitable Holly Wren Spaulding. Watch this space and the Wayne State University Press website for events celebrating the October 2020 launch of A Fine Canopy.
This Sunday, September 20, 2020 from 2 to 4 PM, I will be one of the authors reading in the 9th Annual Midtown Detroit Literary Walk–virtual this year, which means the whole world can join in! Please join. Also reading: Brian Gilmore, Pete Brown, Melba Joyce Boyd, Shonda Buchanan, Marion Hayden, and Joseph Harris.
April 11, 2019, 7:30 PM, Poetry Reading, Contemporary Writers Series, Aquinas College, East Grand Rapids, Michigan
April 22, 2019, 6:30 PM, Poetry Reading in celebration of Earth Day, Alpena Public Library, Alpena, Michigan
February 11, 2019, 7 PM, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor; and March 22, 7 PM, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor: Readings from Elemental, edited by Anne-Marie Oomen
November 3, 2018, 5 PM, Poetry Reading/Fund Raiser for FLOW, Harrisville branch of the Alcona County Library, 312 W. Main, in Harrisville, Michigan
In fall 2018, I was honored to read my poems at two events that recognized and supported the essential work of the nonprofit organization, FLOW (For Love of Water): September 14, Poetry Reading celebrating the anthology Seiche Ways, edited by Anne-Marie Oomen and Ariel Mokdad, Workshop Brewing, Traverse City, Michigan, and, Saturday, September 22, Collage Concert at Rhubarbary Concert House, Harbor Springs, Michigan
Friday, August 2, 2018, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of The Control of Nature, by John McPhee, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, May 30, 2018, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Citizen Scientist, by Mary Ellen Hannibal, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, March 23, 2018, 3 to 5 pm, Traverse City, Michigan:
Horizon Books
243 E. Front St., Traverse City, Michigan
Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, January 29, 2018, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Terry Tempest Williams is one of the contemporary American writers who has had a profound impact on my thinking about our relationship to “the fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals.” That’s Aldo Leopold’s definition of land, and, though he published the words in 1949, they seem indispensable as we navigate a time when the things that make earth hospitable to life seem absent from so many so-called important conversations. In The Hour of Land Williams explores twelve different national parks or monuments–their landscapes and their memory-scapes.
Tuesday, December 4, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Drawdown, by Paul Hawken, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of The Home Place, by J. Drew Lanham, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
August 12, 2017, Carnegie Library Building, Petoskey, Michigan:
500 E. Mitchell St., Petoskey, Michigan
Monday, July 24, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, June 22, 2017, 8:30 am, Detroit, Michigan:
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan
Wednesday, May 31, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash, by Edward Humes, led by Alison Swan
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, April 10, 2017, 6:30 pm, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan:
Mt. Pleasant Unitarian Universalist Church
319 S. University Ave., Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 6:30 pm, Kalamazoo, Michigan:
Arcus Center
217 Monroe St., Kalamazoo, Michigan
Friday, April 21, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, March 27, 2017, 7:00 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
From the book jacket: “Many of the men and women doing today’s most consequential environmental work–restoring America’s grasslands, wildlife, rivers, wetlands, and oceans–would not call themselves environmentalists; they would be uneasy with the connotations of that word. What drives them is their deep love of the land.” Recommended by one of Eco Book Club’s regulars, Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman is a perfect followup to A Sand County Almanac. Eco Book Club is free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. We meet every other month at Literati, upstairs. Note that you’ll get a 15% discount if you mention that you’re buying the book for the book club. We alternate between meeting on Monday and Tuesday, every other month. Sorry if it seems convoluted; we’re working around other monthly meetings and Alison’s teaching schedule! Contact Literati for more information.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
In our last pick, Third Place, author Dan Barber referred often to Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), one my environmental heroes. I can’t recommend Leopold’s book A Sand County Almanac (1949) more highly. You may not find it to be a page turner, but you will find some rather radical ideas about how we might shift our thinking if we wish to move into a future that has other living things besides human beings in it. Eco Book Club is free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. We meet every other month at Literati upstairs. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying the book for the book club. We alternate between meeting on Monday and Tuesday, every other month. Sorry if seems convoluted; we’re working around other monthly meetings. Contact Literati for more information.
Monday, November 28, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food, by Dan Barber, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
I’ve read slightly less than half the book, and I’m enchanted, which is saying quite a lot at this particular moment in time (November 20, 2016). Not only is Barber an expert on food, he is an excellent writer who laces his wide-ranging exploration of sustainable eating with references to some of America’s most important environmental thinkers. Eco Book Club is free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. We meet every other month in The Espresso Bar above Literati. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying The Third Plate for the book club. We alternate between meeting on Monday and Tuesday, every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America, by John Mooallem, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month in The Espresso Bar above Literati. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying Half-Earth for the book club. We alternate between meeting on Monday and Tuesday, every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Saturday, August 13, 2016, 5:30 pm, Alpena, Michigan:
Art in the Loft
109 N. Second Ave., Ste. 300 Alpena, Michigan
Saturday, July 30, 2016, 1:15-1:30 pm, Kalamazoo, Michigan:
The Stage at Riverview Launch
1523 Riverview Dr., Kalamazoo, Michigan
Monday, July 25, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight For Life, by Edward O. Wilson, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join us for a discussion of this call to action by biologist and firebrand, Edward O. Wilson, who also happens to be professor emeritus, Harvard University, and a prolific author. Okay, maybe firebrand is a bit of an exaggeration, but Wilson doesn’t pull punches, especially lately. If you’ve never read Wilson’s work and you care about your home planet, think about diving into this relatively short argument for wilderness. And if you know Wilson’s work, consider reading his latest. Free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month in The Espresso Bar above Literati. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying Half-Earth for the book club. Note that we alternate between meeting on Monday and Tuesday, every other month.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Sightlines: A Conversation with the Natural World, by Kathleen Jamie, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join us for a discussion of this collection of essays by Scottish poet and essayist, Kathleen Jamie, whose first collection of essays, Findings, stunned me. As a lover of wide-open wild places, I sometimes forget to remember the immense pleasure to be found in roaming land that bears evidence of long human settlement while simultaneously allowing plenty of room for wild nature. Jamie’s gift is to articulate this pleasure and find meaning in it. Free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month in The Espresso Bar above Literati. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying Sightlines for the book club.
Wednesday, April 26, 2016, 7 pm, South Lyon, Michigan:
Poetry Reading with Alison Swan, Dennis Heinricson, Terry Blackhawk, Scott Russell, David Grove, Deanne Lundin, Kathleen Ripley Leo, Lisa Powers, Joseph Matuzak and Others. Have you celebrated National Poetry Month yet?
Third Monk Brewing
228 N. Lafayette St., South Lyon, Michigan
Wednesday, March 30, 2016, noon to 1 pm, Kalamazoo, Michigan:
Talk: Reimagining the Freshwater Heart of North America, by Alison SwanLee Honors College Lounge, Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
I’m honored to be delivering the tenth talk in the Our Blue Marble: Water, Home, and Humanity (Part 1) lecture series. I’ll talk about two of my book projects: Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes and The Saugatuck Dunes, and the ways in which the literary and visual arts might help us reimagine our relationship with the Great Lakes and their shores. Click here for more information about the series. And click here for more information about my books.
Monday, March 21, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, by Jeff Speck, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join us for a discussion of this book by new urbanist, Jeff Speck, who co-authored the influential Suburban Nation: the Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. Anyone’s whose had the luxury of walking to work, as I did from 1987 through 1997, can attest to myriad benefits of walking regularly through safe, lively neighborhoods where others are doing the same. Free and open to the public, and, by the way, there’s never any pressure to have read the book, ‘though we love it when you do. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month in The Espresso Bar above Literati. Note that Literati will give you 15% off the cover price if you mention that you’re buying Walkable City for the book club.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join us for a discussion of this book by Jared Diamond, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. Selected as our next title because it comes highly recommended by two EcoBook Club regulars, Collapse overflows with information I believe we ignore at our peril, beginning with a fresh take with what’s currently transpiring with the economy and the environment in Montana. Free and open to the public. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Friday, January 15, 2016, 6:30 pm, Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters
758 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
*Monday*, November 16, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Discussion of this new book by mother, scientist, professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a Great Lakes Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer. One of the reasons I’m grateful to host Literati’s Eco Book Club: I get to promote refreshing, intelligent books like this one, a current favorite. Free and open to the public. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life, by George Monbiot, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Discussion of this new book by journalist turned environmental activist, George Monbiot, who’s probably best known for his TED talk on rewilding (a timely and compelling term unrecognized by autocorrect!). Free and open to the public. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
E c o B o o k C l u b: Discussion of Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, led by Alison SwanLiterati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Discussion of this award-winning book by a smart, sassy young naturalist who’s become an expert on crows (and our problematic relationship with wild nature) while mothering her firstborn in the city. Free and open to the public. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month. Contact Literati for more information.
Sunday, July 19, 2015, noon to 2 pm, Munising, Michigan:
Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore
Downtown Munising, Michigan
Call Falling Rock for more information (906) 387-3008
Monday, June 29, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Contact Literati Bookstore for more information
Saturday, June 13, 2015, 1 to 3 pm, Howell, Michigan:
Blue Frog Books
3615 E. Grand River Ave., Howell, Michigan
Friday, June 12, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, May 19, 2015, 7 pm, Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Join us for a discussion of this important new book. Free and open to the public. The Eco Book Club, hosted by Alison Swan, meets every other month.
Thursday, April 9, 2015, 6 to 8:30 pm:
Kalamazoo Public Library
315 S. Rose St., Kalamazoo, Michigan
Thursday, March 5, 2015, 7 to 8:45 pm:
Ann Arbor District Library–Traverwood Branch
3333 Traverwood Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Innovation Circle with Dylan Miner and Others
MSU Global–Michigan State University
Nisbet Building, 1407 S. Harrison Rd., Ste. 301, East Lansing, Michigan
Thursday, June 19, 2914, 5 pm:
Poetry Reading with Alison Swan, Keith Taylor, and Robert Fanning, contributors to the 2014 Michigan Notable Book Poetry in Michigan/Michigan in Poetry
Theodore Roethke House
1805 Gratiot Ave., Saginaw, Michigan
Friday, June 13, 2914, 5 pm:
Dog Ears Books
106 Waukazoo St., Northport, Michigan
Friday, April 25, 2014, Noon:
Michigan Writers: Alison Swan, Ron Riekki, D.R. James, Jane Piirto ~ Reading, conversation, book signing.
Summerfield-Petersburg Branch Library
60 E. Center St., Petersburg, Michigan
Thursday, April 24, 2014, 6:00 pm:
Michigan Writers: Alison Swan and Ron Riekki ~ Reading, conversation, and book signing.
Reese Unity District Library
2065 Gates St., Reese, Michigan
Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 2:00 pm & 6:30 pm:
Michigan Writers: Alison Swan, Ron Riekki, and Others ~ It’s National Poetry Month and Earth Day. Reading, conversation, and book signing.
2:00 pm (Alison Swan, Ron Riekki, Joy Gaines-Friedler, Joseph Gross, Arnie Johnston, Kim Kolbe, )
Paw Paw District Library
609 W. Michigan Ave., Paw Paw, Michigan
6:30 pm (Alison Swan, Ron Riekki, Joy Gaines-Friedler, Charmi Keranen, Kathleen McGookey)
Bangor Branch Library
420 Division St., Bangor, Michigan
Saturday, April 5, 2014, 10 am to 3 pm:
Whatever It Takes: Poetry-Writing Intensive with Alison Swan~Our theme will be, “Gathering Up.” We’ll talk about settling down, digging in, and looking far, as ways to generate new work–and improve work-in-progress. Whether you’re new to poetry, honing your craft, or simply seeking to spend a day among lovers of words, join this stimulating and relaxed gathering near beautiful Lake Michigan.
Box Factory for the Arts
1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, Michigan
Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 7:00 pm:
Poetry in Michigan/Michigan in Poetry Reading (Alison Swan and Others Read from the New Anthology)
East Grand Rapids Library
746 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids, Michigan
Wednesday, December 4, 2013, 7:00 pm:
Poetry in Michigan/Michigan in Poetry Reading (Alison Swan and Others Read from the New Anthology)
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, November 30, 2013, 7:00 pm:
Poetry Reading: Alison Swan and Other Contributors to Poetry in Michigan/Michigan in Poetry
Brilliant Books
118 E. Front St., Traverse City, Michigan
Saturday, November 23, 2013, 10 am to 3 pm:
Whatever It Takes: Looking Far: Poetry-Writing Intensive with Alison Swan
Box Factory for the Arts
1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, Michigan
Monday, November 3, 2013, 7:00 pm:
Poetry Reading: Alison Swan, Caroline Maun, and Keith Taylor
Nicola’s Books
2513 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, October 19, 2013, 7:00 pm:
Poetry Reading: Alison Swan and Teresa Scollon
Brilliant Books
118 E. Front St., Traverse City, Michigan
Saturday, September 28, 2013:
It’s a Matter of Opinion: Expressions in Ink (Alison Swan and Other Poets and Writers Respond to the Artwork)
Water Street Gallery
98 Center St., Douglas, Michigan
Saturday, August 17, 2013:
Whatever It Takes: Digging In: Poetry-Writing Intensive with Alison Swan
The Box Factory
1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, Michigan
Saturday, July 27, 2013:
Our Rivers, Our Lakes Reading with Alison Swan, Terry Blackhawk & David Swan
Grosse Pointe Art Center
11178 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Wednesday, June 26, 2013:
Alison Swan & Jack Ridl Read from their New Books of Poems
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck, Michigan
Wednesday, April 24, 2013:
Reading & Book Signing with Alison Swan & Patricia Clark
Sponsored by Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters
In the old Literary Life Bookstore space, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thursday, October 25, 2012:
Alison Swan judges “An Evening of Haiku and Prose Poetry”
Performing Arts Center
Grand Valley State University
Friday, June 15, 2012:
Reading & Book Signing with Alison Swan, Anne-Marie Oomen, Patricia McNair
Brilliant Books
118 E. Front St., Traverse City, Michigan
Wednesday, May 16, 2012:
Poetry Reading & Book Signing
The Box Factory
1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, Michigan
Wednesday, April 25, 2012:
National Poetry Month Gathering: Bring your favorite poem to share
Uncommon Grounds
127 Hoffman St., Saugatuck, Michigan
Friday, March 16, 2012:
Poetry Reading & Book Signing: Alison Swan & Keith Taylor
Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck, Michigan
Wednesday, February 29 – Saturday, March 3, 2012:
Conference Presentation: “Midwestern Cities: Contemporary Ecopoetics”
2012 Associated Writing Programs Conference, Chicago, Illinois
Friday, February 17, 2012:
Poetry Reading & Book Signing
Nicola’s Books
2513 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Saturday, December 3, 2011:
Book Signing with Other Local Authors
Holiday Green Market, Saugatuck Center for the Arts
400 Culver St., Saugatuck, Michigan
Monday, November 14, 2011:
Reading and Talk : No Complacency: Imagination and Calls to Action
Gwen Frostic Lecture Series
Meader Rare Book Room, 3016 Waldo Library
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Friday, November 4, 2011:
Discussion with Jerry Dennis and Paul Webb
Conference on the Great Lakes: Love Song and Lament
Sponsored by Michigan Quarterly Review
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan
434 S. State St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Reading and Talk: “No Complacency: Imagination and Calls to Action,” Friday, October 14, 2011. The Saugatuck Woman’s Club, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Reading: “Desperate and Deliberate: Reading the North Woods Landscape,” Wednesday, June 22, 2011. Association for the Study of Literature and Environment Conference, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Reading, May 18, 2011. Paper and Book Intensive, sponsored by the University of Alabama, Oxbow Art School, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Panel Discussion: “Recent Projects in Environmental Stewardship through the Arts,” March 20, 2011. The Arts and the Environment Colloquium, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Featured Reader, “Michigan Stories” on IMPACT Exposure, prerecorded and aired on various dates, 2010. Emily Fox, host. Impact 89FM/WDBM-FM, East Lansing, Michigan.
Workshop: “Write Where You Are,” September 25, 2010. Writers Block Series, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Fresh Water reunion reading, November 4, 2009. Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Fresh Water reunion reading, October 7, 2009. Hope College Critical Issues Symposium. Holland, Michigan.
Talk: “No Complacency: Imagination, Storytelling, and Calls to Action,” October 8, 2009. Hope College Critical Issues Symposium: At Water’s Edge: Complacency, Thirst, Action, Holland, Michigan.
Talk: “About the Great Lakes,” with Mary Gillis, ArtPrize entrant, and Lana Pollack, of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Found Board, October 2, 2009. DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Panel Discussion & Reading: “The Power of Story,” January 23, 2009. Stewardship Network Conference: The Science, Practice and Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems. Michigan State University. East Lansing, Michigan.
Workshop: “From the Field to the Page,” January 24, 2009. Stewardship Network Conference: The Science, Practice and Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems. Michigan State University. East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan: Our Land, Our Water, Our Heritage tour, November 16, 2008. Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Michigan: Our Land, Our Water, Our Heritage tour, November 10, 2008. Shaman Drum Bookshop, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michigan: Our Land, Our Water, Our Heritage tour, September 25, 2008. Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Fresh Water tour, August 5, 2008. Chicago Public Library (sponsor), Notebaert Nature Museum. Chicago, Illinois.
Panel Discussion & Reading: June 12, 2008. Edition Green: The Power of Story, The University of Michigan, Flint.
Fresh Water tour, April 22, 2008. Herrick District Library, Holland, Michigan.
Workshop: “Nature Writing,” January 12, 2008. The Box Factory for the Arts Writers’ Studio, St. Joseph, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Michigan Writers Series, November 2, 2007. Michigan State University Libraries, Computing, and Technology Division, East Lansing, Michigan.
Workshop: “Fresh Water: Words, Place, Environment,” October 22, 2007. Association of Independent Michigan Schools Annual Conference, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Writers Reading Series, October 16, 2007. Sweetwaters Cafe, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Discussion: “Fresh Water,” October 10, 2007. Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Sister Lakes, Michigan.
Panel: “Great Lakes Beyond the News: A Writer’s Forum,” September 8, 2007. Healing Our Waters Conference, The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, Illinois.
Featured Reader, Fundraiser for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, July 10, 2007. Corner Brewery, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Michigan Notable Books tour (Fresh Water), May 23, 2007. Hartford Public Library, Hartford, Michigan.
Panel: “The Writer-Editor Relationship,” May 18, 2007. Ann Arbor Book Festival Writers’ Conference, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Michigan Notable Books tour (Fresh Water), May 7, 2007. Otsego District Public Library, Otsego, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Michigan Notable Books tour (Fresh Water), April 21, 2007. White Lake Township Library, White Lake, Michigan.
Fresh Water tour, March 28, 2007. Institute for Research on Women and Gender, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Fresh Water tour, March 7, 2007. Grand Rapids Public Library & Ryerson Library Foundation, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Reading & Workshop: “Fresh Water: Using Your Senses to Make Your Writing Better,” March, 2007. North Creek Elementary School and Pierce Lake Elementary School, Chelsea, Michigan.
Panel: “Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes,” December 2006. Open Books radio program, Host Donna Seaman, Chicago, Illinois. http://www.openbooksradio.org/interviews.htm#nonfiction
Fresh Water tour, December 2, 2006. Cranesbill Books, Chelsea, Michigan.
Talk & Workshop: “Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes,” November 5, 2006. Writers’ Workshop: Connecting with the Past, The Box Factory for the Arts Writers’ Studio, St. Joseph, Michigan.
Workshop: “Write Where You Are” and Panel Discussion: “Creative Writing About Michigan,” September 30, 2006. Writing Michigan Two: The Grand Rapids Writing Conference at UICA, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Work-in-Progress Reading Series, September 2, 2006. Crazy Wisdom Tea Room, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Fresh Water tour, November 19, 2006. Women and Children First Bookstore, Chicago, Illinois.
Fresh Water tour/Fundraiser for Friends of the Library, October 21, 2006. Saugatuck Women’s Club, Saugatuck, Michigan.
Fresh Water tour, October 10, 2006. Shaman Drum Bookshop, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Women of the Great Lakes,” May 13, 2006. Ann Arbor Book Festival, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Authors on the Huron [River],” September 29, 2005. Mallets Creek Branch Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Featured Reader, “A Celebration of Michigan: The 2004 Annual Membership Meeting of the Ecology Center,” March 28, 2004. Vitosha Bed and Breakfast, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Featured Reader, Michigan Writers Series, September 27, 2002. Michigan State University Libraries, Computing, and Technology Division, East Lansing, Michigan.
Peninsula tour, October 19, 2000. Ladies Literary Club, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Peninsula tour, September 26, 2000. Portage Public Library, Portage, Michigan.
Peninsula tour, June 15, 2000. Shaman Drum Bookshop, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Featured Reader, December, 1995. Red Eye Cafe. Saginaw, Michigan.