KALONA

At this weekend’s 3rd annual Poetry Palooza in Des Moines, the James A. Autry Award for Poetry & Leadership was given to Mary Swander, author, performer, teacher and Kalona resident. The award honors her strong ties to the Iowa poetry community and inspirational leadership in advancing arts and culture.

“I have always thought that poetry needed to come out of the turret and become present in the lives of ordinary people,” Swander said. “I’ve tried to engage communities with my work, encouraging both the reading and writing of poetry. People are hungry for the transformation poetry provides.”

An emerita Distinguished Professor of creative writing at Iowa State University, Swander points to a project she led with ISU students and students from Iowa School for the Deaf in 2013 as an example. ISU students wrote poems that were then brought to life by deaf students through American Sign Language (ASL). The experience bonded the students through their shared English language, and at the same time, created entirely new poems expressed in in a physical and visual way.

Swander herself is the author of several poetry books, one of which, “Heaven-and-Earth House,” explores rural living among the Amish in Kalona. She served as Iowa’s third Poet Laureate from 2009-2019.

“I’m honored to receive this award that acknowledges my leadership and community involvement,” she said.