Marching the traditional academy road and teaching creative writing at a private university can begin to reduce poetry to the canon. Mix in a little Baptist history, and things can spiral toward family-friendly. This month, one of my creative nonfiction students invited me to the Soapboxing Poetry Slam at the Artist’s Quarter in St. Paul.

So now, a little counterpoint from some local poets:

Toussaint Morrison – “Jenny”

Michael Lee – “Anvils (Dear America)”

Paul Dosh – “Quality Education”

Dylan Garity – “Live”