What Light: This Week’s Poem: James B. Livingston
"Highway 35" by James B. Livingston, was selected as a What Light winner by poet Maria Damon.
Biography
James B. Livingston (MA, philosophy, Bryn Mawr and MA, education, U of ST Thomas) was born in Winnipeg and raised with five younger sisters mostly in the Washburn area. He is bipolar and has an addiction to information and theory that he balances off by writing poetry, dancing, camping and playwriting. He is the founder and for ten years was the facilitator of Southside Writers Studio, Eagan (now past its twenty-fifth year). He has also taught in Emerson Community Education and is part of Powderhorn Writers. Over 150 of his poems have been published in more than 75 journals. In Minnesota he has been published in Minnesota Ink, Scread, MINED, Futures, Mother Superior, Powderhorn Horn, Solid Ground, Close to the Ground, Futures, North Coast Review, Poetry Motel, and Chronicle Alternative. In 1995, Xpressions Journal (WI) featured him on the front page as an up-and-coming poet. Plowman published his first chapbook, We Have Cried So Many Times Before, in 2002. For two years he was editor of MINED, a literary and art journal of by and for those who have experienced mental illness. In 1999 he won a VSA MN award for his play Trans State which he directed in the 2006 Fringe Festival. In 2003-04 he appeared in two of Shakespeares plays with the YWCA Theatre group. He now is the new MC of Walker Churchs open stage (2nd Thursdays at 7, starting 9/11).