Mark B. Hamilton, who grew up in North Granby, is an award-winning poet, community activist and scholar of pre-industrial America. In January, Hamilton’s two eco-poetry volumes were released.
Upstream (Finishing Line Press) is a wise, sensitive and timely chapbook of environmental literature inspired by the Eastern travelogues of Basho, and guided by the sensibilities aroused by Native Nation cosmologies. It gives form to a belief that life, itself, is a relationship with the Earth. These poems bring the reader on a joyful winter’s journey upstream on the Mississippi River, invigorating our most primal and spiritual connections with this living Earth, our true home.
Lake, River, Mountain (Cornerstone Press) explores the Missouri River by paddling across the Great Plains from Washburn, N.D., to Dillon, Mont. Within the context of American history, these poems evolve as a strengthening of will to grow and adapt, to revise the understanding of self as a part of this wondrous river environment. Here, the author finds communion, establishing insightful dialogues with the natural world.
Hamilton was born in Hartford and grew up in North Granby, later receiving an MFA from the University of Montana. Hamilton has taught writing and literature at Ball State University and at Missouri Western State University for 20 years. His poetry and research have been published widely in the US and abroad. For additional author information, visit MarkBHamilton.WordPress.com.