A Passionate Prose

Milkweed Editions and Coffee House Press host Open House Prose

Sydney Jackson

Finding my seat in a quiet, yet anticipative room waiting for the writer line up ( Victoria Blanco, Jennifer Bowen, Greg Hewett, Jana Larson, Juliet Patterson, and Erin Sharkey ) to speak, I scan the audience surrounding me. A mix of “literature lovers,” as Milkweed Editions, the events co-host along with Coffee House Press, called them, from all backgrounds come together to listen to accomplished writers. Quiet whispers about the event’s guest writers filled the room to the brim.

Juliet Patterson and Erin Sharkey were the two key speakers at the event. Patterson is the author and finalist for the Minnesota Book Award of the heart aching book “Sinkhole.” In 2009, after recovering from a car accident, Patterson’s father died by suicide. In this book she tells how she and her family navigated this tragic loss. Sharkey is the author of the historically rich, intriguing book “A Darker Wilderness,” a composition of personal and lyric essays about Black history and her own personal experience as a Black woman. One of the main themes of the book is about the important historic relationship between Black people and land in America, which has a deep history, starting from the inhumane shipping of slaves to now. Hearing both of these talented female writers’ prose was insightful to listen to. 

As each speaker appeared on stage to speak eloquently into the microphone, we got to hear the hearts of their stories, speaking with passion at each word of their tongue. As the voices of these admirable writers were heard, Twin Cities book readers met and chatted amongst each other about these compelling stories.