Michael Torres | Poetry and Conversation

Registration required on library website.

Part of the 2026 Chippewa Valley Book Festival!

This event is the Nadine St. Louis Memorial Poetry Conversation 2026.

Join author Michael Torres and moderator Max Garland for an evocative exploration of how we transform lived experience into the enduring language of poetry. Centering on Torres’ acclaimed collection, An Incomplete List of Names, this discussion delves into the art of navigating complex memories and the profound emotions tied to our pasts. Discover how poetry can illuminate the hidden corners of our personal histories, turning fragments of the past into a vivid, resonant present.

Moderated by Max Garland, former Wisconsin Poet Laureate. Special thanks to Jeanne Foust, in memory of Brady Foust, for supporting this program.

About the Author

MICHAEL TORRES was born and brought up in Pomona, California where he spent his adolescence as a graffiti artist. His debut collection of poems, An Incomplete List of Names was selected by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera for the National Poetry Series and named one of NPR’s Books We Love, 2020. Currently he’s an Associate Professor in the MFA program at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a teaching artist with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

Learn more about Michael Torres at michaeltorreswriter.com.

Disclaimer(s)

If you need a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations, please notify Information & Reference (715-839-5004, [email protected]) at least 48 hours before the program.