Montana Poet Laureate Michael Earl Craig at the Elling House

Montana Poet Laureate Michael Earl Craig reads from his work at The Elling House in Virginia City on Saturday, May 27. PHOTO BY SUSAN THOMAS

EBS STAFF 

The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center will host a reading by current Montana Poet Laureate Michael Earl Craig on Saturday, May 27. The event begins with a meet and greet at 6 p.m. after which Craig will read new poems as well as previously published work at 7 p.m.

Craig is a farrier who lives just outside of Livingston with his wife, Susan, her mule, Ben, and a dog. He has an antiquated lifestyle, preferring to use nonelectric tools, manual typewriters, old fashioned bicycles, anvil and hammer, and his hands. He personifies rural values in that he makes his living from working with horses, but fortunately for his readers, he is also an intellectual and one of the preeminent poets of our day.

Craig has been recognized internationally for his literary prowess and was appointed the Montana Poet Laureate in October 2015. He is the author of “Can You Relax in My House” (2002), “Yes, Master” (2006), “Thin Kimono” (2010), and “Talkativeness” (2014).  His work has been included in the anthologies “Isn’t It Romantic” (2004), Everyman’s Library’s “Poems About Horses” (2009), and “The Best American Poetry” (2014).

Published in prestigious contemporary presses, Craig has been a contributor to Poetry Magazine, The New Yorker, The Believer, TriQuarterly, Granta, the journal of the Poetry Society of America and many more publications.

His poems have been translated into Dutch and Chinese, and he has been invited to read in cities all over the country and serve as a visiting writer at various universities. Craig was a panelist for the Elk River Writer’s Workshop and has been a presenter at both the High Plains BookFest in Billings, and the Montana Book Festival in Missoula.

The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center is located at 404 E. Idaho St. in Virginia City. Call (406) 843-5507 or visit ellinghouse.org for more information.