Margaret Rozga
Spring evokes images of blooming and growth as another planting season emerges from winter’s slumber. The vivid imagery of gardening is just one of the many themes discussed in poet Margaret Rozga’s new collection Justice Freedom Herbs. These descriptive narrative poems feature topics ranging from the challenges one faces in nurturing a garden to the injustices our ancestors fought against during the civil rights movement and simple daily interactions among family members. Some of the passages take readers into Rozga’s own garden, while other stanzas paint clear pictures of our nation’s history and our shared tragic past. As Rozga strives to nurture her own garden, she expresses the joys, triumphs and disappointments of working the soil while weaving in sharp social-justice metaphors that link the natural, spiritual and physical worlds. The ethereal yet grounded poems in Justice Freedom Herbs are infused with a heightened sense of awareness and advocacy.
A poet and social-justice activist, Rozga is the author of two previous poetry collections. She is also the playwright behind the production March on Milwaukee: A Memoir of the Open Housing Protests. Rozga is a professor emerita of English at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha, where she taught creative writing and multicultural literature. Her essay, “Community Inclusive: A Poetics to Move Us Forward,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She will perform a live reading at Woodland Pattern Book Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.
Book Happenings:
Susan Lukas
9 a.m.-5 p.m., March 22
Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes)
524 S. Layton Blvd.
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Local author Susan Lukas’ new book The Spirit Connection tackles the controversial topic of psychics with grace and aplomb. This book serves as a complete guide on how to lead a more purposeful, divine life by introducing readers to 10 psychics who have helped individuals answer life’s deepest questions. Lukas will appear at the Dare to be Aware Fair on Sunday, March 22.
