Joyce Sutphen, author of several collections of poetry, has been Minnesota’s poet laureate since 2011. Her writing is well crafted with a gentle voice, often reflecting her upbringing on a farm in central Minnesota. Her clear and crisp descriptions of the hard work of farm life, flows with a grace and rhythm of the landscape and the great rivers that course through it. Her books can be found at most Minnesota bookstores and online through Amazon.

John Kaul is a photographer, filmmaker, and lobbyist living in Afton, Minnesota. See his film and photo gallery. His film “The Wild And Scenic St. Croix” is a must view for all nature lovers.

Nature 365, video by Jim Brandenburg. Sign up for a short daily video of wildlife and wilderness. Captured by famed nature photographer Jim Brandenburg. Each video is about one minute. A great and poetic way to start your day with scenes from Minnesota’s rich natural heritage.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization that also works throughout the United States. TNC is tackling climate change, providing food and water sustainably and protecting forests, grasslands, rivers, lakes and wetlands so that nature and people can thrive together. TNC has over 25,000 supporters in Minnesota and has helped protect more than 700,00 acres of the state’s most significant lands and waters since 1958. View the Nature Conservancy website.

Barton Sutter, winner of several Minnesota and national writing awards, is the author of books of poetry, short stories, and essays. Sutter incorporates meter, rhythm, and humor in his poems of the natural world. Living in Duluth, his poetry often reflects northeastern Minnesota, and allows the reader to take a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters. His books can be found at bookstores around Minnesota and online through Amazon.