Sometimes the best way to learn about a unique region is to listen to the stories told by those who’ve actually lived there. You learn things that no guidebook would ever tell you. You meet unforgettable characters who’ve strayed far off the beaten path. And you see clearly again how the power of memory is so strong that they can still recall incidents decades later. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has always been filled with remarkable sensations and indelible stories.

With this anthology, the editor Raymond Luczak sought to include poets who not only live in the U.P., but also who used to live there. What did it mean to be a Yooper then? What about now? Even for those who no longer abide there, the U.P. is indeed a special place, and it isn’t just thanks to Mother Nature. The Yooper mindset requires a particular kind of faith in resilience against persistent odds.

The poets in this collection have never forgotten what it means to be a Yooper. Come partake in our celebration!

Martin Achatz | Jennifer Elen Bríd | B. Harlan Deemer | Chad Faries | Deborah K. Frontiera | Kathleen M. Heideman | John Hilden | Jonathan Johnson | Kathleen Carlton Johnson | Ellen Lord | Raymond Luczak | Gala Malherbe | Beverly Matherne | R. H. Miller | Jane Piirto | Dana Richter | T. Kilgore Splake | Suzanne Sunshower | Russell Thorburn