Karen Craigo, a poet and journalist in the Springfield/Marshfield area, was appointed Missouri Poet Laureate for 2019-2021. The position was established in 2008 by former Governor Matt Blunt, and there have since been five individuals (including Craigo) who have filled it since.

Meeting Karen Craigo

Craigo recently visited campus and was the guest of honor at the Drury Humanities & Ethics Center’s Poetry Jam on Feb. 18. During the event, she gave advice on how to create a writing routine.

“I used to write a new poem a day. Which was great! Apparently, that’s difficult for some people to do. But I didn’t give myself time to really figure out what the poem needed,” Craigo stated.  Now, she tries to write every day but switches things up so she doesn’t get too comfortable.

(Photo via unsplash.com)

She continued, “If I have been writing in the morning for a while, I change things up and start writing at night. That way I don’t get too focused on only being able to write in the morning.”

This poet is not just a poet, though. Craigo is also the editor for The Marshfield Mail, as well as a regular blogger. The blog is called Better View of the Moon, and she “writes…about the writer’s spirit.” Craigo has written two poetry collections, Passing Through Humansville and No More Milk, and is working on a third.

In an interview with Tethered by Letters, Craigo stated, “Beginning writers should educate themselves in any way they can. Reading books is a no-brainer, but I say get out of the house and see real, live writers. Sneak into receptions. See what your favorite poet looks like after one too many glasses of some iffy Shiraz.” And who doesn’t love to see our favorite people just a little too happy?

Craigo is just as down to earth as you might expect someone who writes poems like “Ten Items You’re Too Old to Wear” to be. Her poems are just as real as a conversation between two people. She talks about being braless and not caring. She disarms readers with her candor and transfixes with her profound ideas that are almost casually tossed into her pieces. Craigo’s depth and emotion are so constant, it is easy to forget where you are when she reads.

Something she has said in several interviews, and in person, is that “it’s a good idea for writers – and humans! – to take some risks when they’re young. That stuff sustains us later on.” While we have the chance, maybe we should take Karen Craigo up on that. We should take risks, see the world and talk to people we wouldn’t usually.

Written by Cheyenne Heavener.