Poet Diane Pittman will be the first presenter in the 2015 Spoken Word Series. Diane, an area resident, has worked as a family physician for over 30 years. As a doctor, she is fascinated by the workings of body and brain, and brings those things together in the poetry she writes. Diane will share her talents during a two-day event, held March 6-7 at Watermark.

March 6th there will be an evening reading as part of Bemidji’s First Friday Art Walk featuring a collection of new, original poetry titled “Brain Songs.” The reception will run from 5-7 p.m., with the reading beginning at 6. The following day, March 7th, Diane will lead a poetry workshop held in the lower level at Watermark, in the Region 2 Arts Council room. The workshop is titled “Poetry: The Yoga of Language” and will run from 1-4 p.m. Further workshop details can be found here.

Attendance at the reading is free and open to the general public. Cost for the workshop is $40 ($20 for students). Space is limited, so contact Watermark as soon as possible to make your reservation. Register before March 4 by contacting us at 218-444-7570.

About Diane:

Diane Pittman came to Bemidji in 1985 as a young family physician just out of training. She practiced medicine for 30 years on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, gaining wisdom and inspiration from the people she served there. She has written poetry since childhood and over the years has learned much from the vibrant, generous literary community in the Bemidji area. She is an avid cyclist and shares that passion through Shifting Gears, a ministry of Peoples Church, which provides bikes to low income people. She loves winter, living in the Northwoods, and eating healthy, locally grown food. She recently opened True North Health Care, an Integrative Medicine and acupuncture practice. She lives in Turtle River Township with her husband, Lawrence Krantz, two cats: Beatrice and Fiscus, and a flock of geese and chickens.