When Scott Welvaert shared one of his first short stories with a group of other writers at Minnesota State University, Mankato in the mid-1990s, they had one piece of advice for him: Try poetry.
Welvaert had started college planning to study engineering but had turned to creative writing when he realized that his math skills weren’t as strong as they needed to be. He had written short stories in high school and thought that he had a knack for it — especially after telling a story that made his professor, Terry Davis, tear up. But his writing group didn’t necessarily agree.
“Basically, they told me that my story wasn’t very well crafted,” Welvaert said. “They told me to try writing poetry, because it would teach me how to use the language better and how to use imagery better. They said if you can write poetry well, then that will translate over to your fiction as well.”
Welvaert started writing poetry and found a passion for the form — but he couldn’t shake his desire to tell stories as well. So when he was accepted into Minnesota State Mankato's master of fine arts creative writing program, he combined the two and wrote a thesis that told the story of two AIDS patients on a journey to see the Pacific Ocean through a collection of poems.
That poetic story, “Pacific,” was published earlier this month by Minneapolis-based Sol Books.
Each poem in “Pacific” tells a small part of the story of David and Marti — young lovers with AIDS who have decided to drive west from Minnesota to the Pacific Ocean. There are poems that help explain who they both are and who they’re leaving behind, and others that describe their journey and their adventures along the way.
For the complete Free Press story, click on http://mankatofreepress.com/features/x1687694868/Poetry-is-his-passion
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