Late again, but here’s the link to my latest over at Notes from the Journey Westward:

Late again, but here’s the link to my latest over at Notes from the Journey Westward:

It’s been months since I’ve had a chance to catch up here. And, Lord, what months they’ve been. Loads of adventure, sadness, and grace. You can read through it all over at my Substack.

A couple of other notes:
As always, I’m out there teaching and reading. Come say hello!
Been a bit lax on keeping this space updated. Apologies. You can find a link to my latest newsletter below, as well as some fun upcoming events.


I’ve gotten a bit behind posting news here. The big news, of course, is my latest book of poetry, Pastoral, 1994, which is the first book I’ve done that’s a straight run—no sections or breaks—and though you’ll find here elegies, aubades, and songs, the sonnet or the ghost of the sonnet haunts most of these poems, which explore rural spaces, rural culture, and rural identity; the late years of the farm crisis in eastern Montana; and wonder, wildness, grief, loss, ecological devastation, and masculinity.
You can find out more about the book, and catch up on other news, via my two latest newsletters (clink on the images for links!)

This Saturday is going to be all kinds of amazing. Check out the full schedule, and here’s an interview with me about the festival over at Oregon ArtsWatch. I’ll be reading and speaking with the amazing Renee Watson (my daughter is so excited to meet her!) at 5 PM at the Portland Art Museum.
Stories of intergenerational kinship, families original and found, of loss and healing from Renée Watson (skin & bones) and Joe Wilkins (The Entire Sky), with moderator Mitchell S. Jackson (Survival Math and Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion).

From a lovely run through the mountains of western Montana to a graduate school reunion in Idaho and just lately closing the Sisters Saloon down with John Larison and Willy Vlautin, the last month and change have been all kinds of wonderful. And I’m not hanging up my spurs just yet! Love to see you in the coming weeks in Corvallis, Canton, Brooklyn, McMinnville, Bend, Salem, or Portland.

The Entire Sky Book Tour: A Reading with the Spring Creek ProjectSeptember 20 at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts, Corvallis, OR
The Entire Sky Book Tour: St. Lawrence University Writers SeriesSeptember 24 at 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm, St. Lawrence University, 23 Romoda Dr, Canton, NY 13617

On America: A Reading and Conversation at the Center For Fiction with Essie Chambers, Julia Phillips, and Joe Wilkins, moderated by Nina St. Pierre, September 25 at 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY
The Entire Sky Book Tour: Readings at the Nick, October 1, 2024 at 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm, Linfield University, Nicholson Library, McMinnville, OR

An Evening with Ellen Waterston and Joe Wilkins, Roundabout Books in Bend, OR,October 17, 2024 at 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
An Evening with Scott Nadelson and Joe Wilkins, The Book Bin, Salem, OR, November 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The Entire Sky Book Tour: Portland Book Festival, Event Times and Places TBA, November 2, 2024

Been on the road with The Entire Sky and am just catching up here. So good to be sharing stories with you all. Here’s to the next song on the radio and the next stop!

Been on the road with the whole crew, and was lucky enough to celebrate pub day for The Entire Sky with everyone back in Montana!

It’s here, folks. It’s beautiful. We’ve got a playlist and are picking up good reviews. I hope you love it!

The Entire Sky lands tomorrow. It’s been a long journey. I’m thrilled–and also anxious and nervous and so, so excited to host a pint with you when I come through town!

We’re almost there. Twenty-two days and counting until The Entire Sky lands.
