Mary Swander
Kalona, Iowa
(319) 683-2613 or (319) 936-0187
Renewal Date 09/07/2022
I am the Poet Laureate of Iowa, an award-winning author of 15 books, and a storyteller of tales of food, gardening, farming, rural life and living among the Amish. My best known books are Driving the Body Back, Out of this World, and The Girls on the Roof.
I am the artistic director of Swander Woman Productions, a theatre troupe, that has launched a storytelling project called Farm-to-Fork-Tales, that brings together farmers, townspeople, or conference attendees to create a performance of their own stories about growing or eating food. We create events combining “Fork Tales,” local foods, and local bands–all with a universal appeal.
I am also the executive director of AgArts, a non-profit designed to imagine and promote a healthy food system through the arts (www.agarts.org).