Poet shares music and lore of Finnish immigrants

For a woman raised in Minnesota, poet and musician Diane Jarvenpa has gained a pretty decent following in her grandparents' homeland of Finland, where she is known as "Minnesotan Satakieli," or the Minnesota Nightingale.

Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jarvenpa will read from her latest book of poems, "The Way She Told Her Story" and perform on the kantele, a traditional Finnish stringed instrument that is plucked, at the Cloquet Public Library.

Jarvenpa said she wrote the book after receiving a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to research Finnish immigrant women stories and their descendents and create a book of poetry.

It didn't exactly end up the way she thought it would: rather, it was a journey.

"The book is my attempts to look with a curious lens at my heritage, how and why this heritage haunts me as a woman who was raised in a very American suburban home with a lot of ethnicity bubbling beneath the surface, how for me the heritage can be bitter and sweet and rich in story."

The book was written thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Arts Board and received an honorable mention in poetry at the most recent Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards.

Jarvenpa took some time to answer a few questions before her upcoming appearance at the library, which is free and open to the public.

Q-What inspired you to write, "The Way She Told Her Story"?

AI have found as I have been evolving over the years as a writer and a musician I have been drawn even more to stories of my Finnish ancestors. All my grandparents emigrated from Finland. As I have been aging, and I think this is something we all do as we move through our lives, I have been thinking quite a bit about my parents and their experiences as well. I realized I knew quite a bit more stories about my male ancestors then the females in my family. I began to wonder more and more about them.

I researched the writings of Finnish American women writers and scholars and I am met with generous friends who shared the stories of their families, their mothers and grandmothers. And I turned to the writings of my mother, Aili Jarvenpa, a poet, translator and editor. Her writings directed and inspired me to begin the journey into the voices and words of Finnish women immigrants and their families.

I found I couldn't really go backwards to my Finnish ancestors the way I wanted to when researching this book; they remain in so many ways a mystery and in some ways a loss, but I tried to find experiences that we all share. I do think some of the experiences of these immigrant women are experiences that are happening still today, to recent immigrants around the world. "The Way She Told Her Story" is rooted to place and feelings of loss of place, and questions of where one belongs - and how to make a life in new surroundings. It considers questions of identity and gender and class.

Q-How did you choose to learn how to play the kantele, and what about it has kept you fascinated and playing?

A-The kantele is the national instrument of Finland. It has a delicate sound. I joined a group of kantele players called Koivun Kaiku in Minneapolis and then studied at The Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Why do I continue to play them? Kanteles are calming. They have a sound of shadows and rivers, but also I hear a shimmer of ancient bells. They convey the music of my ancestors in a unique and haunting way.

Q-Did you visit Cloquet when your grandparents lived in the area? What do you remember?

A-My grandfather had moved to Florida by the time I was born. But we came often to visit my mother's two aunts. I remember listening to them all speak Finnish and sitting at tables laden with delicious food. It was like crossing a border into another country.

Q-You've traveled all over the world as a musician and poet. What are some of your favorite places?

A-I have been very fortunate to travel and perform across the United States and Europe. There are so many incredible places. I just got back from Iceland. I am very fond of that island.

Q-What drew you to poetry? Who are some of your favorite poets?

A-My mother was a poet, so I was instilled with the love of words from an early age. So yes, my mother is one of my favorite poets. But oh, there are so many more. Joy Harjo is our current poet laureate of the United States and is a powerful poet. I love Naomi Shihab Nye, Tracy K. Smith and Lisel Mueller.

Q-You've worked with the Alzheimer's Poetry Project. What inspired that work?

A-My mother had Alzheimer's. So I experienced how hard it is and how it is a slow thief. The Alzheimer's Poetry Project of Minnesota brings poets into a variety of places with elders with dementia to read and write poetry together and to help them share their voices and stories. I will be teaching throughout the year.

Q-Are you working on a new book or recording now?

A-Right now I am finishing up a novel and working on a new poetry manuscript. I would love to work on a new recording. I have written quite a few new songs. Maybe someday I may make it back into the studio.