Dean of Technology Promotes His Book of Poetry 

Winona and Red Wing, MN (May 27, 2026) – By his own admission, most people are surprised to learn that Jake Griggs is a published poet, given his full-time job as Dean of Trade and Technology at Minnesota State College Southeast.  

“It’s not an intersection that most folks expect,” Griggs said. “Hopefully people are intrigued enough to read a couple of poems of mine, and then that leads to another poet or poem elsewhere.” Ultimately, he hopes it inspires others to write or follow whatever passion they have. “It’s never too late to pull on a thread that’s been speaking to you.” 

Griggs’ collection, “A Midwestern Introvert’s Atlas,” published earlier this spring, includes his first published poem, “O’Leary Lake,” as well as his longest work, a nine-page piece called “Waterways of the North,” that evolved from journal entries he first captured during a trip to the Boundary Waters in 2008.  

“It’s as much about perseverance and wayfinding as it is about these amazing physical places that I’ve got a connection to,” Griggs said. “I think a lot of my best work is like that, but this one feels more magical to me because it took so long to arrive.” 

Griggs suggests most of us are first introduced to poetry via nursery rhymes or children’s books like those of Shel Silverstein. He’s personally drawn to existentialist and nature poets, rattling off a laundry list of his favorites. Griggs credits closely reading the work of Larry Levis as having led to breakthroughs in his own writing, and revisits Levis’ “Winter Stars” often. 

Most of the poems featured in the book were written between 2020 and 2024, a time that coincides with Griggs taking courses in Mankato State’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. What started as an online diversion during the pandemic eventually led to Griggs earning his MFA this spring. He said his professors and classmates helped him refine his work. 

People familiar with the coulee region may get an added kick out of this collection. 

“Several poems in the book refer to local places and perspectives,” Griggs said. “It’s not every day you’ll run across a poem that mentions a place like Bucksnort County Park, and you can say to yourself, ‘Hey! I know where that is! I’ve been there before!’” 

Those “place-based” poems informed the title, while also helping Griggs see his world differently. 

"I hope it helps people think more broadly about the world around them too, both in what they know and what they don’t,” Griggs said. “I’m an introvert that has to work at being extroverted, and sometimes I need a little direction. So, this book is kind of like an invitation. It’s about doing those things for myself, and hopefully leaving a few breadcrumbs for anyone else interested.” 

Griggs will hold a book release reading of “A Midwest Introvert’s Atlas,” June 4 at 7 p.m. at Ridgeway Community School (35564 Winona County Road 12) in Houston, Minnesota. The event is free to the public.