Celebrating the Poet Elise Paschen

Celebrating the Poet Elise Paschen

Editor’s Note: Elise Paschen is an Honorary Member of The Cliff Dwellers, an enrolled member of the Osage Nation, an important Chicago writer, and the author of six poetry collections published to great acclaim. She has edited numerous anthologies, including The Eloquent Poem, and The New York Times bestseller Poetry Speaks to Children. A former Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America, she is also a co-founder of Poetry in Motion, a nationwide program that places poetry posters in subway cars and buses. In the academy, Dr. Paschen teaches in the MFA Writing Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In The Cliff Dwellers program “Traveler in the Mist: A Celebration of Poet Elise Paschen, her creative voice and distinguished service in the field of literature was honored with select readings from her exceptional oeuvre.

Cliff Dweller Eve Moran, co-chair with Eddie Torrez of the Honorary Members Committee, introduced the event the evening of April 11, 2025, and the attendees were then welcomed by Anne Sullivan, President of The Cliff Dwellers. Next, Don Evans, Founding Executive Director of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, a co-sponsor of the event, introduced the evening’s co-host, Dr. Lisa Yun Lee. Lisa Lee then introduced readings of Elise Paschen works first by Thea Goodman, and then by Rachel DeWoskin.

Before and after the poetry readings, the program featured the haunting music of Bill Buchholtz on his Native American flute. Elise’s newly published poetry collection, Blood Wolf Moon, was made available for the audience to take home a more permanent remembrance of the evening.

The highlight of the night was when Elise Paschen herself stepped to the podium and read stories and poetry central to her family and their Osage Nation heritage.