For National Poetry Month, 64 Parishes presents Laureates Online, a weekly virtual reading with Louisiana’s current and former poets laureate featuring poetry relevant to current times. Stay tuned every Wednesday at noon on Facebook and 64Parishes.org for new readings.

This week’s reading is with Dr. Jack Bedell, who served as Louisiana Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019. He is a professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University, the author of nine collections of poetry, and serves as editor of Southeastern’s literary magazine, Louisiana Literature.

Intimate and captivating, his work reflects a familiarity with Louisiana life and its people. The poem he shared with us, “Summer, Botany Lesson,” was inspired by neighborhood walks with his family.