5th Generation Topekan delivers his new book of poetry

At Berryton Elementary, young Duane Herrmann tried his hand at writing poetry, and although his years at Shawnee Heights, Washburn and Fort Hays State were devoted to studying history and education, writing poetic was what he always wanted to do.

His latest book of new poetry "Ichnographical 173," is going through work on its cover before it's released next week. That'll go along with the set that includes the decade-old "Prairies of Possibilities."

How did he describe his style in our interview on the Red Couch show?

"I don't know, I've been told I have a very distinct Kansas voice, so don't know. I write about Kansas and about other things I've experienced or read about," he says.

"A composer in South Africa set my poems to music, and when you're listening to it, you feel you're out there."

His new book of poetry available through Delameter-Moore-Curtis and can be found on amazon.com. Duane says the contents have been described as serious poems about serious issues. His poetry has earned prizes from the Kansas State Poetry Society, Kansas Authors Club, the Robert Hayden Poetry Fellowship, and inclusion in American Poets of the 1990s, the Map of Kansas Literature, Kansas Poets Trail, and KansasPoets.com among others.