Some of the many voices behind Kysar’s just-released “Pretend the World” CD. Photo: Steve Peterson

When I first encountered the poems in Kathryn Kysar’s 2011 collection, “Pretend the World,” I was struck, most of all, by the expansiveness of her voice and vision. Here’s a thumbnail description of the collection, from my review of her book written shortly after it was published:

The St. Paul-based poet speaks for herself, of course, but her title is apt — she also effectively “pretends the world,” giving voice to a motley assortment of others, as well. With sensual, vivid language, Kysar weaves together a host of disparate vignettes and tiny character studies. You dip into the mind of a first-grader, then a feisty pioneer-era ingénue and a stalwart farm wife; memories of Midwestern grandmas, whose “rules about legs,/ thank you notes, and hemlines” hold their daughters firmly in place; a few hours in the life of an aging flamenco dancer passing through a post-Cold War, newly globalized Eastern Europe. A nameless Guangdong garment worker muses on the lives of those who will wear the clothing she makes. … Kysar juxtaposes snapshots of the varieties of feminine experience — affluence and privation, violence and quietude, security and vulnerability, youth and maturity. The result is a timeless composite likeness of Woman.

The St. Paul-based poet is an indefatigable community builder, a restlessly interdisciplinary sort who’s left her mark on interesting projects throughout the Twin Cities arts and literary scenes. Her endeavors around this “Pretend the World” collection offer a fine case in point. The book was published by Holy Cow! Press in 2011; in short order, Kysar partnered with Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts on a related exhibition for which a variety of accomplished visual artists were invited to create work in response to specific poems. And this week, she’s releasing yet another collaborative project around the work, a CD featuring contributions by local poets and musicians, reading and interpreting selections from “Pretending the World.”

Kathryn Kysar and Joyce Sutphen prepare to read “Pretend the World” selections at the CD launch party, held recently at the Loft Literary Center. Photo: Anna Min

Thanks to a 2013 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant and the taxpayers of Minnesota, the audio project was recorded at Wild Sound Studios in Minneapolis, engineered and produced by musician and writer Steve Kaul. The “Pretend the World” CD features a diverse assortment of readers including: Minnesota Poet Laureate Joyce Sutphen, soprano Maria Jette and jazz clarinetist Sean Egan; Stephanie Wilber Ash, Kris Bigalk, April Gibson, David Lawrence Grant, Glen Helgeson, Jim Heynen, Hawona Sullivan Janzen, Anna George Meek, Leslie Adrienne Miller, John Minczeski, Marie Olofsdotter, Susan Power, Sun Yung Shin and Ka Vang.

Listen to “Things I Learned From My Grandmother,” read by Kathryn Kysar herself:

Kysar says there have been plenty of surprises for her in the way the CD has taken shape. Many of the CD’s contributors read poems of their own choosing from “Pretend the World” – pieces Kysar, herself, says she rarely reads aloud. It takes confidence and vulnerability in equal measure, I’d think, to invite others to re-imagine and interpret for themselves such deeply felt, candid pieces. Then again, considering the kaleidoscopic, polyglot ethos of original poetry collection, that they’re given voice on many tongues strikes me as a perfectly fitting end to such big-hearted poems as these.

Listen to “Eating Sushi with Robert Bly and Sam Hamill,” as read by John Minczeski:

Listen to “Wichita Cockroaches,” as read by Joyce Sutphen:

The CD release reading for “Pretend the World” will be Thursday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at SubText Books, 165 Western Ave. North, St. Paul. Kathryn Kysar will be joined by writers Kris Bigalk, Hawona Sullivan Janzen, John Minczeski and Sun Yung Shin, with musical guest clarinetist Sean Egan. The “Pretend the World” CD is available in local independent bookstores now and will be available for download on iTunes, as well, very soon. Find more about the poet on her website, www.kathrynkysar.com.