Meet Colton Brooks, River River's summer intern
Meet Colton Brooks, River River's summer intern
Imagine waking in the middle of the night, turning to look out the window of a small cabin you’re staying in. What you see is the bright reflection of a full moon on a very large hippo’s white rear end.
Spending a summer living in Zimbabwe, staying a hundred yards from the Zambezi River, was a dream realized for my brother and me. When the opportunity arose in the form of an organization that brought volunteers from all over the world to help local wildlife conservation efforts, we jumped at it.
The Zambezi River is 2,200 miles long, and we had our own stretch of it right out our back door — into which we dipped our toes (against advice otherwise). Part of the inspiration for River River Books' inception was the idea that you can never step into the same river twice. In this case, a crocodile or hippo would be enforcing this concept.
Flowing and changing, adapting to obstructions and erosion — this is where rivers and poetry meet. Breaking through barriers in the social, emotional, and political world in the pursuit of understanding. It’s exciting to be a part of River River and its mission to add to the conversation and amplify the thoughts and voices of unafraid and dynamic poets.
I am a senior at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, in both meanings of the word senior. As a 29-year-old writing student, my experience in college is different, to put it simply. I have been able to bring a wealth of privileged experiences to my academic career. I so appreciate what my professional life in the world of social welfare and therapy has added to my ability to interact with course material and add depth and gravity to my academic writing. I intend to complete the MSW program at GVSU following graduating from the writing program. I will then pursue a career in Wilderness Therapy.
My passion is existing in the simple, unemotional, brutal, playful, and unbiased natural world. Spending a large portion of my childhood in Vancouver, B.C., instilled an awe of the mountains, a connection with the ocean. Most of my writing I feel passionate about is influenced by my love of the wild — and these days, Northern Michigan, its lakes and rivers, and trails. I am currently working on completing the Michigan sections of the North Country National Scenic Trail and am looking forward to continuing my writing career predicated on this healing relationship with nature in the future.
As the summer intern for River River, I am most interested in the articulation of urgent social issues and inequities. Written discourse in the form of poetry provides an opportunity to make the esoteric and divisive more accessible to those who make the effort. And if there’s anything we need, it’s something that can help create an undivided community.