09-11 | Meet the Poet – Aaron D. Wiegert

About this event

A Portrait of Energy documents the quiet weight of Midwestern landscapes, family lineages, and physical labor. Grounded in domestic realism and hard work, these poems ask what it means to inherit a place, raise a family, and stay connected with the soil under changing skies. From early morning shifts to late-night domestic routines, Aaron D. Wiegert traces the unspoken mechanics of endurance—balancing the gritty texture of daily strain against sudden, striking moments of clarity and reverence. Unflinching, lyrical, and sharply observed, this debut collection examines the unseen costs of keeping human machinery running, offering an authentic testament to the quiet strength of earning your keep in the heartland. Aaron D. Wiegert is a father and trail runner based in Des Moines, Iowa. A finalist for the 2026 Poetry of the Plains & Prairies Award from North Dakota State University Press, his work has appeared in South Carolina Review, The Tulane Review, Slipstream, Midwest Quarterly, Poetry Salzburg Review, and Lyrical Iowa. He served as poetry editor for Drunk Monkeys, is a Best of the Net nominee, and is currently at work on his second full-length poetry collection. He lives in Beaverdale with his wife and son.