Chelsea B. DesAutels came to poetry the way many poets do, in the aftermath of a life that had already taken another shape. She calls poetry her “second life,” the place she turned after illness forced her to reconsider everything she thought she was building.
DesAutels grew up in the Black Hills of Spearfish, South Dakota, spent time in New York City, and moved to Minneapolis to attend law school, where she now lives with her family. Her shift toward poetry began after a major health crisis following the birth of her child.
“I had a cancer diagnosis after she was born. And that just really rearranged all of my priorities and my outlook,” DesAutels said. “Suddenly, it felt like life was really short.”
Her husband encouraged the change.
“My husband’s wonderful, and he said, ‘ Let’s go for it,’” she recalled.
In addition to her writing, DesAutels is the founder of Freshwater Writing and the author of A Dangerous Place, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice. She has received fellowships from the Anderson Center at Tower View, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Yaddo, and other national programs. She has led writing retreats on the shores of Lake Superior and maintains close family ties in Duluth, Two Harbors, and Knife River.
“I write poetry really about my daily life and experiences,” she said. “A question that sort of runs through a lot of my work is like, what’s the best way to live? How do we love each other the best? And how do we find beauty when there are terrible things happening around us? You could spend your whole life working on questions like that and never exactly arrive at any perfect solution, but they’re fun and important to work with.”
She believes many people arrive at poetry after turmoil or change, especially when life forces a reevaluation of what matters. Poetry, she said, becomes a way to move through that shift with intention.
“A lot of us come after there’s been something really disruptive or difficult in our lives because we want to try to understand it. And writing allows us a way in,” DesAutels said. “You get to touch the difficult material you’re working with, but this time around you’re making something beautiful of it. You’re working on your craft, you have this different level of control, which I think can be really healing.”
Teaching has become central to her work.
“I really discovered that I love teaching in the community,” she said. “A group of writers from all different walks of life can come together and just produce this really generous, really generative environment.”
She has been surprised by how quickly trust forms, referring to what she calls “authentically generous communities” that emerge during her workshops.
“By the second time we were having a workshop together, the way they cared for each other and cared for each other’s work, it was surprising and so encouraging,” she said.
Her new series, Poetry as Practice: A North Shore Poetry Workshop Series, begins May 30 in Duluth at the Spirit of the Lakes Community Arts Building. DesAutels received a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to support the series, with the goal of working with writers across Minnesota while completing her second manuscript.
The workshop continues July 10 at the Two Harbors Public Library and returns to Duluth on September 19. The workshops are free, open to the public, and designed for all experience levels.
“These are generative workshops. We’ll read a couple poems and then we’ll write several of our own poems,” DesAutels said. “There will be time to share what we’re working on. Not in a critical, formal workshop way, but just as a group.”
She encourages all new or hesitant writers to join.
“Everyone else in the room is going to feel the same way. We’re always beginners,” she said. “Workshops like this are really meant to be low stakes. It’s really meant to be playful.”
Writing, she added, has many benefits, stating, “Writing is good for us. It makes our lives better. I cheesily think it makes us better people.”
DesAutels is looking forward to returning to the North Shore for the workshop.
“There’s just something about being on the water that I think really is invigorating when it comes to making art,” she said. “There is something so magical about the North Shore.”
She also looks forward to the conversations that happen in the room. She admitted she learns as much from participants as they learn from her.
“Sitting down and talking about a poem that I love with other writers is just one of the best parts of my life,” DesAutels said.
In the end, her hope for participants is simple.
“I just hope everybody will feel like it’s a good place for them to join,” she said. “It’s about practice as play and low stakes in an open and fun environment for everybody, all walks of life, any experience level.”
For more information, visit: chelseabdesautels.com/northshore
Chelsea B. DesAutels is a fiscal year 2026 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
