Rhyme and Reason

Emil Schmit is a long-time member of both the Dubuque Area Writers' Guild and the Southwest Wisconsin Writer's Club. Collections of his poems have been published in a variety of magazines and books throughout the tri-state area. A...

Emil Schmit is a long-time member of both the Dubuque Area Writers' Guild and the Southwest Wisconsin Writer's Club. Collections of his poems have been published in a variety of magazines and books throughout the tri-state area. A resident of Southwest Wisconsin his entire life, he sees poetry as the stirring of his soul. Schmit does not have the educational background that one would expect from someone so attuned to the nuances of word and sound. For better than 30 years he was a seedsman for Pride Seed Company. The writing of poetry came about as a means of focusing his mind during his lunch hour. Nature, its power and beauty, are the subjects of many of his poems. Others are nostalgic in nature and tend to romanticize the past. Ultimately, it is home and hearth and his love for the land that drives him to rhyme. " Rural life is being close to nature and land. I think that's pretty important for us. This is my inspiration. It's something to write about; maybe it's a reason to write."