Mining has always been about more than what’s extracted from the ground. It’s about the people, the stories, and the shared experiences that shape a career and a community.
That’s exactly what Miners Poetry: Voices from the Face captured.
This inaugural poetry contest welcomed K-12 students, miners, and the families who know this industry from the inside out. The entries weren’t just poems. They were windows into lives lived underground, on surface, and at the kitchen table waiting for a loved one to come home.
At the heart of it all was our very own Vern Goglio, a mentor in every sense of the word. Vern used poetry as a tool for expression and connection, and in doing so, created space for others to do the same. If you know Vern from the Mining Minds podcast, this will come as no surprise.
None of it would have happened without the wonderful crew at Mining Minds, whose support brought this whole event to life.
To everyone who picked up a pen and shared a piece of themselves: thank you. Here’s to many more voices from the face.
