Way out west in Los Angeles, where California dreamers carved out a valley of movie stars and sunshine, one man writes of greener pastures…and grasses.

Lupert is a music teacher at a Jewish synagogue in Northridge, Calif., and the program director at Hillel of Pierce and Valley Colleges, which is an international Jewish students’ organization. He is also a poet.
      Lupert said he has always written poetry, but his interest really took flight in 1990, when he decided to share some of his works with other poets at an open poetry circle. “I connected with the other artists there who were supportive of my work and have been writing, reading, and publishing ever since,” said Lupert.
      For the past eight years Lupert has hosted a weekly open-mike poetry reading at the Cobalt Café in Canoga Park, Calif. According to Lupert, this is one of the longest running readings anywhere. He also created and maintains a major Internet resource for poets called “Poetry Super Highway.” The site features two new poets every week, regular contests, a bookstore, a chat room with regularly scheduled events, and more. Lupert has been published in the “Los Angeles Times,” Caffeine Magazine, Chiron Review, and a few nationally distributed anthologies.
      He has also published eight books of poetry.
       “Most of them are travelogues of sorts,” said Lupert, “poems written during a relatively short visit to a particular place.”  These “travelogues” include poetic portraits of New York City, Israel, Paris, a laundromat, and Fargo, N.D.
      Lupert’s introduction to Fargo came after meeting Fargo artist Janeen Kobrinsky seven years ago at a Jewish music educators’ retreat in Wisconsin.
      Lupert said he read some poetry at open-mike nights at the retreat, and, after years of doing so, Janeen said: “Everyone in Fargo loves your poetry. I’m sending you a plane ticket and we’re flying you to Fargo to do a reading.”
      Lupert said this first journey to Fargo was one of the most amazing experiences he’s ever had.
      “I did the reading, got to know and essentially become part of the Kobrinsky family, fell in love, and got to know Fargo for the wonderful community of students, artists, musicians, and writers that it is,” said Lupert.
      Lupert’s five-day stay in Fargo led to “Mowing Fargo,” a book of poetry inspired by the Kobrinskys, a brief love affair, and the city itself.
       “I think when people are removed from their every day settings, they become hyper-aware of their surroundings,” said Lupert. “‘Mowing Fargo’ shows the unique quirkiness of Fargo and its inhabitants.”
      Danny Maseng, a personal friend of Lupert, says he loves “Mowing Fargo.” “The Kobrinskys are friends of mine, so it’s personal,” said Maseng.
      Lupert said the differences between the art communities of Los Angeles and Fargo are more subtle then you may think. “Although Fargo is smaller, its community of artists is just as vibrant and relevant,” said Lupert. “In both places there are a ton of art galleries, studios, and potential venues for expression. As LA is bigger, you need to find that niche and fit into it. In Fargo, it’s a little easier to encounter the arts community.”
      Lupert, who has been all over the world and encountered all sorts of sights and people, claims Fargo has one thing above all others: “Fargo is a short distance from huge fields of sunflowers. This makes Fargo far superior to most other places.”