Tag Archives: poetry

Celebrating Colorado’s Poetry Community

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In the days since the death of Andrea Gibson, Colorado’s Poet Laureate, our community has experienced tremendous grief. But I have also seen equally tremendous gratitude for and celebration of the amazing person we were so lucky to know. I have heard many wonderful stories of how Andrea was an inspiration, all across the state. We all know how lucky we were to share Andrea’s light. And we are committed to spreading love and supporting each other, just as Andrea would want.

“We have to create. It’s the only thing louder than destruction.”
–Andrea Gibson

Speaking of creating, there are many great opportunities coming up in Colorado to write and perform together:

  • August 3rd, Lady Justice Brewery— All are invited to the release party for Matriarch: Meditations on Motherhood by Twenty Bellows Press. I will be reading an excerpt from my poem “The Nature of the Mother,” which is included in the anthology.
  • September 5, Windsor Heritage Center— Consider attending the opening reception for the UPLIFT exhibit. My poem “Hummingbird Jazz”(and the poetry of many others) will be displayed alongside the art.
  • Sept 13, Lafayette Public Library — Columbine Poets presents its annual Poets Fest, with a workshop and reading by George Kalamaras (former Poet Laureate of Indiana). Registration opens soon.
  • Sept 20, Prismajic Speakeasy— South Broadway Press presents The Poet’s Bash, an evening of readings and refreshments at a fabulous location in Lakewood. Performers TBA.


  • I also want to single out a specific press for my personal gratitude: South Broadway Ghost Society recently accepted my work and then gave me the additional honor of also nominating my work for the Best of the Net Award. (Thank you, SoBoGhoSo!) You can read my poem “Cherry Picking in Washington DC” right HERE.

    Other Recent Publications
  • My poem “The Poet at Your Inauguration” was recently printed in Progenitor v.60 and online. Read it HERE.
  • My poem “The Nuclear Tomb” received an Honorable Mention in the annual Nebraska Open Poetry Contest. Read it HERE (prepare to scroll down a bit).
  • My ekphrastic poem “True Music,” written in response to Janine Thornton’s photograph ‘Hands Off Our Bodies‘, was displayed at the Degenerates Art Exhibit at Edge Contemporary Art Gallery in Lakewood.

    Coming Soon
  • My ekphrastic poem “Monstrosity” (inspired by ‘Toxicosis‘, a painting of Medusa by Alex Bugg) will be printed in the 40West Anthology later this year.
  • An excerpt from my poem “When the Full Moon Come Calling” has been selected for publication in the 2026 We’Moon Day Calendar. The calendar will be available for purchase on January 1st of 2026.
  • My poem “Permit for Concealed Depression” will be published in the Disability Pride Anthology, coming soon from Beyond the Veil Press.

That was a long one, whew! If you made it all the way to the end of this post, you truly are a fan of Colorado poetry. Thank you! I hope to see you at one of these wonderful Colorado events soon.

Happy Poetry Month!

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April is National Poetry Month—do you have any plans?
You could re-read an old favorite or peruse the poetry shelves at the library to find something new. You could attend an open mic or you could read to your family at your dining room table. You could enjoy a Shakespearean sonnet or laugh out loud at Shel Silverstein’s verse. Whatever brings a little poetry-joy into your life!

As I continue to recover from gallbladder surgery, I am happy to say that I will be at TWO readings in the near future. On April 15, I will be the Guest Bard at the Blue Water Poetry Zoom (email me for details if you are interested). And on May 19, I will be joining a group of talented writers at Mutiny Comics in support of Aspen Everett’s new book Tributaries. What a great read, I highly recommend it! In fact, I will share my official review:

Breath and heartbeat. Dry grasslands and fertile riverbanks. Birdsong and human voice. In Tributaries, Aspen Everett’s lyricism plunges us into these branches of more-than-human experience, immersing us in each heightened moment. And as we flow from page to page, our arbitrary divisions are washed away, leaving only interconnection. 
—Amy Wray Irish
author of Breathing Fire and Down to the Bone

However you choose to celebrate, thank you for continuing to support poetry.

Reading Invite & A Poem

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You are invited to an Open Mic and Reading on July 23rd, 7pm, where the focus will be on connection and healing. And in that vein, here is a poem I wrote on Mother’s Day. I hope you are able to give and receive some kindness today. And thank you for reading!

A Mother’s Gift

Wade knee-deep into the waves
with a leaky crate for a gift box.

Let sandy, grit-encrusted shells
emerge as water washes away.

Gather mussels cracking open,
their tongues a purple bruise within.

Harvest seaweed, dried and tide-twisted,
with bulbs still fleshy brown.

Let sea glass and tide-smooth stones
rattle like eggs in this nest.

Discover the joy in this gift
to you from a watery mother.

Let the ocean soak you
in its salty heart

as you bend and search, bend
and receive

Her love.

A Prize-Winning Poem

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Red Maple by Georgia O’Keeffe

Salvation

On Sunday
I went to church
at the river.

Where words of light
broke
the stained glass
water.

And the choir
of fall-crisp leaves
rose and fell.

Submerging me
in their sermon.
Their song
of death, rebirth.

Such rich currents.
Such holy wine.
Autumn, blessing

And blessed.
_________________________________________________
I am also blessed to share the publications and organizations that have recently honored my work:

  • My poem “Salvation” was awarded first prize in a Minnesota State Poetry Society contest. MSPS also awarded an Honorable Mention to my full-length poetry collection Flowers and Bones in the John Rezmerski Memorial Manuscript Competition. Thank you, Minnesota!
  • Three of my poems were published in We are the West: Tributaries, the second annual print anthology of TwentyBellowLit.
  • My poem “Frying Pan, Fire” was published in print and online in Progenitor: Volume 58.
  • My poem “Crow Brothers” was awarded a first prize and published in Cadence, the annual publication of the Florida State Poets Association.
  • In 2023, my poetry was featured alongside art exhibits at the Lone Tree Arts Center and The Town of Windsor Museum.
  • Coming Soon: my poem “The Wilds after Winter” will be published in the annual publication of the Pennsylvania State Poetry Society.

I am also very grateful to everyone who turned out for my poetry workshops last year in Crestone, Ft Collins, and Denver. Thank you for continuing to support the Colorado poetry community!