Loveland Poet Laureate Blog

How to Read Your Work Aloud to an Audience

Are you one of the featured readers in the Winter Quarterly reading on December 15? Or are you thinking of signing up for the open mic that Sunday (I am!) Are you thinking about reading your work in public at another event? Do you fear public reading but are considering a New Year’s resolution to try it!

Wherever you fall on that continuum, how can you make your next reading a great success?

Loveland Poet Laureate - November Blog

We all know that November is a month for celebrations. We immediately think of Veterans’ Day, and of course Thanksgiving Day. And NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. But do you know that Nov 11th Is also National Origami Day. The 16th – National Tolerance Day; 17th – Electronic Greeting Card Day; 19th- Have a Bad Day Day, followed on the 20th by Absurdity Day; and 29th – Chia Pet Day.

Birthdays worth celebrating include: November 8th- Bram Stoker, author of Dracula; 9th - Carl Sagan, author & astronomer; 11th- Kurt Vonnegut, novelist; 18th- Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale; and 30th – Sameul Clemens (aka Mark Twain).

I recently came across a poem by one of my favorite authors – Stanley Kunitz. Born in 1906, he was still writing at age 100. He served as New York’s first State Poet Laureate and was named the 10th U.S. Poet Laureate at age 95. He won the National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize and many other awards for his expressive poems and social commitment. Here is his celebration poem, summing up a joyful, productive life. He was 89 when it was published in his book, Passing Through: The Later Poems. Just goes to show—that it’s never too late to produce your best work!

-Lorrie Wolfe

Sara Teasdale (1884–1933), an American lyric poet

Sara Teasdale (1884–1933) was an American lyric poet known for the simplicity, beauty, and emotional depth of her work. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Teasdale grew up in a well-to-do family and began writing poetry at a young age. Her delicate health kept her from attending school regularly, which allowed her to focus more on her writing. By her late teens, she had joined a local literary circle called The Potters, which helped nurture her talent.

Yes, Like the Seasons, Things Change

Hello, all poets and lovers of poetry. Greetings from the Loveland Poet Laureate (LPL).

We are starting a blog of all things poetry. Today I want to discuss what is changing in the Loveland City Budget, but first recap what these last two and a half years have brought to us while I have been Poet Laureate.

The Loveland Poet Laureate is endorsed by the City Council and appointed for a two-to-three-year term. This is an unpaid position, not a City employee. The City has provided a tremendous amount of support by allowing the LPL to use the Museum and Library for free several times a year and provided the Devereaux Room and the Rialto for minimal costs once or twice a year. City staff has been a great resource.

Encountering a Poet Series

The final workshop for the Encountering a Poet Series sponsored by the Loveland Poet Laureate committee and the Loveland Public Library was taught by local author Lisa Zimmerman, professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Northern Colorado. She is the author of seven poetry collections and four chapbooks, including (Main Street Rag 2021), as well as three full-length books, The Light at the Edge of Everything (Anhinga Press), The Hours I Keep (Main Street Rag), and her debut poetry collection which won the 2004 Violet Reed Haas Poetry Award. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and five times for the Pushcart Prize. One of her prose poems is included in The Best Small Fictions: 2020 Anthology.

During the workshop, Lisa shared her passion for Jane Kenyon's work. As she explained, “I want to share my love of Jane Kenyon because her writing has always spoken so clearly to me. She is a poet of the "luminous ordinary," and her poems allow readers to remember small daily events, quiet moments of witness, and be grateful for them. She wrote poems that are spare, fierce, and filled with quiet emotion even though she suffered, like many people, with depression.”

As a reminder, Carolyn Forché will hosted by the Loveland Poet Laureate Program in Loveland on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th. Tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre. The weekend will include a reception, a reading by Carolyn Forché, and a conversation between Forché and Loveland's Evan Oakley, Aims Community College professor, who worked with Forché on her ground-breaking anthology, Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness.

An Interview with Carolyn Forché

In anticipation of Carolyn Forché's upcoming visit to Loveland, please check out this interview with Copper Canyon Press Publicist Ryo Yamaguchi.

As a reminder, Carolyn Forché will hosted by the Loveland Poet Laureate Program in Loveland on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th. Tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre. The weekend will include a reception, a reading by Carolyn Forché, and a conversation between Forché and Loveland's Evan Oakley, Aims Community College professor, who worked with Forché on her ground-breaking anthology, Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness.

What You Have Heard Is True

Carolyn Forché's exciting memoir, What You Have Heard Is True, tells her story during the late 1970s when a stranger who drove up from El Salvador on a tip from a mutual friend shows up at her doorstep, dramatically altering the course of Forché's life. She also discusses the years after she published her first book of poetry when she traveled to El Salvador in the lead-up to that country's disastrous 12-year civil war. The memoir is full of narrative tension and a poet's gorgeous prose, creating a beautiful experience for the reader.

As a reminder, Carolyn Forché will hosted by the Loveland Poet Laureate Program in Loveland on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th. Tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre. The weekend will include a reception, a reading by Carolyn Forché, and a conversation between Forché and Loveland's Evan Oakley, Aims Community College professor, who worked with Forché on her ground-breaking anthology, Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness.

In The Lateness of the World

In the Lateness of the World, by Carolyn Forché, was released in March 2021 and explores the intersection of history, spirituality, and memory. Forché is known for her poetry of witness, and this powerful collection of poems beautifully represents her writing style. The poems are grouped by theme and physical place, taking the reader on a meditative journey of thought and reflection. Spirituality plays a significant role in this collection and includes references to aspects of all the major faiths, making this work universal.

As a reminder, Carolyn Forché will hosted by the Loveland Poet Laureate Program in Loveland on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th. Tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre. The weekend will include a reception, a reading by Carolyn Forché, and a conversation between Forché and Loveland’s Evan Oakley, Aims Community College professor, who worked with Forché on her ground-breaking anthology, Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness.

In The Hour Of War

In preparation for the Carolyn Forché Symposium, local poet Kathleen Willard hosted the In the Hour of War: Poetry from the Ukraine workshop on March 16th. The workshop was held at the Loveland Library and filled the entire room with interested poets. Willard was very knowledgeable and engaging with the audience.

Willard shared beautiful images from the book Ukraine at War, in which photographer Daoud Sarhandi-Williams traveled to Ukraine and photographed street art and much more. The book contains over 400 photos and artworks by the author and other contributors. She also shared poetry from In Hour of War: Poetry from Ukraine, edited by Carolyn Forché and Ilya Kaminsky. Some of our favorites were "Trees Are Budding With War," "Take Only What Is Most Important," and "War." If you would like to get a copy of this, you can find it at https://www.arrowsmithpress.com/preorder/in-the-hour-of-war

As a reminder, Carolyn Forché will hosted by the Loveland Poet Laureate Program in Loveland on Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th. The weekend will include a reception, a reading by Carolyn Forché, and a conversation between Forché and Loveland’s Evan Oakley, Aims Community College professor, who worked with Forché on her ground-breaking anthology, Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness.

Gathering The Tribes

Gathering the Tribes was published in 1975 and is Carolyn Forché’s first poetry book.