I heard a great variety of poems last evening at the Third Thursday open mic at Ziggi’s in Westminster, CO. We had people read whom we have not heard from in quite a while. Sheryl Luna did a great feature slot, and I heard something that tickled those synapses in my brain that recognize a…

Last evening at Cannon Mine Coffee in Lafayette, we talked about the tribal aspects of poetry. Maybe we speak a dialect that only insiders can fully understand? Given the small audience that most poets attract, we might as well speak Latin or some other unknown and esoteric tongue. And then there are those who would make…

Recently I reconnected with the work of a poet whom I have known for many years, Betsy Sholl. She and I went through the same MFA program, lived in the same community, belonged at times to the same writing groups. I have read her poems in great gulps, but not until recently did I study…

After a week of distractions and a chaotic to-do list, I look forward to this afternoon at Lighthouse   Writers’ Workshop. Twice a month people gather in a grand old Denver mansion and write for an  hour or two. I find  comfort in seeing people bend to their keyboards or notebooks, all quiet, all  intent–or…