The Art Center of Western Colorado and the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds Poetry Program have announced a one-day Book Cliffs Poetry Festival on Saturday Sept. 26 featuring performances, award ceremonies, an afternoon lecture, a morning playshop (aka workshop), an open mic and regional poetry program tables.
In the event’s premiere performances Wendy Videlock of Palisade will be handing over the two-year Western Slope Poet Laureate (WeSPoL) title to Danny Rosen of Lithic Bookstore and Press in Fruita. Several past laureates will join them in featured readings, including L. Luis Lopez of Grand Junction and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer of Placerville.
Book Cliffs Poetry Festival Schedule
8:30 am – Fest box office opens/$50 whole day/$20 each show /Seniors & Students half price
Organizational tables set up /$10 per group (includes ticket to fest)
Show #1
9-9:10 am – Festival welcome: Art Goodtimes
9:10-9:15 – Indigenous Acknowledgement / Kirbie Bennett of Durango
9:15-9:30 — Spotlight: Kirbie Bennett
9:30-10:45 — Morning Gourd Circle / Art Goodtimes
Show #2
11-11:15 am – Spotlight: Mike Olschewsky of Nucla
11:15 am-12:45 pm – Playshop / Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
12:45-2 pm – Lunch break & networking
Show #3
2-2:15 pm – Spotlight / Ruth Duffy of Nucla
2:15-3:45 pm – Lecture on Colorado’s forgotten national poet Belle Turnbull of Breckenridge David Rothman of Salt Lake City
Show #4
4-4:45 pm – Spotlights: Elle Metrick, Lynda LaRocca, Travis Hill, Brenda Wildrick, Deborah Westervelt, Karen Bellerose, and A Love Supreme
4:45-6:15 pm – Open Mic / Art Goodtimes: host
[Spotlights by invitation / Open Mic sign up at box office registration)
6:15 pm – Dinner break & networking
show #5
7 pm – Festival Box office re-opens
7:30 – 7:45 pm – DLC/Mueller Invocation / Welcome / Art Goodtimes
Announcement of Fischer & Cantor Prize winners
Readings by laureate emeriti
7:45-8 pm – L. Luis Lopez
8-8:15 pm – Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
8:15-8:30 pm – Wendy Videlock
8:30-9 pm – Western Slope Poet Laureate ceremony / Danny Rosen
9-9:30 pm – Chamberlain award ceremony / the late Andrea Gibson / their partner’s video
Closing / Art Goodtimes
“Various communities have hosted the Western Slope laureate title since it began in Carbondale in 2011,” said Goodtimes, the first WeSPoL title holder and Talking Gourds director, “including in Telluride, Gunnison, and Crested Butte. But Grand Junction is the queen city of the Western Slope, and we are delighted to collaborate with the Art Center to bring a new festival to the Slope’s largest municipality.”
Also, as part of the evening’s award ceremonies, the 13th annual Karen Chamberlain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Colorado Poetry will be given posthumously to the late Andrea Gibson of Denver.
Past awardees include the late Reg Saner of Boulder, the late Jack Mueller of Log Hill Village, the late Bruce Berger of Aspen, Veronica Patterson of Loveland, the late Chris Ransick of Englewood, Kate Kingston of Trinidad, Aaron Abeyta of Antonito, the late Marilyn Krysl of Boulder, Dr. David Rothman formerly of Crested Butte, and last year George Sibley of Gunnison.
“While Andrea’s partner Megan Falley will be unable to attend, they are sending an acceptance video that we are excited to show,” noted Goodtimes.
Talking Gourds will be announcing the six winners in the international Fischer Poetry Prize and six winners of Colorado’s Cantor Poetry Prize that same evening. Each prize has a first place $1000 cash award and five $250 finalist awards.
The program will start in the morning with a Talking Gourds sharing circle, followed by a lecture, a playshop, some spotlight performances by select regional poets, and an open mic. In the evening there will be the award ceremonies and readings. Regional poetry programs and booksellers have been invited have tables to showcase their works.
Dr. Rothman is coming from Salt Lake City, where he currently lives, to give the afternoon playground on the important (almost forgotten) queer poet Belle Turnbull of Breckenridge. And Ms. Trommer, a performance poet, writing coach and co-host of the podcast Emerging Form, will lead a morning “playshop”.
Spotlights will occur several times in the day, with a special Spotlight session preceding the Open Mic segment of the program at 4 pm, featuring Elle Metrick of Norwood, Lynda LaRocca of Twin Lakes, Travis Hill of Albuquerque, Deborah Westervelt of Montrose, Karen Bellerose of Telluride, Brenda Wildrick of Fort Morgan, and A Love Supreme of Denver.
The Art Center will host all the festival events at 1803 N. 7th St. in Grand Junction. Tickets will be available at the door: $50 for the entire festival and $20 for the five individual shows. Students (high school and college) and seniors (75 and over) will be half-price.
For more information, contact Goodtimes at art@tellurideinstitute.org or check the Talking Gourds website: tellurideinstitute.org/western-slope-calendar
