I'll be reading a poem tomorrow at the Truckee Block Party 2026! Outside the Truckee Train depot in downtown Truckee, this family-friendly gathering will bring together community resources, local culture, and neighbors for a vibrant evening in the heart of downtown. I hope to see you Thursday night from 5-7 pm at the party!
Residents and visitors alike will enjoy an evening filled with:
- Food trucks featuring local flavors
- Live music and performances
- Local art displays
- Raffles, games, crafts, and free face painting
- Extended downtown shopping hours
- Free neighborhood shuttles for easy access
- A bike valet hosted by Truckee Trails Foundation to make arriving by bike easy and stress-free
- A free bike kitchen to tune your bike and get information from Lake Tahoe Bike Coalition
- Opportunities to connect with more than 40 local non-profits, service providers, and community organizations
Spanish interpretation and materials will be available.
I’m drawn to the words of US Poet Laureate Emerita Tracy K Smith, recently interviewed by Krista Tippett of On Being. In her newest book, Fear Less, Tracy says, “When I’m lost or afraid, the speakers of poems assure me that my feelings are nothing to hide from or deny. Indeed, that vulnerability, uncertainty, and even desperation are not only signs of life, but tools for moving forward toward courage, hope, and purpose. When I’m confident in my convictions, poems alert me to complexities I failed or been unwilling to regard.”
Her words remind me of why we seek out poems during celebrations and rituals. I've chosen to read a poem I wrote last summer after teaching a poetry workshop to a first grade class at Donner lake Memorial State Park. I was inspired by the number of parents and teachers supporting their camping and writing adventure, the dedication and love they poured over these young students. I was also reminded of the fresh and hopeful visions of children.
Back in June, I corralled two weeks of personal writing escape time in Colorado for myself after the Mountain Words Festival on Memorial weekend. I brought with me over 100 pages of poems, written over the past decade, to shape into a full-length manuscript of poems.
I look forward to getting back to that project over the winter. While I juggle so many balls between my teaching, my community organizing, mentoring, and figuring out how to be a good person, I struggle as all writers do to focus my creative energies and prioritizing my own writing.
As Tracy K Smith wrote, “We never cease in our becoming.” You can listen to Joy Harjo and Tracy k Smith with On Being https://onbeing.org/programs/joy-harjo-and-tracy-k-smith-this-world-is-full-of-everything-good-everything-beautiful/
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