Recap 1 of Sierra Poetry Festival: Kim Addonizio and Danni Caron (bonus: CapRadio interview)

Last Saturday at the Sierra Poetry Festival, my day was filled with poets, poetry, workshops, sound and movement. The readings were brilliant and insightful and opened new doors for me. 

Kim Addonizio blew us all away with her poems choreographed to the guitar strings of her partner, Danni Caron. In her keynote address, she talked about how uncertainty presents itself in our life, and in our writing practice. What stood out to me, among many things she said, is that when she writes, her poems are gifts to her reader. The generosity of her presentation demonstrated what she meant by this statement. I felt gifted as a reader/listener. I could hear how she cares for her reader, and her poems took you in, embraced you, left you feeling heard and valued. 

You can listen and watch her performance here on my facebook page as Danni played guitar.

 

And here's a little bonus! On Thursday April 10, Nevada County Arts Council ED Eliza Tudor and the freshly crowned Poet Laureate of Nevada County Karen Terrey were interviewed by Vicki Gonzales on CapRadio's Insight.

 

 

You can listen here. 

 

Give it a listen over on the Sierra Poetry Festival website!

 

https://www.sierrapoetryfestival.org/look-and-listen

 

 

Quick Update on Poet Laureate readings and workshops in the next 30 days

May 18 2025 - Reading at Chateau Davell Boutique Winery with Bridey Thelen Heidel 

May 10 2025 - Wildflower Ridge hike and workshop 10-12 pm, Bear Yuba Land Trust, Grass Valley, Ca

• Join Bear Yuba Land Trust on a guided walk through the spring blooms at Wildflower Ridge Preserve. Poetry reading and interactive workshop with Karen Terrey and Ingrid Keriotis.

 May 2 2025 - Moments in Memoir/Time @ Truckee Library 10:30-noon 

April 27, 2025 - Reading at Artisan's Coffeehouse, Janesville, CA 4-6 pm

April 26 2025 - Poetry in the Parks reading at Empire Mine State Park, Grass Valley, CA

• Join me with host Kirsten Casey, Poet Laureate Emerita of Nevada County, for our fourth annual Poetry in Parks event. Listen to poetry under the trees, on the grounds of the historic Empire Mine State Park, from 1:00 - 3:00 on Saturday, April 26th 

April 22 2025 - Wildflower Ridge Poetry Event, Bear Yuba Land Trust, Grass Valley, CA 5-6:30 pm

• Celebrate Earth Day with an interactive outdoor poetry reading featuring Nevada County Poet Laureate Karen Terrey and poet Ingrid Keriotis.

April 17 2025 - Reading at Mountain Music Parlor, Reno NV 6:30 pm

 

 

Monday Night Creative Writing Workshop series runs through May 12th 6:30-8 pm each Monday night in person and online 

 

 

Truckee Literary Crawl and Open Mic: our theme is protecting and admiring the night skies above Truckee

 

Get ready for an afternoon of storytelling, poetry, and creative expression. The Truckee Literary Crawl returns on April 5, featuring incredible writers across multiple venues in downtown Truckee. From fiction to memoir, poetry to children's books, don't miss this free community event celebrating the literary arts. 

 

Check out the full schedule and plan your day!

 

The day begins at:

1-1:50 p.m. Kickoff & Welcome 

Truckee Artist Lofts
Gallery Corner of 9848 Donner Pass Road Extension

 

This link contains a detailed list of over 45 literary artists reading and the various venues throughout downtown Truckee. Meet at 1 pm for the kick off!

 

The fabulous venues include: Gallery 5830, Alibi Ale House, Truckee Artist Lofts,  Craft & Logic Taproom, Piper J Gallery, Liberty Bell Capitol Theater, and Uncorked.

 

After an afternoon of readings, join us from 6-8 pm at Alibi Ale House for a community open mic. I'll be MC. Our theme, loosely interpreted, is The Dark Skies, in celebration of Truckee's project to protect its natural and beautiful night skies from light pollution and as a dark sky destination. 

 

The event is produced by Priya Hutner and Katherine Hill of the Tahoe Literary Festival and is sponsored by Nevada County Arts Council, Truckee Cultural District, Truckee Core Values Fund, The Seasoned Sage and Tahoe Guide.

 

 

 

Mountain Music Parlor and Reno's April poetry reading series team up for Thursday night readings

 

Thanks to Lindsay Wilson, the annual celebration of poetry during the month of April that had previously been hosted at Sundance Books continues with live readings. 

Mountain Music Parlor, Reno’s most unique Folk music house, is a new venue for this poetry reading series. This venue believes music is life changing, life revealing and worth experiencing on so many levels. Supporting musical journeys is what they exist for. Come check out this rich heritage filled with history, lore and melodies of America’s roots from the dusty Cowboy, nostalgic Old-time,  feisty Bluegrass, a bit of Blues, to the Avant-garde Folksy music of today. 

I love the fresh energy that is generated by mixing the sounds of poetry with this community of music. Join us every Thursday night in April at 6:30 pm! 

Details below:

Where:  Mountain Music Parlor, 735 South Center Street, Reno, NV

Dates:  Every Thursday in April – see list of poets below; April 3, 10, 17, 24

Time:  6:30pm – for about an hour

April 3 Michael Jones, Steve Gehrke, Gailmarie Pahmeier

April 10 Melanie Perish, Courtney Cliften, Joanne Mallari

April 17 Amy Smith, Karen Terrey, Kathy Nelson

April 24 Marina Leigh, Max Stone, Dani Putney

See you there : ) Kat

 

A new role for me: Poet Laureate of Nevada County!

 

Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants, Karen Terrey was selected by a committee of literary and arts professionals, along with Nevada County Library staff. Her deep-rooted commitment to the region’s literary scene, her published works, and her vision for community engagement made her the ideal candidate. You can read the complete press release here.

 A poet laureate is someone chosen, by their communities, to represent a region. They actively engage and support others to develop a love of poetry and its potential, and inspire literary initiatives of meaning to residents.

The transition will be marked by two celebratory "Passing of the Laurels" events—one at each end of the county—honoring both outgoing Poet Laureate Kirsten Casey and welcoming Terrey into her new role.

 

“This is such an honor, especially following in the footsteps of Kirsten Casey,” shares Terrey. “I’m

excited to connect, spark, and catalyze the work and magic of poetry in our many communities. As an artist, being a literary citizen and fostering a sense of belonging is what drives me. My goal is to bring poetry’s power of voice and inspiration into daily life.

 

Tuesday, March 4 | 5:30 PM | Alibi Truckee

Featuring a conversation and poetry reading by Karen Terrey and Poet Laureate emerita Kirsten

Casey, followed by an open mic hosted by Terrey.

 

Saturday, March 29 | 6:30 PM | The Stone House, Nevada City

The Western Nevada County Passing of the Laurels Ceremony will serve as the culminating event of the Sierra Poetry Festival Pub Crawl, blending literary revelry with poetic inspiration.

Poets are active listeners, bearing witness to our deepest truths, shaping culture, reflecting humanity, and inspiring change.

Reflecting on the significance of the Poet Laureate role, Nick Wilczek, Nevada County Librarian,

shares:

 

"We are thrilled to celebrate our partnership with the Nevada County Arts Council and welcome

Karen Terrey as our new Poet Laureate. Poetry has the power to connect, inspire, and enrich our

community, and we look forward to the creativity and passion Karen brings to the position.”