04 Apr Talking Gourds: Bardic Trails, Utah Poet Featured, 4/7!
Talking Gourds “Stories & Poems” Bardic Trails series happens the first Tuesday of each month. Featured guests give a 15-20 minute presentation each, followed by a short Q & A period after the presentation. Then there’s a passing of the gourd, when community members are encouraged to share stories or poems.
Poet and fiber artist Nancy Takacs of Utah will be the featured performer for the Telluride Institute’s first Tuesday Talking Gourds’ Bardic Trails virtual stories & poems series on Tuesday April 7th at 7 pm MST.
Bardic Trails is a project of the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds Poetry Program, in collaboration with Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library. “Stories & Poems” is free and open to all ages, thanks to the generosity of the library, a Town of Telluride CCAASE grant, private donors and Talking Gourds’ Fischer & Cantor poetry contests.
For more information, text 970-729-0220 or email Goodtimes at art@tellurideinstitute.org. To visit the Talking Gourds website go to: www.tellurideinstitute.org/talking-gourds
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Nancy Takacs, courtesy Talking Gourds!
“Nancy is a marvelous reader with long experience writing and sharing her poetry,” said Talking Gourds Director Art Goodtimes. “We are delighted to be able to feature her during National Poetry Month.”
With an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Takacs is an emerita professor at Utah State University Eastern and a former wilderness studies instructor. She is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Helper City, Utah, and the originator of The Steamboat Mountain Reading Series in that city.
Nancy currently teaches poetry writing privately and has held a free poetry workshop for 11 years at the CC Senior Center. She has been an artist-in-the schools, as well as in prisons.
Nancy’s newest book, “Dearest Water,” is available from Mayapple Press (2022). Her other books include “The Worrier: poems,” (Univ. of Mass. Press, 2017); “Red Voice” (Finishing Line Press, 2016); “Blue Patina” (Blue Begonia Press, 2015); “Juniper,” (Limberlost Press,2012); “Wild Animals” (Outlaw Artists Press, 2008); “Preserves”(City Art Press, 2004); and “Pale Blue Wings,” (Limberlost Press, 2001).
Nancy’s poems appear in The Baltimore Review, Cider Press Review, About Place, On the Seawall, Exit 13, Sugar House Review, Nomad, Sundress Best Dressed, The Harvard Review, Missouri Review, The Carolina Quarterly, West Branch, Crab Creek Review, Terrain, 2River, Kestrel, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Nimrod, Weber, Verse Daily,and many other literary journals.
For those that like prompts, Gourds is suggesting “Spring in a Time of War,” although poems on any subject are welcome.
Virtual attendees are encouraged to bring a story or poem to share each month after the featured reader, their own work or someone else’s.
Thanks to the Cantor Family, the Guttman Family Foundation, CCAASE and our Fischer and Cantor contest participants for supporting our program and projects.
OTHER APRIL PROGRAMS
Talking Gourds continues its collaboration with the Naturita Community Library on the second Thursday of each month at 6 pm for the West End Stories & Poems series. Librarian Leslie Ament and Goodtimes will host Jami Allred discussing “Lights in the Sky” on Thursday, April 9th.
Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library and Talking Gourds have started a live Stories & Poems series at the library’s Magazine Room on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:15 pm.
The free series began in December with Montrose metaphysical poet Tracy Lightsey. In January Montrose storyteller Tanya Ishikawa was featured.
In February readers included poet/writer Karen Bellerose and musician Bob Beer – both of Telluride’s Lawson Hill neighborhood.
In March Gourds showcased poet Mary Hearding of Rico and storyteller Vicki Phelps of Telluride.
On April 21st Joan Shapiro of Ridgway will be our Featured Lyricist and Talking Gourds Assistant Scot Rasor will facilitate. Participants are encouraged to bring a poem or story to share.
The international Fischer Prize poetry contest and the Colorado-focused Cantor Prize poetry contest both open for submission on April 1st. Deadline for the 2026 contests will be August 31st.
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