30 Jul Talking Gourds: Bardic Trails, Kirbie Bennett of Durango Featured, 8/4!
Indigenous poet, essayist and audio producer Kirbie Bennett of Durango will be the featured guest for the Talking Gourds first Tuesday Bardic Trails. This episode of the virtual reading series takes place August 4, 7 pm MDT.
The Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds Poetry Program hosts the free Bardic Trails virtual zoom series on the first Tuesday of each month. Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library continues as a collaboration partner, with town support from Commission for Community Assistance, Arts & Special Events.
Participants are encouraged to visit https://www.tellurideinstitute.org/western-slope-calendar to get the zoom link each month, if they aren’t already on our mailing list. Or email Art Goodtimes directly.
For more information, visit the Telluride Institute Talking Gourds website, tellurideinstitute.org/talking-gourds
Go here for more about Talking Gourds dating back to 2009.
“I got to hear Kirbie read at Maria’s Bookstore in Durango as part of the recent Four Corners Poetry Festival last month,” said Art Goodtimes, Talking Gourds director. “He did a great job and I’ve invited him to come perform for us online at Bardic Trails.”
Kirbie’s print and audio work has appeared in High Country News, KSUT Public Radio, 68-to-oh5, Last Real Indians and Four Corners Voices: Stories, Poetry, Essays. He is also part of the creative team behind The Magic City of the Southwest, a regional history podcast.
Bennett is a member of the Navajo Nation and Durango, Colorado is another place he calls home.
For those that like prompts, we are suggesting “Summer,” 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.
Other Talking Gourds Programs:
The Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds Poetry Program is teaming up with Grand Junction’s Art Center of Western Colorado host the first Book Cliffs Poetry Festival, a one-day extravaganza “packed with poetry,” on Saturday, Sept. 26th. More information coming soon. Headliners include Wendy Videlock, Danny Rosen, David Rothman and the awarding of the Chamberlain Award for lifetime achievement in Colorado poetry to the late Andrea Gibson of Denver, as well as the awarding of the new Western Slope Poet Laureate.
Talking Gourds continues its collaboration with the Naturita Community Library usually on the second Thursday of each month at 6 pm for the West End Stories & Poems series. Although this August will see a date change to the first Thursday Aug. 4th at 6 pm. Art will be making a presentation on Mushrooms, answering questions and looking forward to hear local mushroom stories.
Telluride’s Wilkinson Public Library and Talking Gourds host a live Stories & Poems series at the library’s Magazine Room on the third Tuesday of every month at 5:15 pm. In August, Scott Nicolay of Santa Fe will be a special guest. 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 opened for submission on April 1st. Deadline for the 2026 contests will be Aug. 31st. Lesley Wheeler of Virginia will be the Fischer final judge, and Scott Nicolay of New Mexico the Cantor final judge.
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