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Tahoe Poetry Collective
C R E AT I N G A L I T E R A RY C O M M U N I T Y PHOTOS & STORY BY PRIYA HUTNER
Poetry at the Backyard | Aug. 17 & Sept. 21 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Tahoe Backyard
FROM LEFT: Tahoe Poetry Collective readers, from left, Julie Morrow, Kelley Cooper, Scott Green, Gigi West, Sarah Dittmore, Elizabeth Pankhurst, Karen Terrey and her dog Towhee, and Karlie Watson. Gigi West opens the evening with her reading.
I
t’s a hot summer evening. A large group of people is seated at picnic tables. Some drink beer from the Bear Belly Brewing company and others enjoy food from the Yard Hen food truck. Children are running around playing. I’ve just arrived at Tahoe Backyard, a small patch of green in the center of Kings Beach. The scene is local as people gather for Poetry at the Backyard, the Tahoe Poetry Collective’s evening event, held on the third Wednesday of the month. Christine and Andrew Ryan, owners of Tahoe Backyard, are one of the sponsors of the poetry evening. Christine creates the poetry and prose chapbook. Andrew serves as the master of ceremonies. Scott Green, the founder of the Tahoe Poetry Collective, is an archeologist and tribal liaison for California State Parks. Has also organized Poetry in Parks events. “I became aware of the poet Kenneth Rexroth, who lived for a time in a small cabin in one of our state parks. This is how I learned there was a Beat poet connection with the state parks,” says Green. His love of poetry and nature 26
inspired Green to start Tahoe Poetry Collective.
“I came here for the opening act, Gigi West. I couldn’t leave. I was hanging on to every word of each person. It feels so empowering. Kat’s [Terrey] reading was metered and soothing, while Karlie’s cathartic and raw.” - Stinger I settle at a picnic table with a Low Life Lager and wait for the event to begin. A single mic stands before an artsy backdrop, giving the impression there’s a stage. The first reading is by 10-year-old Gigi West. She reads her poem, “The Wild Wind.” Karen Terrey, a poet, and owner of Tangled Roots Writing, rises and walks
to the mic. She reads three of her new poems. The first is entitled: “When I am Overwhelmed.” For many of the poets, it was their first time reading their work. Elizabeth Pankhurst from Chico read a poem about the tragic loss of her fiancée. Twenty-two-year-old Karlie Watson reads an essay about how she’s experiencing life around her. Her reading is raw, honest and vulnerable. Her voice quivered as she bared her soul. Poets Sarah Dittmore, Julie Morrow, Kelley Cooper and Green also read. The event finishes, the poet’s nerves settle and people connect about the readings. “I came here for the opening act, Gigi West. I couldn’t leave. I was hanging on to every word of each person. It feels so empowering. Kat’s [Terrey] reading was metered and soothing, while Karlie’s cathartic and raw,” says Stinger, a Kings Beach resident, who is a fan of Bear Belly Brewing. Moved by Watson’s prose, I thanked her for sharing her work. “There is beauty in poetry that use words to not say directly what you
mean and there’s beauty in prose to say exactly what you mean,” says Watson. I loved the vibe and was excited by the sense of community created at this Kings Beach enclave of artists and guests. Poetry at the Backyard promotes a community-based literary expression in the form of poetry, prose and the spoken word. It’s open to the public and is a submission-based series; there are no fees. A team of curators selects the submissions. Submit poems to tahoepoetrycollective@gmail.com. “Poetry touches everybody from every generation. There’s a 10-minute limit. This allows for 10 or 12 poets to read,” explains Green. The Tahoe Poetry Collective will host two more free, outdoor events in Tahoe Backyard on Aug. 17 and Sept. 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Green hopes to continue the series this winter if he can find a venue. | tahoebackyard.com, Tahoe Poetry Collective on Facebook n
