Program Description
Event Details
Campbell County Public Library welcomes the community to Poetry Day on Saturday, October 18. This day-long celebration of poetry is sponsored by Prairie Pens Writers Group and includes a writing workshop and open mic event designed to inspire writers and poetry lovers alike.
- Poetry Writing Workshop: 10-11:30am | Mining Your Memories led by Barbara Smith, Wyoming Poet Laureate
- Open Mic: 1–3 p.m | Library Atrium: The public is encouraged to attend and share their poetry or prose
WORKSHOP: Writers of all levels are welcome to this workshop that was ranked the top presentation at the recent Wyoming Writers Conference. Describing this workshop, Smith says, “I will take workshop participants down into the mine of memories through some samples and idea-generating exercises which hopefully will produce some precious gems. After we warm up to the thought of looking backwards, we will move forward: what can we make of these gems, what can we make of them in poetry?”
Smith was appointed Wyoming’s ninth Poet Laureate in 2023 by Governor Mark Gordon. She taught at Western Wyoming Community College for 38 years before retiring in 2007. During her tenure, she directed the Wesswick Lecture Series in the Arts and Education, which brought distinguished visiting writers to southwest Wyoming.
Her most recent poetry collection, Putting a Name on It, joins an impressive body of published work featured in numerous anthologies, including Wyoming Fence Lines; Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming; and the acclaimed three-book series Leaning Into the Wind, Woven on the Wind, and Crazy Woman Creek. Additional publications include The Last Best Place (Montana anthology), Ucross: The 1st Ten Years, Letters from Wyoming, Wyoming Promises, Drive, He Said (an anthology exploring Americans and their cars), and Blood, Water, Wind, and Stone.
In recognition of her lasting contributions to Wyoming’s arts and literary culture, Smith received the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award in 2006.
OPEN MIC: The public is encouraged to attend—whether to share original poetry or prose or to simply enjoy the creativity of others. Smith will kick the event of by reading from her work and answering questions.
This day-long event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Campbell County Public Library.