[PRpond]
Placerville, CA, February 9, 2018- On February 16, at the El Dorado Hills Library, El Dorado County Poet Laureate Taylor Graham, will be joined by local poets and Poetry Out Loud students for an evening of poetry loosely based on the theme of love.
"Poetry has long been a major tool of communicating that elusive of all emotion - love. 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?'" said Andrew Vonderschmitt, Program Manager at El Dorado Arts Council. "Given the time of year, I thought it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to ask our poets to share something on the theme."
\At this stop Taylor will be joined by El Dorado Hills poet Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas. Grellas is an eight-time Pushcart Prize nominee and a four-time Best of the Net nominee. In 2012, she won the Red Ochre Press Chapbook contest with her manuscript "Before I Go to Sleep". Her work has appeared in a wide variety of online and print magazines, including the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine; Poets and Artists; War, Literature and the Arts; and many more. She has authored numerous collections of poetry including her latest chapbook, "Things I Can't Remember to Forget," recently released from Prolific Press in 2017. She is the Assistant Editor for The Orchards Poetry Journal and according to family lore she is a direct descendant of Robert Louis Stevenson.
"I'm thrilled to be included in this wonderful event with the amazing Taylor Graham," said Grellas. "It's a great way to begin the new year with a celebration of poetry along the El Dorado Country Poet Laureate Trail."
Also joining the traveling poets will be Poetry Out Loud participants from the El Dorado County Finals. An Open Mic session will conclude the evening.
The event series, Laureate Trail, will visit five regional libraries in El Dorado County over the course of 8 months. The Trail will culminate with a reading at the South Lake Tahoe Branch Library in June 2018. Graham has invited several poets who reside in each of the five districts to join her at their local events.
This event will be at the El Dorado Hills Library at 7455 Silva Valley Pkwy, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 on February 16 at 5:30 pm.
Taylor was named the inaugural El Dorado County Poet Laureate on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The two-year post began on July 1, 2016, and ends on June 30, 2018. During her time as Laureate she has composed several "occasional poems" for different happenings in the county, including an event at the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm, the 2016 World Gold Panning Championships, reflections on the Pony Express, and the Fausel House Barn Quilt project. Among her functions as Laureate, Taylor has organized several weekly poetry read-arounds and workshops, acted as a guest judge for Poetry Out Loud, the national recitation contest, and read poetry at numerous events in El Dorado County.
El Dorado Arts Council's mission to promote, connect, and empower arts and culture throughout the county is achieved by targeted programs and services, a vibrant gallery exhibition series, and a focus on initiatives which support and sustain the cultural life of the region.
If you would like more information about this , please contact Andrew Vonderschmitt at 530-295-3496 or email at andrew@eldoradoartscouncil.org.
