NORWOOD ... The June 19th Stories & Poems series at the Lone Cone Library at 6 p.m. will feature Constance Vannest of Nucla talking about wolves and local poet-writer-journalist Elle Metrick of Norwood sharing her work.
“Constance gave a wonderful presentation with Norwood’s Bill Wilson in Naturita at the Stories & Poems gathering there two months ago,” said Art Goodtimes, Talking Gourds Poetry Project director. “They stimulated a great discussion on wolves as Bill did in Norwood last month. Bring your stories and questions about wolves to this month’s evening presentation.”
He also noted that the Norwood Stories & Poems had such a successful evening with two speakers last month that the group is going to try and stick with that dual format, bringing both storytelling and poetry to Wrights Mesa.
Born in South Dakota, Vannest moved to Colorado in early ‘80s. She’s spent most of her 70 years on this planet working with wolves and hybrids. She was especially honored when her “kindred spirit friend Lissa” Margetts chose her to take Lobo and Pearl when her rescue operation, the Rocky Mountain Ark Wildlife Center, closed in 2008.
Given how much misinformation has accumulated around wolves, Vannest explained, “I am a firm believer in education based on truth not fear. We, for the benefit of future generations, must value our natural resources and give them the respect they deserve.”
Vannest’s presentation will be followed by Norwood’s Elle Metrick.
At 57, and despite decades of fighting it, Metrick is just beginning to accept that she is what she once wanted to be: a relatively self-sufficient jane-of-many-trades.
“I’ve taught school, run rivers for a living, made and shoveled snow, lived in my truck and a tipi, built a straw bale home with my (late) husband and raised a lovely, thoughtful and creative human being,” Metrick said. “Poetry has been my lifeblood since before I can remember. Sometimes, I can be found on stage with my dear poet friends Art Goodtimes and Daiva Chesonis as the Writes Mesa Gang. I have two published books of poetry. I dabble in creative nonfiction and am deep in a fiction project. I write for local newspapers and magazines and teach a monthly writing group at Lone Cone Library.”
This free series happens on the third Wednesday of each month. With our new dual format, each featured guest will give a 1-20 min. presentation, followed by a short question and answer period after each presentation. After that, there’s a passing of the gourd, where community members are encouraged to share stories about wolves or poems — their own, or others’ that they know and like.
A collaboration of the Lone Cone Library and the Telluride Institute’s Talking Gourds poetry program, Stories & Poems is free and open to all ages, thanks to the generosity of the library, 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 website: <www.tellurideinstitute.org/talking-gourds
####
