Come to the Holiday Arts & Craft Fair at Carboy Winery at 3572 G Rd in Palisade, CO, today (Sunday, Dec 1). Everything is 50% off except my book - there are lots of other fun vendors here too, and wine!

A poem I wrote this morning… On the Tuesday Before Thanksgiving, it Snowed It doesn’t demand to be seen, just quietly falls in its silent, soft way for those who choose to look, to stop and see. It says, let’s let snowing be all that we work on and think about right now. It says, let me slow you down. It says, you can fight me if you want to — You can scoop sidewalks and driveways and streets. You can start the car and turn the defrost on high, or you can sit inside with your cup of coffee and watch the flakes fall down, each one different, each one special, not unlike us. You can wonder how many times each molecule of water in the world has turned into snow and then water and snow again. And you can wonder how many times you can reinvent yourself too. You can wonder where each crystal of snow has fallen and if it ever felt lost or like it didn’t belong. You can even wonder how the sky decides when it has snowed enough. Or, you can simply notice how beautiful the world is when it slows down. Copyright Jill R. Burkey Written 11/26/24 Revised 11/26/24 Version 3 #poetry #snowpoems #winterpoem #snowpoem #poem #winter #lovewinter #slowdown

Happy Monday - you got this! And you can get this sticker to remind you of that for half off at www.jillburkey.com.

Are you looking for holiday gifts that are meaningful, hopeful, and personal? Check out the poetry prints, greeting cards, stickers, bookmarks, and gift sets I created from lines of poetry in my book, The Two Hearts Inside Us. And, today through November 30th, everything at www.jillburkey.com is half off except books and e-gift cards! Use code BLACKNOVEMBER. Gift sets come with holiday-themed tissue paper and beautiful sheer organza gift bags decorated with snowflakes, so your wrapping is done! Gift sets are a great option, because by bundling your items, you save money. You can also personalize your gift set by having me write your recipient’s name in the book and signing it for them! (Example: “for Susan” - you will be given this option at checkout.) Poetry Prints - beautiful photographs and poems ready to frame and hang on your wall or adorn your table. Stickers & Bookmarks - these make great stocking stuffers and add a little poetry to your day. Greeting Cards - always have the perfect card on hand with a greeting card variety pack gift set! Buy one for yourself and one for your friends! These are unique cards you won’t find anywhere else, and I am busy adding ideas to my website of what you can write in each card to make the recipient feel even more special. See these examples: Change Greeting Card, Two Hearts Greeting Card, and So Much Ripe in This World. Also check out my holiday cards! In addition to 50% off of most items, shipping is a low flat-rate fee of $5.00! Thank you for supporting poetry - together we are putting good vibes into the world!

We saw a cool piece of art while on our walk in Ridgway. Remember you are strong, clever, and important! Looking forward to reading and listening tonight at the Sherbino!

Reading Good Poems for Hard Times edited by Garrison Keillor and wanted to share this poem I found in it.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be reading poetry from my book, The Two Hearts Inside Us, @thesherbino Theater’s Literary Living Room Thursday, November 7th, Doors at 7:00 PM || Show starts at 7:30 PM $ Entry by Donation! Part literary reading, part intimate author interview, and part open mic - Literary Living Room is the Sherbino’s beloved series that brings together literary voices from near and far for a cozy, thought- provoking evening. Come experience a night filled with storytelling, poetry, and creative connection. Bring your curiosity, grab a friend, and be part of this unique evening celebrating the power of words. Don’t miss out - mark your calendars and join the fun at Ridgway’s Sherbino! #ridgwaycolorado #poetryreading #openmic

Here’s the Dalton Trumbo sculpture and the poem I wrote about it to help celebrate Grand Junction’s 40th anniversary of Art on the Corner. You can see all of the poems and sculptures in the sculpted words project at https://gjcreates.org/sculpted-words-2 #downtowngj #poetry #poetryandart #ekphrasticpoetry #daltontrumbo

This is my first reel! It was so much fun celebrating the arts yesterday at the 40th anniversary of Grand Junction’s Art on the Corner! As one of the speakers said, imagine a world without the arts - no music, no books, no paintings on the walls, no beautiful buildings. It would be a stark place. We are human, so we can make and enjoy art and connect in our humanity through art! The poems by all of the poets (Wendy Videlock, John Anglim, Lisa Wence Connors, Trish Hopkinson, John Nizalowski, and me) will be posted online (and I’ll post mine on my instagram page also). To see them, and to learn more about Grand Junction’s Art on the Corner program, go to www.gjcreates.org. Thanks to everyone who made this happen, including @wendyvidelock.inklings, Sarah Dishong, @gj_creates, and @downtowngj! Yay art! #downtowngj #poetry #poetryandart #ekphrasticpoetry

A fun event is happening this Saturday, October 5th that combines a lovely walk and two kinds of art! Join us for a caravan of poets reading their work to help celebrate the anniversary of Grand Junction’s Art on the Corner public sculpture program. The walking order for the caravan of poets will be as follows: Meet at the big chrome buffalo at 4th and Main at 2:00 p.m. where Wendy Videlock will give an invocation to the arts and Kyle Harvey will read. South on 4th to Dew Drop Inn where Lisa will read. Then back to Main to Gelato Junction for Head in Progress where John N will read. Walk several steps east and stop at Bison Legacy in front of GearHead Outfitters (formerly Summit Canyon) where John A will read. Then continue east on Main toward Main St Bagels, stop near Brown’s Cycles for Gathering Soul where Trish will read. Then continue east on Main toward The Avalon, stop at Dalton Trumbo where Jill will read. For more info on this and other events, go to www.jillburkey.com/events- #downtowngjco #artonthecornergj

If you are looking for an inspiring writing class to take, a reading to attend, or perhaps an open mic to try a piece out, check out my event calendar - there are lots of things happening all over the Western Slope! I add events weekly, so keep checking back. You can find the link in my bio, or go to www.jillburkey.com and click on the event tab.

Art is good for us! Even if we’re not good at it! Love this article at https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/health/art-live-longer-wellness/index.html

I immediately felt a tenderness for these trees when we saw them today on one of our hikes. The Aspen has a lot going on - a heavy burden to bear. Can anyone relate? And the pine is going through some things too and is lucky to have a friend to lean on. Which one are you today? The Aspen rising to the occasion, or the pine needing a soft and safe place to fall? Or both? I think I’m both - there’s a poem in there somewhere!

Happy 4th of July! I’m a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and when my local chapter asked me to compose and read an original poem for our May meeting, I jumped at the chance. Since we’re celebrating the birth of our country this weekend, I thought I’d share what I wrote. I wanted to include and honor as many of my chapter’s patriot ancestors as I could, so I pulled details from their lives for my poem. I am grateful for their service and sacrifice, and will do everything I can to protect the wonderful and fragile democracy that they made possible. Included in this post is a photo of the DAR marker located on Rte 45 southwest of State College, PA, in Center County dedicated May 1, 1931, that honors George Meek, John Borland, and John Glenn. (The later two are both my ancestors.) It reads, “In Memory of the Revolutionary Soldiers Buried on This Farm One Fourth Mile South of This Marker.” My Mom and I got to visit the marker in 2015. I joined the DAR by proving I’m a descendant of John Glenn’s. I’m working on establishing that I am also a descendant of John Borland’s. The last photo is of the cemetery where the soldiers mentioned in the marker are buried.

Looking for writing and reading events? Check out my event calendar at https://www.jillburkey.com/events- (link in bio). There are currently 14 events listed for the rest of June alone. Do you have a writing or reading event coming up? Let me know about it, and I’ll add it to my calendar! Message me with the information at my Instagram account @jillburkeywrites, or email me at jillbwriter@outlook.com. **Note, my email is acting up, so if you don’t get a response from me, please try again.

Looking forward to this event tomorrow (Saturday) from 2-6 pm @copperclubbrew at 153 N Mulberry Street in Fruita, CO. Hope to see you there!

I just met Cassidy Hutchinson!! I can’t wait to read her book (that she signed for me). I also gave her a copy of my book. I wanted her to know she has inspired me and and that I’m so grateful for her bravery. She gives me hope that it is possible for us to come together to protect the country and the constitution from a 2nd Trump administration, which would be dangerous and change life as we know it. Thanks @restorethebalance for bringing her to GJ, and thanks @cass_hutchinson for coming here! #cassidyhutchison #restorethebalance #enough #thetwoheartsinsideus

So excited to be part of these fun pop up shops and markets this weekend @candlekitchengj and @ordinaryfellowwines with @thewestslopecollective! Come get your unique and fun Mother’s Day and graduation gifts and cards this weekend! May 3rd (Friday) - Candle Kitchen, 120 N. 5th Street, downtown Grand Junction, CO 5-9pm May 4th (Saturday) - The Ordinary Fellow Winery, 202 Peach Ave., Palisade, CO 3-7pm Here’s a card that would be great for Moms, who have changed our lives, or for graduates, who will change the world! My book includes the “Little Changes” poem, and it has lots of lines and poems moms will love. And, I can sign it specially for your gift recipients! If you can’t make it to these events, you can order from my website - link in bio. There will be lots of other great vendors there! #gjcreate #poetry #thetwoheartsinsideus #poeticgreetingcards #uniquegifts #mothersdaygift #mothersdaygifts

I’m so excited to be featured in @spokeandblossom’s spring 2024 issue! Check out the article where I discuss some of the poems in my book, The Two Hearts Inside Us, and then pair it with a delicious cocktail. It was very fun doing the research and tweaking the recipe of The Last Word Cocktail until it was just right - I hope you enjoy! If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day treat for Mom, buy her my book (link in bio) and prepare this beautiful cocktail for her to enjoy with it on the patio. Ahhhh, heaven! #poetry #thetwoheartsinsideus #poeticgreetingcards #uniquegifts #mothersdaygift #mothersdaygifts #whitespace #poeticcocktails #thelastword #gin #martinmillersgin #poetryandcocktails

I had so much fun tagging along on my husband’s work trip to Honolulu! I got to do yoga and meditation @themoanasurfrider hotel with the lovely Jen @seaofheartyoga to the sound of ocean waves, and I found a perfect writing nook to write in afterwards. Also, I took a copy of my book to give to Jen, the yoga teacher I met there on my last trip, and she told me that she read my poem “White Space” to a local yoga class she teaches that includes a couple of musicians from the @hawaiisymphonyorchestra. Jen told me that the musicians enjoyed the poem and told her how important white space is in music (as well as poetry, like I mention in my poem.) I go a step further in the poem and bring the concept of white space into our lives. Anyway, Jen said one of the musicians at her class who liked the poem is also a teacher and has struggled to convey the importance of rests and silence in music to his students, so Jen shared my poem with him and he’s going to share it with his students to help them see it in a new way. Never did I imagine when I wrote that poem that it would end up impacting people in Hawaii, let alone musicians in the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra! Thanks Jen @seaofyeartyoga for connecting us and our art through your beautiful yoga and meditation practice! #MoanaMomentsBecomeMemories #honolulu #whitespace #music #orchestra #thetwoheartsinsideus #oceanyoga

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