Celebrating my first published poem at the Old Town Book Fair in Fort Collins

A Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park was released this week! For those of you who are new to my blog and may have not read my previous post about the project, this is an anthology of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that celebrates the beauty and biodiversity of the national park and the writers who love it. Each piece in the book is named after a different species found in the park. This project was launched in conjunction with the Bioblitz Festival that took place in August 2012 at Rocky Mountain National Park. Jim and I attended this festival and took part in the species inventory count of invasive plants. The poem that I wrote for this collection was about the invasive plant we found the most of that day- Wooly Mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Invasive plant species are often spread or introduced into unoccupied areas by vehicles, humans, and animals along travel routes. We found most of the Wooly Mullein plants along the roadside.  I used this bit of information as inspiration for my poem. I liked the idea of comparing the seed of the plant to a hitchhiker, hence the name of my poem The Silent Hitchhiker. 

Wooly Mullein- The Silent Hitchhiker

I had pre-ordered my copy of the book at the first fundraising event for the project back in March so when I received the email from the editor that the book was ready for pick up I could not wait to get my copy! I had the option of having it mailed to me, but I decided I would rather pick up my copy at the Wolverine Farm Bookstore in Fort Collins. I wanted to see the shop and I liked the idea of picking it up in person from the place it was published. It worked out great too because this weekend happened to be the 2nd Annual Old Town Book Fair in Fort Collins. I saw that there would be book sales, a giant Scrabble game, and beer- I was sold! :)

It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day for a book fair! As soon as we arrived I admired the charm of the Old Town Square: large concrete planters with colorful flowers, cobblestone streets, artistic fountains and sculptures, pubs, and a variety of specialty shops. I noticed strings of white globe lights in the alleys around the stores and restaurants which I bet makes it look magical at night. There were a few tents lined up- some with beer and some with books for sale. We spotted the Wolverine Farm stand and took a quick peek inside. I already knew I would be buying an Old Town Book Fair t-shirt once I saw they had them and that the logo design included a hot air balloon. We got directions to the bookstore so that I could go pick up my pre-ordered copy of the anthology. 

So pretty!

The bookstore was just around the corner from the fair. We entered and immediately breathed in the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The bookstore is located inside of a coffee shop. It is a cozy shop with very friendly and passionate staff members. All of the money generated from book sales goes directly to funding Wolverine Farm publications and toward literary outreach programs, which I think is great. I made my way to the counter and spied the copies of the Poetic Inventory. I leafed through it and the first thing I saw was that it was dedicated to all the creatures in the park. This made me happy inside.  Then I found my poem. Seeing it in print was another happy moment for me.  With my book in hand, and a big smile on my face I was ready to play that giant Scrabble game at the fair!

The bookstore entrance

Love the cover art!

My first published poem

I am so proud to be a part of this anthology which celebrates the beauty of one of my favorite places to hike and which includes work from so many talented authors and poets!

I am a word nerd! I love reading, word puzzles, and games- especially Scrabble. I have been playing since I was a kid. My aunt Kathy is a pro who taught me q letter words without a u such as "qat" and "qis." I have been playing online for years now with my longtime family friend Gary who is also a word genius. In the beginning he beat me pretty much every time, but now with the wisdom I have gained from his game, I actually win every now and then! :) When I saw that giant Scrabble board I immediately thought of my aunt and my friend. They would have loved it and I knew I had to make them proud! 

Game on!

The giant board was made out of cloth and painted exactly like the official one except that the colored tiles did not have printed on them "double letter score" or "triple word score" like they are on the regular game board tiles. There was a key on the side explaining what each color tile represented though. However, I did not need this key! I know those colors well. The game tiles were large wooden squares with the letters and point values written on them just like the original game. However, another player and I  did notice that the letter "K" was given the value of only 1 point and it is normally worth 5 points. I could see I was playing with at least one other Scrabble nerd! There were 4 teams. Jim and I formed team Jumble. Jim picked the name and I knew he picked that name because every Sunday morning we do the word jumble puzzle in the Sunday Denver Post. (I told you I was a word nerd)! My opponents were teams Something, Team Rage, and Team Whatever. Both kids and adults played and we had a great time.  My crowning moments included a double word score on the word "quilts" and playing the word "arm" on a triple word score while making the words "ha" and "joker" in the process. I ended up coming in second place. It was a pretty close game and I think I played well so my aunt Kathy and friend Gary would have been proud. Most importantly I had a great time!

This was a great play! I get some oohs and ahhs from the audience :)

Word Nerd Heaven!

Final Scores

We bumped into Charlie, the editor of the Poetic Inventory a couple of times at the fair. I told him we were having a great time and that I picked up my pre-ordered copy of the anthology. He informed me that as a contributor I was entitled to a free copy of the book as well. Awesome! I proceeded back to the Wolverine Farm stand first to buy my book fair t-shirt and also to look for the event poster. I loved the whimsical hot air balloon design. I was told the posters were available at the bookstore. Back to the bookstore I went! I got my second copy of the anthology. After some searching, the sweet girl behind the counter was unable to find any of the event posters in the back to sell to me so she took one of the wall and gave it to me. I think she knew I loved it so much. I told her I was super grateful and was planning to frame it.

My new favorite T-shirt :)

I framed the poster and it is hanging proudly on the wall next to my bookshelf. Thank you so much to the kind bookseller for giving this to me!

We were making a final stroll through the town square and stopped to listen to Charlie read his poem from the anthology aloud on the main stage. He spotted me in the audience clapping so when he was done he asked if I would want to read my poem. I said sure! At the last fundraising event I did not read and I told myself that if the opportunity presented itself for me to do it I would not be a chicken. The microphone was adjusted for me and I read the "Silent Hitchhiker" to the small audience that was listening. It is a short poem and I know I read it fast because I was a little nervous, but I did it and it was a great feeling! :)

Charlie Malone, the editor of A Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park, reading his poem about Ermine

My first reading :)

Jim and I made a final stop at the Blind Pig, a great little pub in Fort Collins. Jim had beer and I had a Sangria Fizz- Prosecco, St. Germain, and fruit. It was delicious and refreshing after a day in the sun! We shared a plate of queso fries and made a toast to my first published poem and first reading- a proud moment indeed. :)

Sangria Fizz- yum!

Wolverine Farm Publishing is a wonderful non-profit organization with great values like promoting literary culture and educating people to save the environment. I am so happy to be a part of the Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park. I have met lots of wonderful people and have really enjoyed attending all the events associated with this publication. I will participate in as many of them as I can in the future!

Literature with teeth

If you would like to learn more about Wolverine Farm Publishing Company or would like to order a copy of A Poetic Inventory of Rocky Mountain National Park check out their website: http://www.wolverinefarm.org/