Events

Guided by Christy Bills and Nan Seymour
Christy Bills is a museum entomologist with decades of experience sharing local nature walks with children and adults. Nan is lake-facing poet who loves to sing with people on river banks.
This walk is part of Walking the Watershed, a series of guided walks along the waterways of the Great Basin bioregion supported by Utah Humanities.
Limited 12 participants. All ages welcome.
Free with registration.
We will meet on the West side of the Fife Wetland Preserve in Salt Lake City. American Ave & 1100 West. 

River Writing to Envision a Place Based Future
Thursday, September 12th, 6-7:30 MST
facilitated by Nan Seymour
Free with registration. Everyone is invited! (16+) You do not need to identify as a writer, just be a person willing to pick up a pen.
Meeting on Zoom. You will receive the link to our meeting when you register.
Sponsored by Utah Humanities in support of the call to submissions for This Watershed Moment: Envisioning Place-Based Futures

About River Writing:

River Writing is an opportunity to witness and be witnessed, a community-based writing practice, and a courage class. We keep our pens moving on the page as we write together with abandon, with no intention of making it good. In this workshop we will employ writing prompts to help us envision a place-based future. Together we will imagine a world in which humans have ceased to do harm, a world repaired and restored. Those who would like to read their work will be invited to do so without preface or apology. We will listen to each other without offering praise or criticism.

Our particular witness has never been more needed in the world and our details matter. We can only create what we first have imagined and articulated. River Writing is a vessel for growing connection, compassion, and possibility.

Thursday, September 26th 6-7pm MST.
On Zoom. (Sign up before 5pm on the 26th to receive the link.)
Everyone is invited! Join us for the sheer pleasure of listening!

Our Program
We'll open with a reading by guest poet Olivia Dudding Rodriguez.
Then the following River Writers will read short excerpts from our notebooks:
Karen Bean
Sam Forlenza
Beatrice Washburn
Moudi Sbeity
Jasmine Hennigs-Cornell
Beth Mitchell
Karen Bayard
Jeanette Snyder
Lizz Carroll
Nan Seymour

About Our Poet
Olivia Dudding Rodriguez is an Appalachian-grown writer, poet, teaching artist, and devoted celebrant of rurality and place-based identity.  She is the poet laureate of Helper, Utah and author of Honey Wonder, a poetry chapbook published by Moon in the Rye Press.  She is a co-facilitator, alumni in residence, and culture keeper at The Heart of It writing retreat.  In 2023, she contributed to a panel on Encountering the Wild at the Utah Poetry Festival.  

About River Writing
We write together in circles shaped by community agreements. This is the practice: we read poetry aloud to find a prompt and then write with pen and paper to say the truest thing we can say. Before beginning, we agree to be kind, to keep each other’s confidence, and to listen to each other with undivided attention. We agree to take care of ourselves and to share responsibility for creating a welcoming space. Everyone is invited. We practice non-judgement by forgoing apology, critique, and praise. It can be hard not to praise, but we choose to opt out temporarily in order to take respite from the culture of comparison. When a participant chooses to read, we respond simply by saying thank you.

A celebration of the imminent publication of the book irreplaceable, a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake. Everyone is invited!
Saturday, October 5th 6-7:30 pm
Stokes Nature Center (see directions & parking below)
Free with registration.

Our Readers:
Lisa Bickmore, Utah State Poet Laureate
Star Coulbrooke, Logan's inaugural Poet Laureate
Christy Bills
Rachel White
Jaimi Butler
Chandler Rosenberg
Abdal Aśik
Sunni Brown Wilkinson
Sarah May
Nan Seymour

Location & Logistics

Parking instructions for Stokes Nature Center
●  Stokes Nature Center is located in Logan Canyon about 1/3 mile up the River Trail. Our physical address is 2696 East Highway 89, Logan, Utah 84321.
●  Starting in Logan, travel east on Highway 89 (400 N) past Utah State University, continue down the hill, past First Dam, and into Logan Canyon.
●  You will see a brown sign directing you to “Stokes Nature Center Parking” in a Forest Service designated area. The gravel parking area is on the left side of the road about 1⁄2 mile into the canyon, with a large “Cache National Forest” sign. You can also pull o on the right side of the road to park if space is available.
●  Once you have reached the River Nature Trail, walk approximately 1/3 of a mile up the trail and you will see the Nature Center building on your right. The walk from the gated entrance takes about 7-10 minutes.
●  The building has running water/bathrooms and lots of beautiful places to sit and contemplate outside

Making Waves Art Build with Artist & BLOODTIDE author Eli Nixon & Making Waves Artist Collaborative
Help build some giant pelicans for our sacred lake. We will be transforming cardboard into kid-sized brine shrimp and making wings, along with a whole flock of phalaropes. Join in the fun as we parade along the river!

• Saturday, October 12th, 2- 6 pm
• At the Nature Center at Pia Owkai: 1125 West 3300 South Salt Lake 84119
• Everyone of any age is welcome!
• Spanish Interpretation provided.
• Registration is FREE but required to help us prepare materials.

Schedule for the day:
2:00 pm: Welcome and Instructions
2:30-5:30 pm: Cardboard transformation with Eli Nixon and Making Waves Artist Collaborative
5:30-6 pm:  We’ll parade our art along the river to make a joyous offering to the water!

Further Details: 

Bring an instrument if you like to make music. Our parade will need a band!
Gender neutral bathrooms are available at the nature center.
We will provide snacks and water. You are welcome to bring a sack lunch if you like.

~

Construyendo arte haciendo olas con el artista y autor de BLOODTIDE, Eli Nixon, y Making Waves Artist Collaborative

Ayuda a hacer arte público para nuestro lago sagrado. Transformaremos el cartón en camarones salmuera del tamaño de un niño y haremos alas, junto con toda una bandada de falaropos. ¡Únete a la diversión mientras desfilamos a lo largo del río!

Sábado, 12 de octubre, 2- 6 pmEn el Centro de la Naturaleza en Pia Owkai: 1125 West 3300 South Salt Lake 84119¡Todos de cualquier edad son bienvenidos!Interpretación al español.

La inscripción es GRATUITA, pero se requiere para ayudarnos a preparar los materiales.Horario para el día:2:00 pm: Bienvenida e instrucciones2:30-5:30 pm: Transformación de cartón con Eli Nixon y Haciendo Ondas Artista Colaborativo5:30-6 pm: Desfilaremos nuestro arte a lo largo del río para hacer una ofrenda alegre al agua!

Más detalles:Trae un instrumento si te gusta hacer música. ¡Nuestro desfile necesitará una banda! Eldispone de baños neutros de género en el centro de la naturaleza.Proporcionaremos aperitivos y agua. Usted es bienvenido a traer un saco de almuerzo si lo desea.

Join us for a morning meditation dedicated to Great Salt Lake and her tributaries as well as imperiled water bodies across the planet, especially inland seas. Come from wherever you are! You will receive the Zoom link after you sign up.

We sit in silence together each Wednesday after brief dedication, from 7:00- 7:25 am MST via Zoom.

The door closes at 7:05 MST to support practicing with presence. You can join belatedly by sitting in loving-silence knowing that others are sitting with you in community.

Before you begin, please watch this warm-hearted invitation and orientation from Erin Geesaman Rabke.

A celebration of the publication of irreplaceable:
a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake.
A free event, everyone is invited!
Friday, November 8th at 7 pm
Happy Magpie Book & Quill
443 27th Street, Ogden, UT, 84401

Opening with a screening of the short film irreplaceable,
directed by John Meier.
Our Readers
nan seymour
Darren Parry
Debbi Fetters
Patrick Ramsay
Sarah May
Isabelle Ghabash
Sunni Brown Wilkinson
Amy May
sarah ann woodbury

About the Book

A collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake, composed by nan seymour, the book is a community prayer for the replenishment of an ecosystem on a precipice. It begins with a forward by Terry Tempest Williams which underscores the peril of an irreplaceable refuge.

Over 400 voices sing their praises in this chorus: sixth graders, brine shrimpers, birders, queer artists, Indigenous elders, scientists, and spell-casters, alongside scores of others who proclaim this lake beloved. The poem is still being written as the vigil keepers write, sing, and dance in celebration of the sacred lake and all of the species she sustains. They dedicate their jubilance, grief, and reverence as they invite readers to join in bearing witness. Every voice counts. Our work will be finished when the lake is replenished and her personal right to flourish is fully protected.

A celebration of the publication of irreplaceable:
a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake.
A free event, everyone is invited!
Wednesday, November 20th 6-7 :30 pm
Natural History Museum of Utah
301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Our Program
Screening of the short film irreplaceable, directed by John Meier.
Opening remarks from Lisa Bickmore, Poet Laureate of Utah
Our Readers
Suzy Eskenazi
Jasmine Hennigs-Cornell 
Rachel White
Joel Long
Christy Bills
Abdal Aśik
Sophie McCarron
Amy Brunvand
Jose Arevelo-Rivers
Scott Moore
Sarah May
Chloe Skidmore
Isabelle Ghabash
Scarlett Nunez
Riel Canales
Lara Chho
Linda Dalton Walker
Pablo Gonzaga
Masha Shukovich
Nini Rich

About the Book
The newly published irreplaceable: a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake, composed by the poet nan seymour, is a community prayer for the replenishment of an ecosystem on a precipice. The book begins with a forward by Terry Tempest Williams which underscores the peril of this irreplaceable refuge and hemispherically essential lake.

Over 400 voices sing their praises in this chorus: sixth graders, brine shrimpers, birders, queer artists, Indigenous elders, scientists, and spell-casters, alongside scores of others who proclaim this lake beloved. The poem is still being written as the vigil keepers write, sing, and dance in celebration of the sacred lake and all of the species she sustains. They dedicate their jubilance, grief, and reverence as they invite readers to join in bearing witness. Every voice counts. Our work will be finished when the lake is replenished and her personal right to flourish is fully protected.

A celebration of the publication of irreplaceable:
a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake.
Free with registration, everyone is invited!
Thursday, December 5th 6-7:15 pm MST
On Zoom
Our Program
Opening remarks from Lisa Bickmore, Poet Laureate of Utah
Screening of the short film irreplaceable, directed by John Meier
Reading from Special Guest Eli Nixon
Irreplaceable Readers
Moudi Sbeity
Sam Wallen
Tiffany Burns
Kai Lameman
Bree Matheson
Taylor Jenson
Angela Brown
Erin Geesaman Rabke
Willy Paloma
Paula Volpin Evershed
Nini Rich
Reading from Special Guest Terry Tempest Williams

About the Book
The newly published irreplaceable: a collective praise poem for Great Salt Lake, composed by the poet nan seymour, is a community prayer for the replenishment of an ecosystem on a precipice. The book begins with a forward by Terry Tempest Williams which underscores the peril of this irreplaceable refuge and hemispherically essential lake.

Over 400 voices sing their praises in this chorus: sixth graders, brine shrimpers, birders, queer artists, Indigenous elders, scientists, and spell-casters, alongside scores of others who proclaim this lake beloved. The poem is still being written as the vigil keepers write, sing, and dance in celebration of the sacred lake and all of the species she sustains. They dedicate their jubilance, grief, and reverence as they invite readers to join in bearing witness. Every voice counts. Our work will be finished when the lake is replenished and her personal right to flourish is fully protected.

Saturday, March 22nd
Departing SLC at noon and will return around 5 pm

Meet at the parking lot of the North Temple Trax Station. The approximate address of the parking lot where the bus will be waiting is 126 N 600 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. The lot is right beneath the North Temple Bridge. If you are driving from downtown SLC, when you get to the bottom of the bridge, turn North on 600W. We'll be right there! ADA seating available. Please write to Nan to reserve.

Great Salt Lake Celebrants Cael Crosby and Chanel Sorenson will be your welcoming hosts. Your State Park fee is included with this $3 registration. (Our poetry reading is free.) Songs, Phalarope stories, & optional masks will be provided. Bundle up for the outdoor event!

Songs Scored by Shorelines is the 4th annual reading of irreplaceable, a collective praise poem devoted to Great Salt Lake. The poem is a prayer for the full restoration of the lake and an homage to all the species she sustains. This tribute continues to swell and contains over 400 voices.

Every word we read and sing will be presented directly to Great Salt Lake as an offering of love and devotion for our imperiled sacred lake.