NEA Big Read - Nature-Inspired Poetry Workshop with Texas Poet Laureate karla k. morton

Let nature be your muse.

Join award-winning poet and 2010 Texas Poet Laureate karla k. morton for an inspiring, reflective poetry workshop that invites you to explore the wild landscapes around us—from mountain lions and mesas to wind, weather, and wide-open skies—by beginning with the smallest, most intimate bits of nature—through the power of words.

Whether you’ve never written a poem in your life or have notebooks full of them at home, this workshop is for you.

Bring a writing journal if you have one, and a pen or pencil.

What to Expect on Saturday, May 30th, 2026, 1:00 pm MDT:

• Creative prompts designed to spark imagination and unlock your voice

• Simple, accessible guidance on how poems take shape

• Encouragement, laughter, and a supportive environment

• Opportunities to share your work (if you’d like!)

karla brings warmth, humor, and decades of experience to help participants move past the fear of the blank page and discover just how powerful their own stories can be.

Participants are welcome to bring previously written poems — especially those inspired by nature, wildlife, or life in the Southwest—to read and share as time allows.

No experience required. No pressure. Just creativity, curiosity, and community.

Come write. Come listen. Come be inspired.

About Fuzz

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree?

In Fuzz, New York Times bestselling author Mary Roach dives into the surprisingly complex world of human-wildlife conflict. Blending humor, science, and fascinating history, Roach explores how communities navigate encounters with bears, mountain lions, elephants, and more. Three hundred years ago, animals were assigned legal representation and put on trial. Today, the answers lie not in the courtroom but in science — at the crossroads of wildlife biology and human behavior.

For mountain and mesa communities like ours in northern New Mexico, where encounters with wildlife are part of daily life, Fuzz offers a timely, humorous, and insightful lens into coexistence.

NEA Big Read Activities

From March through June, the NEA Big Read will bring together local artists, educators, scientists, and community partners for reading discussions, creative writing workshops, arts and media projects, nature tours, and public forums designed to spark curiosity and conversation.

The program will culminate on June 27, 2026, with a public film screening and panel discussion at the Shuler Theater, showcasing community-created work and highlighting the power of literature, creativity, and dialogue in deepening our understanding of nature — and our place within it.

✨ Come be part of a community-wide exploration of storytelling, science, and coexistence.

All are welcome!