Words to Stir the Soul pays tribute to Reg Saner, a true writer of the West

Usually it's a literary hodgepodge of writings about the West read by Colorado celebrities -- not the glitzy ones, but a round-robin of teachers, historians and politicians. but tonight's Words to Stir the Soul, an annual tradition curated by the University of Colorado's Center for the American West, will focus...

By Susan Froyd

December 7, 2011

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Usually it's a literary hodgepodge of writings about the West read by Colorado celebrities -- not the glitzy ones, but a round-robin of teachers, historians and politicians. but tonight's Words to Stir the Soul, an annual tradition curated by the University of Colorado's Center for the American West, will focus on the words of just one writer: Boulder poet and essayist Reg Saner (also a former Boulder poet laureate), whose most recent book, The Four-Cornered Falcon: Essays on the Interior West and Natural Scene, came out this year.

While the words will come from just one source, the crew reading them remains ragtag, with a roster including poet David Rothman, novelist Laura Pritchett, Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs and San Miguel County Commissioner/slam poet Art Goodtimes, among others. And Saner is a prolific scribe with plenty of material to showcase; a thinking man in the woods, he's penned such beautiful philosophical words as these:

Heady pine-scent from trees leading the hardest of lives makes me wonder why so much of humanity's smell is sorrow.

Here's center faculty director Patricia Limerick to tell you what it's all about:

Words to Stir the Soul begins at 7 p.m. at Old Main Chapel on the CU-Boulder campus; admission is free. Visit the Center for the American West's website for details.

And to keep up with the Froyd's-eye-view of arts and culture in Denver, "like" my fan page on Facebook.

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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