Mountain Words Festival 2026

Join Denver based poet, writer, storyteller, organizer, and activist, Suzi Q. Smith for a poetry workshop to remember.

Four poets of at the height of their prowess with the written word come together to share their voices with the community. Join Karen Terrey, Suzi Q Smith, Erica Reid, and Wendy Videlock as they each read a selection of poems that celebrate the written and spoken word. 

Poet Erica Reid returns to Mountain Words with another excellent generative poetry workshop.

Class begins with an exploration of prairie poems old and new, from poets including Emily Dickinson, Heid E. Erdrich, and Camille Dungy. Afterwards we will generate plains-flavored poems of our own, aided by a prairie-specific divination deck that includes thistle for patience, hawks for insight, fire for change, and more.