Lynda La Rocca

Tragedy at Twin Lakes

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By Lynda La Rocca “It’s what you fail to imagine that kills you.” This quote, from Michael Lewis’s new book “The Fifth Risk,” refers to the dangers facing America under the Trump administration, specifically those posed by incompetent and unqualified government leaders. But it also applies to the residents of the southern Lake County hamlet …

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Reviews: even now

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even now
By Jill Sabella & Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Lithic Press, 2016
978-0-9962170-9-5; 90 pp.; $20

Reviewed by Lynda La Rocca

It’s called “synergy.”
And it’s a fancy word to describe what happened when Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Colorado’s Western Slope Poet Laureate, and Snowmass-based visual artist Jill Sabella joined forces to create the poems and drawings of even now, a collection that epitomizes the idea of a whole becoming greater than the sum of its already-lovely parts.
Published by Fruita’s Lithic Press, an independent small press founded by Colorado poet Danny Rosen, this 6×6-inch book, printed on heavy, cream-colored paper, is a collaborative exploration of the concept of “threes.” It pairs 45 three-line poems by Trommer – whimsically referred to as “haikulings” – with an equal number of Sabella’s elegant, Japanese-style, sumi-e black-ink paintings, all executed using just three brush strokes.
Continuing the tripartite theme, even now is divided into three sections subtitled “undoing another button,” “given wings,” and “unruly blossoms,” lines that strike me as a poem in themselves. And, as Trommer and Sabella write in the book’s introduction, this poetic and painterly “journey into three” forms a collection “in which the poem is one piece, and the image is another, and you, dear readers, are the third.”

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FROST AND FLOWER

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And now it is October in these mountains.

Here and there, a clutch of leaves

keeps glowing burnished gold.

Most blew down in that first storm,

crumpled browner on the earth

than earth that swallows cold, dry bones.

Yet somehow, and who knows just how,

those dead leaves still smell faintly of the spring.

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Lynda La Rocca

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Ed used to say that I was his first.

And he wasn’t kidding.

After Ed and Martha founded Colorado Central Magazine in 1994, the first contributor’s check that Ed cut went to me. He presented that check at the magazine’s launch party in the packed back room of the former First Street Café. And in classic Ed fashion, he did it during an arm-waving, anecdote-filled speech punctuated by drags on a hand-rolled cigarette.

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Some personal favorites

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Review by Lynda La Rocca

Books – January 2009 – Colorado Central Magazine

I HAVE TO ADMIT that I had a little trouble selecting some “favorites” for this column because, frankly, I didn’t read a lot of books in 2008 that were “new” to me in the sense of never having read them before. Instead, I had concentrated on rereading old favorites, many of which I’ve recommended previously in the pages of Colorado Central.

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Visiting Bethlehem in Buena Vista

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Mountain Life – December 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

HEY, I’m a law-abiding citizen. And I really do want to “render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s.” But I’d feel a lot more cheerful about paying my taxes if I weren’t being prodded toward the tax collectors by spear-wielding Roman guards.

“Move along!” these toga-clad tough guys order my husband Steve and me when we try to slip a few coins to several ragged beggars. “You’ll be free of that money soon enough!” a soldier snaps before wading back into the throng of merchants, pilgrims, shepherds, and money changers gathered at Bethlehem Marketplace.

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Marketplace is a real labor of love

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Bethlehem Market – December 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The phrase “It takes a village …” comes to mind when describing the effort involved in staging the Valley Fellowship Church’s Bethlehem Marketplace.

The all-volunteer event requires 3,000 to 4,000 man-hours of preparation, this year under the direction of Terri Hansen and Sue Goins, the latter a Marketplace veteran who also served as co-coordinator in 2004 and 2006.

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If you go to the Bean Museum

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

History – October 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Luther Bean Museum at Adams State College is open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Friday (closed when the college is closed); donations accepted. Luther Bean Museum, Richardson Hall, 2nd Floor, Adams State College, 208 Edgemont Blvd., Alamosa, CO 81102; 719-587-7151; www.adams.edu/lutherbean.

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Alamosa’s Luther Bean Museum at Adams State College

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

History – October 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

SMALL MUSEUMS in small communities are a must-see because they often house the wildest, weirdest, most eclectic displays.

Some focus on the history — natural and manmade — of the area where they are located. Others reflect an individual’s obsession with amassing thousands of examples of one type of collectible, be it mineral specimens or mounted butterflies.

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South Park City: A step back in time

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

History – September 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

BEING A PERSON whose fantasies revolve around escaping to another time, one that I usually (and incorrectly) perceive as kinder and gentler than the age I’m living in, I feel right at home in Fairplay’s South Park City Museum.

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2008 Collegiate Peaks Forum Series lecturers

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Collegiate Peaks Forum – May 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The 2008 Collegiate Peaks Forum Series lecturers are:

Susan Tweit, award-winning author and Salida resident, who asks, “Does the Earth Need People?” and speaks on the topics of “Living Generously” and “Belonging to the Community of the Land,” June 5 and 6;

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The Collegiate Peaks Forum Series stimulates and challenges

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local lectures – May 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

“… all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid

effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth

conspire to cast her on the treacherous, slavish shore….”

— Herman Melville

“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”

— Walter Lippmann

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Blast from the Past: Cooking on a Woodstove

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Winter – February 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

BABY, IT’S COLD — and snowy — outside. And the snow just keeps coming. Thanks to my husband Steve, a.k.a. Mister Weather-Statistics Answer-Man, I can accurately report that here in the village of Twin Lakes, we’ve received a whopping five feet of the white stuff from December 1 through January 11. We’ve been snowed in several times, and we’d probably still be housebound if not for some very kind neighbors with advanced snow-plowing skills.

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Some personal favorites

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Review by Lynda La Rocca

Literature – January 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

I have sung the praises of Gregory Maguire before (for proof, see the December 2004 issue of Colorado Central), and now I’m at it again. The author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West revisits Oz in Son of a Witch, another enchanting, wildly imaginative fable that, like its predecessor, employs humor, drama, horror, and scathing political satire to examine the nature of good and evil.

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Leadville’s annual Victorian Days weekend

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Event – December 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK a lot like Christmas. And in Leadville, that means it’s time to deck the halls– and the doors, windows, mantelpieces, and sideboards– and celebrate the season at the 24th annual Victorian Days Weekend.

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Lady Liberty Lied, by Laura Knelange

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Review by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Lady Liberty Lied – A Voice for the Victims of the Invasion of Iraq – This includes YOU!
Poetry and Art by Laura Knelange
Copyright 2006 by Laura Knelange
No ISBN

POETRY CAN SOMETIMES be so topical that it loses a crucial component of what helps to make it poetry: universality.

As Laura Knelange writes in the foreword to her chapbook, “The intention of my poetry and artwork is to bring awareness and education to the illegal invasion of Iraq and its horrifying aftermath.”

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R.I.P., PoP

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

While Sparrows looks forward to its seventh successful year, another popular poetry festival, Poetry on a Platter, is no more.

Also inaugurated in 2001, PoP, as it was known to its fans, was a “traveling poetry tour” that celebrated National Poetry Month in April by bringing regionally and nationally known poets to rural communities for a series of free workshops, readings, open mike events, and special school programs.

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If you can’t go, but want to help

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

You could send a “chirp” or donation to Sparrows. Since last year, Sparrows has been under the umbrella of ArtWorks. For the Heart of the Rockies, an organization established “to support and build on the area’s unique and rich art community.”

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If you go

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Per-person ticket prices for Sparrows are $10 for each evening performance (Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3); $15 per individual workshop; $5, Poets’Party; $5, Poets’Book-Signing and Coffee Circle.

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The power of words at Sparrows

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

YOU COULD CALL THEM WARRIORS. But their weapons are words, and they’ll be waging poetry at Sparrows, Colorado’s annual performance poetry festival.

When Sparrows takes wing again March 1-4, it will unite poets, musicians, and dancers from throughout Colorado and the West in a series of poetry-related workshops, evening performances, and public “open-mike” sessions sure to appeal to anyone who loves language, both the written and (especially) the spoken varieties.

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Some personal favorites

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Essay by Lynda La Rocca

Books – December 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN THIS TROUBLED WORLD, it’s helpful — at least, it’s helpful to me — to remember that human nature is, well, human nature. Time passes, lifestyles change, and technology advances, yet we remain collectively governed by many of the same forces that motivated our ancestors.

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What to do if you see a bear

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Wildlife – August 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

Close encounters of the black bear kind:

Experts agree that people crossing paths with black bears should expect the unexpected.

Most bears know we’re there long before we’re aware of them. And those not conditioned to humans and human food will simply leave the area at the first glimpse of us.

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Bears in myth and legend

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Wildlife – August 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

Bears have been revered and respected throughout human history.

The Pawnee of the Plains venerate White Bear Medicine Woman, born with a bear’s spirit after her father killed a bear while she was in her mother’s womb, and known for her healing powers.

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Living in Bear Country

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Wildlife – August 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

TO THE UNINITIATED, it certainly looked like breaking and entering. But to my husband Steve and me, the splintered wood on the door of our detached garage meant one thing: The bear was back in town.

Granted, we’d never actually seen this burgling bruin. In fact, our only bear encounter during five years of living in Twin Lakes had occurred just weeks earlier, when a cub came around the corner of the garage as we were taking our dog Twink for her morning walk.

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Poetry on a platter

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – April 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, 13th-century Persian poet Shaikh Muslih- uddin Sadi hit the proverbial nail on the head when he wrote:

“If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And from thy slender store

Two loaves alone to thee are left

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”

Smart guy, that Sadi. For what is life, really, without the beauty of art, music, and poetry — without hyacinths to nurture our collective spirit?

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The Sparrows will alight in Salida

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – March 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

In the immortal words of the Beach Boys, Central Colorado will be “pickin’ up good vibrations,” both auditory and emotional, when Sparrows, Colorado’s annual performance poetry festival, takes wing again March 2- 5, 2006.

Since 2001, Sparrows has been bringing poets and musicians from throughout Colorado and the West to Salida for a series of poetry- related workshops, evening performances, and public “open- mike” sessions designed to appeal to everyone who loves words — both the written and (especially) the spoken variety.

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Holiday favorites

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Essay by Lynda La Rocca

Books – December 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Not the crowded malls filled with stressed-out shoppers and definitely not the hurriedness and commercialism associated with contemporary merrymaking. I love the spirit of Christmas. Frankly, what’s not to love about a holiday that, at its purest and best, epitomizes peace on Earth and good will to … everyone?

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Walk with the spirits during annual tour

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Evergreen Cemetery – November 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

The 2005 “Graveyard Tour” of Evergreen Cemetery, conducted by Neil V. Reynolds, may actually turn out to be a series of tours, depending upon the number of attendees.

This popular event, in which Reynolds–resplendent in black top hat and long, black cloak–recounts tales of early Leadville residents, is limited to 50 people and usually sells out quickly.

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Preserving the past for the future

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

History – November 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

THEY DON’T PAY TAXES or write impassioned letters to the editor. And they definitely don’t vote–at least not in Central Colorado. Nevertheless, they’re considered an important constituency in Leadville and Lake County.

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Collecting artists in Twin Lakes

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Local Artists – July 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

SOME PEOPLE COLLECT ROCKS. Others accumulate coins or seashells or antique dolls. Sharon Downs “collects” artists–specifically Colorado artists whose work is featured at the High Country Treasures gallery in Twin Lakes.

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Helping writers reach inside to fight the block

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Writing – April 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

“Writers have an island, a center of refuge, within themselves. It is the mind’s anchorage, the soul’s Great Good Place.” –Wright Morris, American novelist

WRITING AS A MEANS of spiritual unfolding has a long tradition in cultures the world over. It’s a tradition being upheld in Central Colorado today by sisters-in-law Amy Frykholm and Stephanie Frykholm.

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If you’re going to Sparrows

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Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – February 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

If You Go :

Tickets for the 2005 Sparrows: Colorado’s Performance Poetry Festival cost $10 for each evening performance (Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26); $15 per individual workshop; $5 each for the Poets’ Party and Poets’ Reception, February 24 and February 27.

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Sparrows: the festival keeps getting better

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Article by Lynda La Rocca

Poetry – February 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

SO HAS IT REALLY BEEN just five years since Sparrows: Colorado’s Performance Poetry Festival first burst upon the local poetry scene?

It’s already hard to remember a Salida winter without Sparrows, which has grown into a four-day gathering of poets and poetry lovers who come together to celebrate the written and spoken word in humorous, dramatic, memorable, original — and most of all, entertaining — ways.

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