Clark County poet laureate to host workshop at Lee Canyon

“Poetry Among the Pines” will include writing workshops, time for independent writing and an open-mic session. Workshops will be led by Lang-Cassera and award-winning poets Samuel Piccone and Flynn Dexter.

Lang-Cassera will lead a generative writing workshop, “Folks &Flora: Writing Beyond the Nature Poem.” Piccone’s workshop is called “Landscape as Mirror: Crafting the Poetry of Place,” and Dexter will lead a session called “Poetry: Performance and Authenticity.”

Lang-Cassera, whose two-year term as the county’s poet laureate began in June, said her goal is to make the retreat “relevant to the surroundings” and provide participants with an immersive, close-to-home outdoor experience.

Such nature-themed retreats are common elsewhere, she said, “but I really wanted to bring those opportunities to the (local) community.”

The event is open to newcomers and experienced poets, she said.

“We are aiming for folks who have never written a poem before as well as folks who are seasoned. That might sound a little ambitious, but the workshop leaders we have are trained in working with folks with a broad range of experience.”

The retreat is one of many events that Lang-Cassera has organized since becoming poet laureate to promote poetry and the writing of poetry in Clark County. Those events have included workshops, readings, open-mic nights and even “Pups &Poetry” gatherings.

“Poetry Among the Pines” will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Camp Lee Canyon, 6201 Lee Canyon Road. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and advance registration is required. To register, email Lang-Cassera at heather@cassera.net or follow the link at bit.ly/2lK7UCd.

Contact John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280. Follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.