Explore presents an afternoon of poetry! Local poets Claudia Putnam, Melissa Studdard, Kelli Russell Agodon, and Jose A. (Tony) Alcantara will read from their various works and sign copies.

Kelli Russell Agodon is the co-founder of Two Sylvias Press and teaches in the MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University. She is also the past winner of the White Pine Press poetry prize.

Melissa Studdard was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. Her work has been featured by NPR, PBS, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Houston Matters, and has also appeared in a wide variety of periodicals, such as POETRY, Kenyon Review, Psychology Today, New Ohio Review, Harvard Review, New England Review, and Poets & Writers. Her book awards include the Forward National Literature Award, the International Book Award, the Kathak Literary Award, the Poiesis Award of Honor International, the Readers’ Favorite Award, and two Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards.

Claudia Putnam lives in Glenwood Springs. Her first book, The Land of Stone and River won the Moon City Press poetry prize. Her poems appear widely in national journals. Her award-winning short memoir, Double Negative, was featured by Psychology Today.

Jose A. (Tony) Alcantara has long been a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley and currently works at Explore. His work appears in national journals and is regularly featured by Rattle Poetry. "...Listen, the earth is burning/and all we have left is a plastic Jesus that lived up/to its promise to stay intact at any temperature..." "I saw you floating through snow/Iight as the snowshoe hare/who in terror leapt before you."