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In the NoCo

"Something people are innately drawn to:" Celebrating National Poetry Month with Wolverine Farm

Todd Simmons, founder and director of Wolverine Farm Publishing in Fort Collins, photographed during National Poetry Month on April 24, 2024. "I think poetry just reaches us on a level that we can't quite articulate," Simmons says. "But we know that it means something important."
Erin O'Toole
/
KUNC
Todd Simmons, founder and director of Wolverine Farm Publishing in Fort Collins, photographed during National Poetry Month on April 24, 2024. "I think poetry just reaches us on a level that we can't quite articulate," Simmons says. "But we know that it means something important."

We're closing out this week with a celebration of National Poetry Month. And who better to celebrate with than Todd Simmons, founder and director of Wolverine Farm Publishing in Fort Collins? In 2002, Simmons left his job in the field of social science to focus full-time on literature and poetry.

Sign at Wolverine Farm encouraging visitors to vote for the 2024 Fort Collins Poet Laureate
Erin O'Toole
/
KUNC
Sign at Wolverine Farm encouraging visitors to vote for the 2024 Fort Collins Poet Laureate

"I think creative expression, and the ability to communicate and give voice, is something that people are innately drawn to do," Simmons said. "I've always worked out moments of doubt through writing, and through giving voice to my thoughts and emotions."

Simmons believes anyone can develop an appreciation for poetry, and that it's especially important in the early educational years to get books of poems into the hands of children. He sat down with In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole to share why he devoted his life to bringing a love of poetry and literature to Northern Colorado.

Wolverine Farm is in the process of selecting the next Fort Collins Poet Laureate! You can vote in person through Monday, April 29.

We put out a call to KUNC listeners at the beginning of April for submissions of eight-word poems. You can read and listen to those poems in the bonus content section below.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.