Nevada’s Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier will be visiting the Martin Hotel tomorrow, May 25, for a very special poetry reading from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. that is free to anyone and everyone. Winnemucca’s own Great Basin Arts & Entertainment is hosting Pahmeier as a part of her project and tour Nevadan to Nevadan:What I Need to Tell You through the Nevada Arts Council.
“Any chance to hear a poet read their work aloud is, like live music, a great human pleasure. Gailmarie’s poems are vivid, relatable, and emotive…People should come to be inspired to create their own expressions of the Nevada life which is something that her statewide poetry project Nevadan to Nevadan:What I Want to Tell You invites you to do,” said GBAE’s Board of Directors Chair Katie Donovan in an email.
Pahmeier taught creative writing at the University of Nevada, Reno and was appointed to a two-year term as Nevada’s Poet Laureate by former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak in 2021. She was also selected as a Laureate Fellow, Academy of American Poets in 2022.
“I think a poet laureate is important because they are bestowed the title by the government to do something to better the lives of its citizens. In this case, Nevadans have the opportunity to be enriched by poetic expression, and that’s pretty cool,” explained Donovan.
According to Donovan, GBAE has hosted many Nevada poets, but this is the first Nevada Laureate that will be visiting.
GBAE strives to “keep culture alive in Winnemucca” through the hard work of volunteers and culture enthusiasts and the amazing accomplishments of both small time and big time artists.
“We like to call ourselves an all-volunteer organization that works to bring high-quality culture and entertainment to Winnemucca,” explained Donovan.
Pahmeier, definitely considered one of these high-quality artists, has accomplished works as a published author, including three chapbooks (short collections of poetry with one central theme) and full-length poetry collections, like her most reason award winning publication: Of Bone, Of Ash, Of Ordinary Saints, which have come along with being appointed Reno’s first Poet Laureate, being inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2016, and being selected in as Outstanding Teacher in the Humanities in 2017.
“One of my favorite poems of hers is “Where Do You Go From Tonopah?”. The title alone makes me feel validated and alive—which is one of the many things poetry can do for you,” said Donovan.
According to the Nevada Arts Council, who manages the Nevada Poet Laureate program, Pahmeier was chosen out of a group of multiple different finalists, setting herself apart through her literary excellence, community involvement, and diverse public engagement through poetry.
“People should expect GailMarie to explain a bit about her position and project, then read a selection of her poems to the audience [during the event],” said Donovan.
GBAE holds other intimate and unique events at the Martin, bringing artists from across the country to perform in front of small audiences in the backroom at the Martin. A calendar of events and tickets are available at gbae.org or at the Martin Hotel.