Poetry

2026 Poet Laureate: Sylvia Rains Dennis

Beyond an extensive career in botany and forest biodiversity focused on the Southern Rocky Mountains, my creative pursuits interweave a love of language, creative arts, music and memory. Poetry and wordsongs preceded writing during my upbringing, threading my understanding of connection to wild mountain homelands, while also visiting relatives in the northern reach of the Great Lakes woodlands and the boreal/mixed forests.

Current projects include finalizing two full poetry manuscripts, editing a dramatic lyric/poetry hybrid narrative piece, and compiling more recent poems for collections. In response to a devastating loss of biodiversity in our shared homelands, I recently completed the final draft of a five-act play, Keystone Cascade, which includes poetic and sung lyric and an opportunity for
community engagement during performances planned for several mountain communities in northern New Mexico and western Colorado.

Recent poetry, narrative and lyrical compositions have appeared in SeedBroadcast (SEED: Climate Change Resilience), Sonora Review, and the New Mexico Poetry Anthology (2023). Among the many to show encouragement and support, I would like to recognize New Mexico Writers, the Bread Loaf School of English, The Shakespeare Institute, Orion Environmental Writers at Middlebury College, the Society for Ecological Restoration, Denver Women’s Press Club, the Ecological Society of America, and small communities belonging to the Institute of American Indian Arts, the University of New Mexico, as well as to all
encountered by heart. Much gratitude to SOMOS for encouraging the creative voices of the land-based communities and cultural traditions of Northern New Mexico.

Having long served as faculty at the University of New Mexico at Taos and Colorado Mountain College, I have an extensive university and teaching background in forest biology, biodiversity and botany with a focus on the natural sciences and conservation-in-practice (Colorado State University, Oregon State University and the University of California at Davis). Additional research in theater and multicultural literature include a Master’s in English (Middlebury College; Oxford, Vermont and Santa Fe, New Mexico) and PhD studies at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, Great Britain.

2025 Poet Laureate: Miguel Santistevan

Miguel Santistevan has a Bachelors of Science in biology from the University of New Mexico and a Masters of Science in Ecology from the University of California, Davis. His research interests are food systems of the upper Rio Grande and Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  Santistevan is certified in permaculture and xeriscape design and has directed youth in agriculture programs.  He has dozens of publications in local papers like Green Fire Times and has delivered professional presentations to meetings of the Bioneers, the Green Festival, and the International Ethno-Biology Congress. He produced a public radio program called “Que vivan las acequias!” with the NM Acequia Association and KCEI-FM Radio, Taos County. He is a parciante and has served both as a mayordomo and president. Santistevan is a teacher, storyteller, musician and an amazing poet. For the 2024-25 theme of “Poetry with Youth,” he will use his position as a guest lecturer in the public schools and other venues to recruit young people to submit poetry, artwork, and photographs for a project called “Querencia en Poesisa.”  This project will result in a DIY publication of a zine that will be something that can be shared in print or digitally.  When the zine is completed, there will be a reception with reading and projection of the featured poems, art, and photos of the young people who are willing to perform their pieces.