On Being at Truchas by Ilya Kaminsky

Truchas, where one gets dramatically important views: at the gorgeous mountains, at the clarity of the desert, and at one’s own writing.

You will stand on a balcony with a glass of wine, overseeing the most beautiful sunset of your life.

You will sit in the center of the library, surrounded by thousands of books, and read your own poem: line-by-line, word-by-word, syllable-by-syllable.

This is simply because the landscape demands attentiveness, there is no other way.

The community of poets at Truchas is why I love coming back here. There is seriousness of purpose, the necessity of art, the attentiveness to nuances of speech.

But there is also gladness of being in Truchas– gladness of being poets, gladness of being together, gladness of reading poetry aloud and making it the center of our life.

– IIya Kaminsky, 3/11/19

Click here to learn more about the Tupelo Truchas Poetry Conference—May 31 to June 3, 2019—with faculty Ilya Kaminsky, Jeffrey Levine, Katie Farris, and Veronica Golos.