arts

Brendan Basham is a Diné author, educator and artist who lives in New Mexico near the Navajo Nation and Pueblo of Zuni. Basham was the first-ever culinary resident at Ucross, a foundation that hosts artists in Wyoming, and is working on his second novel after his celebrated debut "Swim Home to the Vanished."

Flagstaff photographer Mike Frankel has had experiences that most any rock ‘n’ roll fan would envy: he shot the Beatles on their first U.S. tour and turned his lens on the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, and David Bowie, among many others. Now he's compiled dozens of never-before-seen images into a book called “Hurricanes of Color.”

Poet Sage Marshall is a Colorado native and an avid skier, backpacker, duck hunter and fly fisherman. He works as an outdoor journalist but also writes poetry. He reads his piece “On Perspective.”

New Mexico poet Tina Carlson's latest book, Obsidian, focuses on metamorphosis. She says poetry can take the otherworldly, the unsayable or the horrific and alchemize them into language that can move and sometimes heal.

Colorado poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's book, "The Unfolding," examines the complex space she inhabited after the death of her 17-year-old son, Finn. It’s a liminal realm where heartbreak and happiness, wonder and grief dwell side by side.

Oklahoma native Patricia Bassel says poetry has never been more important than it is right now because of its singular ability to bring people together. She reads her poem, “In the Evening He Reads His Way into the Next Dream.”

Catherine Strisik is the former poet laureate of Taos, N.M. For her, startling events, both large and small, are often the catalysts for a new poem.

Vivian Carroll's work contains wisdom gained from a deep well of experience from years working in regional theater as well as teaching costuming to prospective circus clowns. She says the key to writing a good poem is to let the ideas marinate.

Flagstaff poet Lydia Gates specializes in slam poetry, which is a medium that has a unique ability to connect with people. Because it's often less reverent than what's found in literary journals, Gates says it’s an excellent vehicle for political and social issues.

The inaugural ARTx festival is taking place in Flagstaff. It features 10 days of free events from opera performances to interactive installations and puppet shows with funding from the City of Flagstaff and the Arizona Office of Tourism.