Area poet reads at jazz concert

One of writer Krista Benjamin's poems has been selected for inclusion in the 2006 edition of "Best American Poetry." She will read "Letter from my Ancestors" and other poems from the anthology at the Mile High Jazz Band's free concert on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The event takes place at Comma Coffee, located at 312 S. Carson Street in Carson City.

Benjamin will join other local award-winning poets as they take turns reading poems between musical selections.

"Reading at this venue is a lot of fun," she said. "It gives everyone a chance to 'digest' a poem before hearing the next."

"Letter from my Ancestors" was one of 75 poems chosen by famed author and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, guest editor for this year's anthology. Benjamin was unaware her poem was under consideration until she received a phone call from the editor of "Margie," the poetry review where "Letter" was first published. Collins reviewed over 1,500 literary magazines in order to make his final selections.

Benjamin was a teacher in Douglas County for seven years before taking a leave of absence to pursue writing full time. Since 2003, her work has been published in more than 50 magazines and newspapers.

In addition to her freelance articles, Benjamin has taken numerous writing classes and experimented with essays and short stories. She is currently at work on a novel.

"Poetry is my accidental genre," she said. "I write a poem either because I read a poem and want to try and do something like it, or sometimes a piece of writing is a poem because it isn't something else. For example, it may start out as an essay or story, but it needs to be expressed as a poem. It's the only way to get it down."

Benjamin is also a recipient of this year's Nevada Arts Council Literary Arts fellowship, which is awarded annually to extraordinary artists throughout the state. In addition to receiving a $5,000 grant, fellows provide a free presentation to the public which is relevant to their discipline. Benjamin chose to team with the Mile High Jazz Band for her reading.

For more information, visit www.milehighjazz.com or call 883-4154.