Reading Nancy Ryan (1932-2025)

A celebration of her work by Taos poets

Taos poets will gather at the Wildflower Playhouse to read the poetry of Nancy Ryan on August 4th at 6 pm. The roster of readers includes Kat Duff, Jenny Goldberg, Kathy Goss, Sofia Greenberg, Rick Haltermann, Anne MacNaughton, and Magdalene Smith. The event will also be a fundraiser for Cultural Energy/KCEI-FM. Admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations or pledges to help support KCEI.

Nancy Ryan, poet and radio personality, was a hidden treasure of Taos. A resident of Tres Orejas for some 30 years, she often celebrated the challenging environment of the West Mesa in her elliptical, richly imagist poetry, much of which remained unpublished at the time of her passing. In 2010 she published The Scattering Depth, a collection of her poems illustrated and hand bound by Theresa Gray. Nancy’s poetry was published in Antaeus, The Paris Review, Open Places, Adobe Walls, and the Taos Journal of Poetry.

For many years Nancy hosted the radio show Womenspeak on KCEI-FM, interviewing women activists and workers in the arts. This program was a continuation of her earlier work as co-founder of the Humboldt State Women's Radio Collective. Her Womenspeak interviews are archived on KCEI’s website.

Nancy’s adventurous life spanned many cultures and locations. She established long, lively friendships with pioneering creators of art, music, poetry, prose, and dance, and was a keen follower of the arts even as her eyesight failed owing to macular degeneration.

Because her vision loss prevented her from editing her own work, Nancy invited her poet friends to help edit her poems and to read them at public gatherings. The present reading represents the fulfillment of Nancy's wish for one more performance of her work by her fellow poets. She also planned to participate in a fundraiser for Cultural Energy/KCEI-FM. The August 4 event brings these two purposes to fruition.

SHOWTIME
Mon, Aug 4, 6pm - 8pm
Free