Immersive Evening: Soul Tending & the Great Salt Lake
Live Event Program
Friday, February 9th, 2024
Presenter & Featured Author: Lake-facing Poet, Nan Seymour
Nan was our opening poet for Season 14 and contributed her gorgeous words to both our Immersive Evening and Depth Workshop with Erin Geesaman Rabke. We are ecstatic to share her work with you again. Nan’s debut poetry collection, prayers not meant for heaven, was published by Toad Hall Editions in the summer of 2021. Nan’s story lake woman leaving, a modern myth, was awarded the 2022 Alfred Lambourne prize by Friends of Great Salt Lake.
Nan is currently making waves by leading the Great Salt Lake Vigil at the Capitol, every Monday through Friday at 8:00 am and 5:00 pm throughout the Utah State legislative session. You are warmly invited to help her carry a wave, fly a blackbird, or become a brine shrimp with her on the lake’s behalf.
Limited copies of Nan’s book of poetry, prayers not meant for heaven, will be available with a signing after the program.
Presenter & Featured Artist: Photographer & Storyteller, Kelly Hannah
Kelly was a speaker and photographer featured at our Season 14 Frames of Reference evening. He has been exploring and advocating for renewed perspectives on Great Salt Lake and its surrounding watershed over the past decade. A real estate broker by profession, he was awarded the 2022 Salt Lake Board of Realtors Good Neighbor Award for his related advocacy work. Kelly has volunteered on the Board of Directors for Friends of Great Salt Lake since 2019. His photographic exhibit, Moments at The Great Salt Lake, was hanging in the State Capitol throughout 2023 and will be showing this August in the lower urban room of the Salt Lake City Main Library.
Live Music: Abdal Aşık
Abdal is living in Salt Lake City as a bard from Anatolia. Alongside his poetry, he plays an Anatolian stringed instrument called bağlama. He learned from his grandparents that everything on earth carries a soul, including water.
Opening Poet: Rodrigo Fernandez-Esquivias
Rodrigo Fernandez-Esquivias was born in Madrid, Spain, and his family has lived in Utah for the past fourteen years. His is currently a freshman at the University of Utah studying Political Science. In his free time he likes to read everything he can about current events, listen to reggaeton music, and write articles for his local newspaper.
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Reflection
The memory is vivid
The calm, warm body of water
The glare of the sunlight
Blurring my worries
The early flight of the gulls
Like the final act of a play
I did not realize it then
How much can be seen
Through reflection
Remembrance evades me
The glint from the Capitol windows
No longer shines off the body’s surface
They took that to mean their inaction went unnoticed
The rain clouds appeared over the lake
Before they reached the city;
An imploring hand
We took that to mean the basin was saved
That one year of deluge outweighed decades of neglect
Fewer birds
Flew over the reflective pool
Intimidated by the helicopter filled with legislators
Parading their support for a cause
That few of them understand
Attacking diversity
As our namesake was fading
“Conservation is our top priority”
Our representatives were brazenly stating
And as the lake receded
As did my own reflection
This is my protest
Of this vile abjection
Thank you to Susen Sawatzki of Soul Muse for generously sponsoring this special evening!
Thank you to our in-kind partners:
