Artist in Residence: Caleb Ferganchick

Caleb Ferganchick served as the nineteenth Mesa County Libraries Artist in Residence at 970West Studio. The dates of his residency were August 22-November 28, 2022. During the residency, he kept open studio hours at 970West on Tuesdays from 4 pm to 6 pm, allowing him to showcase his work with poetry and his creative process for Mesa County residents. He also gave three public, educational programs: Neighbors Night, I Spy List Poems (Families Welcome) (Thursday, September 1, 6:30 p.m.), Central Library Mesa Room Event description: Caleb will introduce children and their families to poetry and poetic devices, read a selection of children’s poetry, and lead participants in exploring the library to create a collaborative list poem that everyone can take home. Memory for the Main Stage (Tuesday, October 11 from 5:30-6:30), Fruita Branch Library Event description: Utilizing training from the World Memory Championships and FBI Language Specialists, as well as the common experience of singing in the shower and car, Caleb will lead participants in three exercises to quickly memorize poetic material for oral delivery. Participants should bring a poem they have written or a poem they enjoy and want to memorize that takes them 1 minute to recite while reading from the text. NEED notecards and pens/pencils Memory for the Main Stage (Thursday, Nov 10 from 6-7:30), Central Library Monument Room Event description: See above

Caleb Ferganchick Retrospective
Caleb Ferganchick describes what slam poetry means to him. He addresses the intersection of performance poetry with his self-identification as a rural queer poet. He talks about his writing practice, his need to carve out time to write on a regular basis, and about momentary inspiration as a fuel in the creative process. He speaks about the importance of poetry and art in the creation of community for marginalized people, the role of his poetry in creating space for marginalized readers, and his use of anger in performance poetry as a communication tool. He discusses his poetry’s exploration of mental illness and the place of people struggling with such conditions in slam poetry. He talks about his desire for a more consistent slam poetry scene in Mesa County and his use of the 970West Artist in Residence space to prepare for Slamming Bricks, an annual poetry slam competition that he hosts in Grand Junction. He muses about his growing feeling of legitimacy as a poet and his desire to move onto new topics in his poetry. He describes the humility involved in writing, reading, and growing as a poet.
Frank the Octopus (poem)
This poem is part of the Artist In Residence collection at 970West Studio. It was submitted by Caleb Ferganchick during his residency (August 22-November 28, 2022).
Gay Standard Time (poem)
This poem is part of the Artist In Residence collection at 970West Studio. It was submitted by Caleb Ferganchick during his residency (August 22-November 28, 2022).
Howl (poem)
This poem is part of the Artist In Residence collection at 970West Studio. It was submitted by Caleb Ferganchick during his residency (August 22-November 28, 2022).
Sacrificial Poem (poem)
This poem is part of the Artist In Residence collection at 970West Studio. It was submitted by Caleb Ferganchick during his residency (August 22-November 28, 2022).