Meet Lynn Kincanon | Loveland Poet Laureate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynn Kincanon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynn, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I began to develop daily rituals and I stick with them. When I get up in the morning, I write. I write a poem a day and I have continued to do that for six years. I read poetry every day, one or two poems at least to get my mind set in a certain direction, which I am trying to keep in the present moment, but also to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness so that I can accomplish what it is I am trying to do for the day. I get outside a lot! I am very active physically so I keep my mind tuned to nature a lot. Now that I am retired from an intense healthcare career (Nurse Practitioner on an Open Heart Team) and am in the role of Poet Laureate, my mind has totally shifted.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was once told I am a people’s poet. That is, I write so that I can be understood, and so that whomever is reading my work, can relate to it. I write a poem a day, and therefore my poems are largely about the day to day., my love of nature, gardening, my friends and family. I also write about my career in the medical field, having worked for 36 years as Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner in intensive care units and Emergency rooms, specializing in cardiology and cardiovascular services, so I write a lot about the heart and all its metaphors. I overcame the challenges by working very hard at my craft, and by working to include others. One of my talents is to bring people to the stage and to celebrate them. I love to hear new voices, voices that have never stepped up to the microphone before to read their words, because I was one of them once. I believe in the power of poetry to transform, even save a life. I know that my deep and personal involvement in poetry has made me the woman I am today. It brings a great deal of gratitude and serenity into my life. The lessons I have learned are to be inclusive, to listen, to revel in the magic in everyday life and to celebrate being alive! I am most proud of the two sides of my brain which are able to both have been a success at my career in nursing and to process the world through poetry. It has given me such a rich and interesting life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to our Downtown first. There are so many fun things to do downtown, from great restaurants…Henry’s, Fresh Plate, Vatos Tacos, so many more. I love to go to Black & Blues Music and Brews and listen to music and hear great poetry. There is a fantastic antique and book store Called Dickens Alley I love to visit. Our Loveland museum is world class so I always bring people there! We have great sculpture parks and also many public pieces of art so going on that tour is a lot of fun for visitors. Of course I take people into the mountains and onto the trails and into the surrounding communities and places as. far away as Laramie Wyoming we will go visit …being sure to stop at my favorite restaurant Sweet Melissas. I love to get away for a few days so favorite places are Leadville, (Timberline restaurant is the best!), Salida…though haven’t been there in a long time, Santa Fe, Taos.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a lot of credit to my friends and family for their encouragement in my writing and in my efforts as a poet. The city of Loveland has been a fertile ground in which I have planted myself to exercise my creativity. They have recognized poetry as a major art form and have sanctioned it as a city entity. They have helped to fund our efforts by providing spaces in which to perform our events and entities such as the Library and the Museum have partnered with the Poet Laureate Program to put on performances, workshops and events. There are two poets that have been inspirations and mentors to me in my trajectory from citizen poet to Poet Laureate and that is the first poet Laureate of Loveland, Veronica Patterson and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer (former Western Slope Poet Laureate) who inspired me to write a poem a day and to elevate not only my poetic voice but also my ability to transmit that on stage.

Facebook: Loveland Poet Laureate
Website: Lovelandpoet