The Rocky Mountain Unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic RFB&D celebrated its 55th Anniversary yesterday by inviting Colorado Poets to record audio textbooks. 

The Executive Director, of RFB&D, Betsy Boudreau and Chris Ransick, Denver's Poet Laureate, organized the first ever, annual "Colorado Poets Lend Their Voices" program held October 5th, 2006 for the Rocky Mountain Unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D).

Poets and  RFB&D's outstanding volunteers collaborated to offer Colorado's poetic voices to digitally record textbooks for students
of all ages who are blind, visually impaired, dyslexic or physically challenged.

Poets came from throughout the state to record at the studio located at 1355 S. Colorado Blvd., Building C, Suite 406.

Dona Stein, KRFC's host of The Poetry Hour read from a Colorado History Book, which she said was "wonderful, because it gave me an opportunity to learn something more about Coloradao"...

The poets were given their choice of reading material, I chose to read from an "Anthology of African American Poets".

I was excited and thrilled to read a variety of poems by some well known and lesser known African American writers including the following; Mari Evans, Robert Hayden, Rita Dove, Anita Scott Bryant, Audre Lorde, Countee Cullen, Click hereThylias Moss, Phillis Wheatley, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and Claude McKay.

My experience was also wonderful. I was allowed to read two half hour sets which I found were absolutely thrilling. There is nothing like finding "old friends" except discovering new ones.  Although some of the poets I read were not "new" in the sense of being contemporary writers, there was continuity as well as diversity in style, method and personality ranging from sublime to bold and beautiful and all were wonderfully creative and inspiring forms.  

Admittedly, I behaved much like a child in a candy shop and before I finished recording, was wondering when I could return to read again. The entire staff was welcoming and warm and very helpful. We were provided with refreshments and hostess gifts. It was a great opportunity to share and exchange the love of words.

I learned from one of the staff members, there is a possibility of a recording studio opening in Boulder and personally, I would love to see another open in Fort Collins, making it easier for poets and writers to share their voices with the citizens of Northern Colorado.

It is hard to contain the excitement of the possibilities and opportunities that endeavors such as this would bring to our communities.

I would like to thank Betsy Boudreau, Chris Ransick, and the wonderful staff and volunteers of RFB&D, for this experience and opportunity and I, for one, look forward to next year's event. It was
beautiful.

Deborah Russell, 06

D Russell, 06  Image: Click here