Guest Speaker Mery Smith, Spokane Poet Laureate

In this guest presentation, “Poetry as Salvation”, Mery Smith, Spokane’s Fifth Poet Laureate, will bring to life the story that has shaped her work as a poet and a person for the last seven years.  While raising four children, she struggled with alcoholism and found solace in reading and poetry.  Mery will talk about the power of words to heal and her goal to bring poetry to spaces like jails and recovery centers.