TRUCKEE, Calif. – Truckee’s literary scene is flourishing, and at its center is Karen Terrey, the newly appointed Poet Laureate of Nevada County. Terrey, a dedicated poet, educator, and mentor, officially stepped into the role following a standing-room-only ceremony at Alibi Ale Works, where she took over from outgoing laureate Kirsten Casey.

As Poet Laureate, Terrey sees herself as both an ambassador for poetry and an advocate for the people of Nevada County. “It’s about helping them empower themselves and strengthen their own voices through poetry,” she said. The overwhelming community support at the passing of the laurels event, attended by an estimated 120 people, reinforced her dedication to fostering literary engagement throughout the county.

Although the position is officially a one-year term, previous laureates have served longer to accommodate the depth of community outreach involved.

Upcoming Literary Events

Terrey is participating in a series of poetry events leading up to National Poetry Month in April, aiming to reach diverse audiences across Nevada County.

• March 29: Nevada City’s first-ever Sierra Poetry Festival Pub Crawl will feature poets and writers sharing their work at multiple venues. Terrey will present a mini-workshop in the afternoon before the evening reading and ceremony at the Stonehouse.
• April 2: A poetry workshop for teens at the Truckee Library will explore writing inspired by musicians and writers they admire.
• April 5: The Truckee Literary Crawl, a brand-new event created by Priya Hutner and Katherine Hill, will take place from 2 p.m.-5 p.m., followed by an open mic at Alibi from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., where Terrey will serve as MC.
• April 12: The Sierra Poetry Festival at the Grass Valley Center for the Arts will feature Terrey on the Main Stage alongside renowned poets such as Kim Addonizio, Sands Hall, and Joey Henry, Nevada County’s Youth Poet Laureate.
• Monthly: Free writing workshops at the Truckee Library on the first Friday of each month offer creative approaches to storytelling and poetry.
• Spring Creative Writing Series: Terrey’s generative writing workshops, covering fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, will be held in-person and via Zoom on March 24, 31, and April 14, 21, and 28.

Terrey, who earned her MFA from Goddard College, is the founder of Tangled Roots Writing and teaches creative writing at Sierra College’s Tahoe-Truckee Campus. She has been deeply involved in the local literary community, co-hosting reading series and leading writing workshops in collaboration with the Truckee Library, the Nevada County Library, and the Truckee Cultural District.

Her poetry collection, Bite and Blood (Finishing Line Press, 2015), showcases her distinctive voice—one she hopes to amplify in her new role.

Terrey is passionate about making poetry more accessible and incorporating it into people’s daily lives. “It’s about making poetry more of an ordinary thing, something you turn to,” she said. She is also embracing the challenge of public performance, frequently sharing her work at open mics. “You can hear the crowd’s immediate reaction, and you can feel whether something is working or not.”

Looking ahead, she hopes to bridge communities across the county through workshops, readings, and new literary initiatives. “I want to reach out and connect with a variety of communities in our county,” she said. “I’d like to bring people workshops, opportunities for open mics—just opportunities to explore and try out writing poetry and reading poetry.”

For more information on upcoming workshops and literary events, contact Karen Terrey at 530-386-3901 or email tangledrootswriting@gmail.com.