Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County.   Every year on January 30, Gilpin Library Director Larry Grieco celebrates Richard Brautigan’s birthday with a poetry reading session at the library. Born in 1935, Brautigan would have been 81 last Saturday, had he not died in 1984, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He left a legacy of novels, novellas, poetry and short stories as well as second albums of poetry readings. His most famous novel was Trout Fishing in America, published in 1974 and short story, “Revenge of the Lawn.”

Grieco is especially fond of Brautigan’s short poems, the one or two liners that just stop, and then stun the audience when the significance of the words sink in.

On Saturday afternoon, from 3-5 p.m., local poets and artists and poetry lovers attended the celebration of Brautigan’s birthday and the celebration of each other’s work.

Several featured poets read their works and Grieco read Brautigan in between, but they were not long. Brautigan knew how to get the most out of the least words.

Karla Schorzman leads the “Alleged Poets Society” and teaches creative writing at several greater metro area colleges. Her writing has appeared in various publications over the last 25 years and she is a regular at the Gilpin Library poetry readings. Sensual, vivid emotional descriptions are her specialty.

Grieco introduced Christine Weeber, the first Gilpin Artist in Residence, which began nine years ago. She said in that time she has learned that one gains respect from mountain residents by how soft their Carhartts have become. Weeber stands tall as she reads and presents a calm, bright, smiling demeanor as she reads her own words with wonder.

She closed with something she heard while hiking recently, “Is it still the East Portal if the winds are not howling?”

There is much laughter, the humor of shared mountain living, at a Gilpin County poetry reading.

Marcelo Games read a short story about the differences of age in a love story. Nederland resident Burt Rashbaum read from his new novel, “The Ones That I Know,” as well as a series of love poems that brought chuckles and empathic nods from the audience. He also read a poem he wrote one night about the 2013 Flood, titled, “I’m Still Here,” expressing the destruction of the horrendous flood and the revelation of survival.

Grieco read his parody of the song Finnegann’s Wake, transformed to Brautigan’s Wake, with true Irish feeling.

Snacks and drinks refreshed the readers and audience, and the mike was turned over to those who came bearing their written words.

Brautigan had a good time.