Ingrid Keriotis read some of her poetry from her debut collection titled “It Started with the Wild Horses” at the Writer’s Voice in Zingg Recital Hall.

Her readings ranged from poetry about rain and water to a heartfelt parallel between Mexican immigrants struggling to find passage to the United States and the pain and reverence of the stories in the Bible.

The night was filled with her soothing voice and enlightenment that can only come from a studious mind.

Keriotis has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. Keriotis taught at Sierra College in Rocklin and Grass Valley, Modesto Junior College and has maintained a strong connection with the local writers community. Her works have appeared in several poetry anthologies and she is ecstatic to be releasing a full book of her own thoughts, emotions and words.

Despite the title, the book only has one poem about a horse. The mood and emotions evoked throughout the reading are supposed to feel like air and the freedom found within the spirit of a horse — completely wild and free.

“I think I started writing poetry as soon as I could hold a pencil,” Keriotis said. “My first really bad poem was at like 6 years-old ‘Won’t You Come With Me to the Hill?’”

She grew up in a creative environment with her father giving her a strong basis of poetry to work off at a young age.

“I was really fortunate to have grown up with a dad who could quote romantic poetry at the top of his head. That was just my environment,” Keriotis said.

Keriotis realized that her calling wasn’t selling vast amounts of her poetry. Teaching the art of words was a match on the first day of teaching back in 2000. Its been almost twenty years and the journey to this point hasn’t been easy, but she’s built an entire life in the meantime.

Keriotis was married and starting a family when she first found out that a publisher was interested in her poetry. The first person she told was her ten-year-old daughter. Her visit to Chico was just as much a way to promote her poetry as it was to give inspiration and more exposure to the art of poetry to the creative writing students in attendance.

Her poetry collection “It Started with the Wild Horses” can be bought through Amazon or on her publishers website. She will also be in attendance at the Sierra Writers Conference 2020 at the Sierra College in Rocklin and Grass Valley on Jan 31 and Feb 1.

Abram Melendez can be reached at [email protected].