More than 50 people were treated to an insider’s view of what it takes to be a successful and published poet

Robert Krut, winner of the 2012 Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize and UC Santa Barbara instructor, and Patricia Smith, nationally acclaimed writer, poet, performer and distinguished visiting professor and writer-in-residence at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, read selections of their work before answering a variety of questions.

Patricia Smith and Robert Krut

The two read their works before an appreciative crowd at Lake Tahoe Community College on Oct. 11.

Both knew at an early age they wanted to be poets.

“I identify myself as a storyteller because the story is first and foremost,” Smith said.

Both said it’s necessary to treat writing like a job. Smith writes a minimum of 10 pages a day. That could be notes or revising work. Krut makes verbal notes to himself as he makes his commute from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. They find inspiration for their work wherever they are, no matter what they are doing.

Krut said one poem evolved from a collection of random texts he sent himself while standing outside a glitzy nightclub.

Krut’s “This is the Ocean” was released by Bona Fide Books in Meyers on Friday. It is available online.

Smith’s latest book – “Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah” – came out this year. Her books are also available online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report