This week, I spoke to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute about the bifurcated aspects of myself, as both a slam poet and a newspaper editor.

The crowd of eager students gave me the opportunity to perform a handful of my slam poems, discuss the local slam poetry scene, Sedona’s role in the national poetry slam community and the history of the art form both since its foundation in Chicago in 1984 and emergence in the Sedona area around 2001.

During the newspaper half of my presentation, I discussed the 52-year history of both the Sedona Red Rock News and Larson Newspapers in covering Sedona and the Verde Valley.

I enjoy the roar of a poetry slam crowd, whether I am on the stage performing or in the audience cheering on a shy, shaking newbie high school age poet confessing their heart for three minutes or a 50-year-old seasoned veteran performing a slam poem I first saw on HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” or on the National Poetry Slam finals stage.

Likewise, I love getting letters to the editor. A letter to the editor tells us our stories are being read and discussed. They also tell us our readers feel so passionate about a topic that they’ll take the time to sit down and write a response, be it a critique, thanks, agreement or disagreement on a story or news item.

When we can fill our paper with readers’ opinions, we know we’re doing good work and we have readers who are concerned about their community and want to use our Page 4A forum to express their ideas to the rest of Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek and the Verde Valley.

We run letters from all sides of the political spectrum. Letters discussing a local issue or addressing a national issue in a local context take priority over letters solely addressing national issues.

The rules for our letters are relatively simple:

n Letters must be 300 words or less. If letters are a little bit over, we’ll cut them to fit, but if letters are more than 400 words or so, we’ll ask the authors to cut them and resubmit. We’d rather have the authors determine which points they want to make rather than guess.

n No personal attacks. Letters can address points made in other letters, but cannot attack the author’s character or person nor allege criminal behavior, which borders on libel. Defamation, slander and libel are not protected speech under the First Amendment.

Elected officials are public figures and the rules are looser because they operate in the public rather than private sphere, but ranting against a politician doesn’t win readers to your side like a logical analysis about his or her behavior does.

•  Letters must include the author’s name, street address and phone number, in case we have a question and to properly include the author’s name and hometown at the end of the letter. Anonymous letters go right into the recycle bin. If you write a letter, have the courage to put your name on it.

• Guest perspectives are reserved for elected officials, experts in the field, people representing a government agency or organization making a official statement.

• Letters citing facts must have supporting documents. If you include statistics, attach the document or website link to it so we can double check your numbers. Likewise, if you quote someone, attach the document, email, website screenshot or website link so we can verify the quote you include.

  Letters stating just opinions with no numbers, however, don’t need any documents.

• Send letters to me at editor@larsonnewspapers.com.