Gary spent Monday, April 21, as the Artist in the Classroom for Sedona Red Rock High School digital photography teacher Cindy Wilmer, where he presented his program “Capturing the Light” and discussed the artistic and business sides of being a photographer.

“[Every] is an award-winning journalist and author of ‘Shadow of the OhshaD,’ an anthology of Arizona articles about history, folklore and natural sciences,” Every’s Artist in the Classroom biography states. “As a professional storyteller he has performed at venues like Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens, developing a following particularly for his All-Arizona Halloween shows. As a performing poet he appears annually in the Bob Dylan Tribute concert as well as local poetry slams … As a science fiction writer he has published novellas and hundreds of short stories, including seven nominations for science fiction poem of the year.”

This is Every’s first year participating in the city program, which has been running since 1989 and currently pays artists $30 per hour plus reimbursement for materials to share their skills with students.

“We have a unit on photojournalism that we’re starting right now,” Wilmer said. “And I laugh because [the students] listen to me every day. But I wanted to take advantage of the artist in the classroom program opportunity … [Every’s] presenting to the Photo One kids focused on different opportunities that they can have to use photography, either as a career or as a side [job]. And then for the Photo Two students, he’s focused on photojournalism and how to create stories through photographs and approach publications to be able to get their work out in the world, whether they choose this as a career, as a part-time [job].”

Every said that he has almost always had a part-time job to supplement his artistic pursuits, but that “more importantly it’s a lot of fun.”

“When I take photographs, I’m just celebrating life,” Every said. “Make the art you believe in, take the pictures that you like, and you will discover that other people like them, too. I teach a lot of poetry classes, and I always tell people, if you try to write about God, the universe and everything, what you’re going to discover is that people a whole lot smarter than us have already talked about that and gotten it better. But if you write about the things that are uniquely you, that’s when you begin to touch the universal … It’s the same with the camera; you’re trying to look at the world in a unique way you can study from other people. Ask yourself what you do that is different. What do you notice that no one else sees?”

One of Wilmer’s students, Maya Esquer Morales, recently earned an honorable mention for her photograph “Referees” during the Sedona Arts Center’s “Elements of Sport” exhibit by focusing on a little-explored subject.

Every was also chosen to become the first Sedona Poet Laureate by seven judges on April 28, who selected him from seven finalists for the position, following a series of scored poetry readings before the selection committee and the public.

Every will be formally appointed to a two-year term by the Sedona City Council on Tuesday, May 13.

Every also shared one of the lines from his poetry work with the students.

“If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, why wouldn’t you behold as much beauty as you can?” Every said. “We’re all cursed with these short life spans … How do you make the best of it? You celebrate life. You get involved in something. It doesn’t have to be art and photography, but you can find things you can do that will create a better life for yourself.”