BAKER CITY — Leanne Grabel is a poet, but she isn’t a big fan of the traditional style of poetry readings.

She thinks they can be quite boring, actually.

“I wanted to make it more entertaining,” she said.

So she added music, and turned her readings into true performances.

On Thursday, June 15, she will be in Baker City with her digital keyboard, along with her husband, Steve Sander, on backup vocals and Jerry Bobbe on cello.

She’ll share poetry from her new book, “Old With Jokes,” along with music and a slideshow of her illustrations.

“Actually, the drawings are the funniest part,” she said.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance begins at 6:45 p.m. at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Tickets are $12 in advance at churchillbaker.com, or $18 at the door. Youths age 15 and younger attend free with a paid adult.

Math to English

Grabel actually went to college on a math scholarship, but later changed her major to English, and also got her teaching credential and worked in Portland Public Schools.

As for her own writing, she considers poetry to have a vast definition, but she describes it as “lyrical dance.”

“It’s more sound — it’s like a song to me,” she said.

She draws on her own life for inspiration.

“In a way that can be clear and relatable to everybody,” she said. “I’m trying to communicate.”

And then she sets it to music.

“I think what I do is genre bending,” she said.

She’s published numerous books, including five in the last 10 years. She’s now touring her newest, which she describes as “poetry comedy about aging.”

“Probably touching on every topic you can imagine,” she said. “The hard topics of life, but with humor and music.”

For her show on June 15, Grabel will share a “medley of hits,” and the two accompanying musicians will also have their own time on stage.

“They’re also going to do individual sets,” she said.

Grabel will have copies of “Old With Jokes” at the show, and it is also available through her website or by sending an email to leannegrabel@gmail.com.