Statewide Poetry Contest Winners

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters is pleased to announce the three winners of the Wisconsin Academy Review Poetry Contest 2003, which drew 345 entries from all around the state. Winning poems by winners and runners-up were published in the spring issue of the Wisconsin Academy Review.

The winners and prizes are:
First Prize:
Temple Cone, Madison
John Lehman Poetry Award, $500
CD recording session at Abella Studios in Madison
Second Prize:
Ryan G. Van Cleave, Green Bay
$100 and an overnight stay at Cambridge House Bed and Breakfast
Third Prize:
Eleanor Stanford, Madison
$50 and a restaurant gift certficate

Runners-up poets were: Tom Boswell, Madison; Christine Butterworth, Madison; Robin Chapman, Madison; Amy Crane Johnson, Green Bay; Jackie Langetieg, Madison; Sandra J. Lindow, Eau Claire; C. J. Muchhala, Shorewood; Paula Schulz, Brookfield; and Paul Terranova, Madison.

the Mad Poets Revolt open mike at Mother Fool's coffee house on feb 12, in solidarity with the national set of actions protesting the cancellation of Laura Bush's Poetry Symposium (see www.poetsagainstthewar.org/), the Madison Area Peace Coalition (madpeace.org) and Voices in the Wilderness (nonviolence.org/vitw/) was a huge success. We had a standing-room-only crowd during the entire event (I'd say at least 150 people attended in the course of the evening).
see Cap Times article here
see local poets' poems here

Celebrating Water through Poetry and Music

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters included a rich selection of arts performances at the Waters of Wisconsin Forum October 21-22 at Monona Terrace in Madison, the culmination of the Waters of Wisconsin initiative for sustainable water use. Madison poet Fabu Mogaka arranged most of the arts presentations. Local artists who participated:

Fabu Mogaka is a poet who is rooted in the African American experience as both an artist and a scholar. She serves on the council of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters and the Dane County Cultural Arts Board.
Cynthia Adams explores her dual heritage and biracial roots through her work as a poet, singer and songwriter. Adams combines original poetry and song in her artistic expression and recently released a contemporary gospel CD titled Force of Love, A Live Recording.
Kevin Barrett, poet and author of A Weird Tour Guide to San Francisco, teaches English, French, humanities, folklore and Arabic.
Fatna Bellouchi is a Moroccan poet who has a degree in Anglo-Irish theater. She teaches French in both public and private schools.
Heather Dubrow is a poet and Tighe-Evans and John Bascom Professor in the English department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Deborah Garret Thomas, a poet with African and Native American ancestry, is a wife, mother, and grandmother whose love of family is a central theme in her work.
Karen Goulet, Native American poet, states "the future of our descendents and the clarity of rain are not commodities and are not negotiable. The return to a balanced existence is our only choice."
Ken Haynes is a poet who is equally at home in cities like New York or in the farmlands of Wisconsin. He writes about the universal African American experience and works as a community program coordinator for Dane County.
The members of Kawsay come from Peru but make their home in Madison, where they perform traditional and contemporary music from the Andes.
Abu-Hassan Koroma (Askia) is from Sierra Leone and is a social entrepreneur, artist, and poet. He is the chief executive and founder of the 21st Century African Youth Organization. He currently works as a 2002 sponsored loan executive from Famous Footwear to United Way.
Ellen Kort is Wisconsin's first Poet Laureate. "Poetry is a major part of my life," says Kort. "I could give up other things, but I could never give up poetry. It's that powerful coreÐof every kind of language and writing."
Daniel Kunene, a South African poet whose works have been published internationally, is a professor of African languages and literature at UW-Madison. He is also founder of the PotLuck Poets.
james lee is the winner of the 2002 Wisconsin Academy Review statewide poetry competition. He grew up in rural Wisconsin on his parents' farm, and both the land and water are primary sources of inspiration.
Kathy Miner is a poet and graduate student in library science at UW-Madison. She is also regional vice president of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.
Mukoma Ngugi is a Kenyan poet and Ph.D. student in the department of African languages and literature at UW-Madison.
Kay Plantes is a new poet and a businesswoman who serves Madison as a strategy consultant. She is a member of the PotLuck Poets.
Nydia Rojas, Latina poet, has been writing poetry since the seventh grade. Her work has been extensively published, including the anthology Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest.
Hedi Rudd is a Latina poet and the coordinator of the city of Madison's Study Circles on Race.
Janet Saiz, an enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, is a grandmother and the mother of four sons. She is a member of the dance group, "Call for Peace."
She has long been active in Native American issues and has lived in Madison for 32 years.
Leotha Stanley has been a musician since he was a child. As an undergraduate at UW-Madison he founded and directed the first UW-Madison Student Gospel Choir, which continues today. He serves as a Madison fireman and as the musical director of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. He works in school districts sharing his love for gospel music with children. The compositions of Leotha Stanley are sung by people all over Madison.
Shwaw Vang, Hmong poet, is a Madison Metropolitan School Board member and the administrative coordinator of Kajsiab House, Hmong House for Elders.

BLUES FOR THE HOMELESS
a benefit for Housing Initiatives
Sunday, September 29, Luther's Blues, 1401 University Ave

The event featured musical acts Wayne Beckner, Catfish Stephenson, Sparetime Bluegrass Band, The Roddy's w/Paul Black, Honor Among Thieves as well as special guest poet MCs Yogesh Chawla, Miriam Hall, James Lee, Rusty Russell, and Sachin Pandya.

If you didn't make the event but you would still like to make a donation, please contact housing@terracom.net or call 277-8330.

LitMag Swap Shop
It's always a good idea to check over a market before you submit your work to them, but how easy is it to send for sample copies from numerous presses? It can take quite a bite out of your wallet as well! Now, however, at the Monroe Street Branch Library, 1705 Monroe St., 266-6390, on a lower shelf south of the magazine shelves, resides The Literary Journal Swap Shelf. Bring in literary journals and magazines that you no longer wish to keep, and help yourself to those that sit waiting! There's no charge and no check-out for these 'zines.