Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Kara Candito

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CWW Board Member Wins Poetry Award

Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine announced today that Council for Wisconsin Writers board member Lisa Vihos of Sheboygan, Sean Avery of Madison and Kathleen Dale of Milwaukee are winners of the magazine’s 2015 Poetry Contest. Vihos took first place for her “Lessons at the Checkpoint,” Avery’s “Prayer ( Song ) for Magic,” placed second, and Dale won third place for her “The Self-organizing Universal Nail Salon,”  In addition, Vihos and Dale received honorable mentions for other poems they entered in the contest.  Here is the WP&I  news release:
Congratulations to the Winners of the
Wisconsin People & Ideas 2015 Poetry Contest:
Winners of the 2015 Wisconsin People & Ideas Poetry Contest receive cash awards of $500 (first place), $250 (second place), and $100 (third place). The first-place author also receives a one-week artist residency at Shake Rag Alley School for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point, and all three award-winning poets will read at the 2015 Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison and will have their prizewinning poems (and one other, selected by the editor) appear in Wisconsin People & Ideasmagazine.
Our 2015 contest honorable mention poems and poets:
  • “Hooked,” by Sharon Foley—Whitefish Bay
  • “Annunciation,” by Lisa Vihos—Sheboygan
  • “Neighbors,” by Jeri McCormick—Madison
  • “Sand County,” by Jessi Peterson—Eau Claire
  • “What Remains,” by John Pidgeon—Green Bay
  • “Let’s Intuit Something,” by Jess Williard—Madison
  • “Some People,” by Molly Murphy–Madison
  • “A Few Miles Outside Warroad, Several Weeks Before the Fall,” by Christine Holm—Oconomowoc
  • “We Were Wrong, But Were Given Five Ruins to Consider for Winter,” by Christine Holm—Oconomowoc
  • “Homeless in August,” by Kathleen Dale—Milwaukee
Wisconsin People & Ideas publishes fiction and poetry from Wisconsin writers, highlights new works from our visual artists and photographers, and covers science and environmental issues that affect Wisconsin’s people, lands, and waters. The magazine hosts annual fiction and poetry contests that award cash prizes up to $500, publication in the magazine, and a reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival, and more.  Since 1954, the independentWisconsin People & Ideas magazine has been a trusted resource for people who care about the issues and ideas that shape life in Wisconsin. Wisconsin People & Ideas is available at Wisconsin Academy events and exhibitions as well as selected bookstores, and is delivered quarterly to Wisconsin Academy members and libraries across the state.
This year the poetry contest lead judge is Kara Candito (right). The 2015 contest was coordinated by Jason A. Smith, editor, Wisconsin People & Ideas, and the preliminary judges were John Lehman, Zachary Carlson, and CX Dillhunt . The contest received 568 poem submissions from across the state of Wisconsin. All judging was done blindly and ranking was done solely on the merit of individual stories in the opinion of our judges.
Thank you to everyone who submitted their work to the 2015 poetry contest. Your participation is what has made this contest one of the best showcases for Wisconsin poets for over twenty years. Look for the first- through third-place poems to appear in the forthcoming spring/summer double issue of  Wisconsin People & Ideas . Honorable mention poems will appear in subsequent issues of the magazine, beginning with the Fall 2015 issue. Congratulations to all our winners and honorable mention poets—and keep on writing!
Wisconsin People & Ideas thanks lead and preliminary judges for volunteering their time and efforts to the 2015 contest, and extends a special thanks to 2015 contest sponsors Shake Rag Alley School for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point for donating a weeklong artist residency for the first-place winner, the Wisconsin Book Festival for hosting our contest winners’ reading, and Wisconsin Public Radio for promotional support. More information on the contest, prizes, and sponsors can be found at wisconsinacademy.org/poetrycontest.
Thanks to our contest sponsors!
Wisconsin People & Ideas  l  1922 University Avenue  l  Madison, WI  53726  l  608.263.1692

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People & Ideas Contest Deadline is Dec. 15

Submit your fiction and poetry now!
CContests open to all Wisconsin writers & poets!

 

Make your mark on the Wisconsin literary scene by sending in your short stories and poems the Wisconsin People & Ideas 2015 Fiction and Poetry Contests, which accept digital and print submissions from September 15 to December 15, 2014, and are open to all Wisconsin residents and students age 18 and older. New and emerging Wisconsin writers have a chance to win up to $500 and other prizes along with publication in Wisconsin People & Ideas, a slot at the 2015 contest reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival, even a one-week residency at Shake Rag Alley School for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point. Author Nickolas Butler and poet Kara Candito are the judges for the 2015 contests, which are sponsored by the Wisconsin Book Festival, Shake Rag Alley School for Arts and Crafts, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

 

Now accepting online submissions! Click here for info.

 

Visit our Fiction Contest or Poetry Contest pages for complete contest rules and submission guidelines.
Wisconsin Academy of
Sciences, Arts & Letters
1922 University Ave.
Madison, WI 53726
Tel: 608.263.1692

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Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters Contests Open

The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters announces  its FICTION & POETRY CONTESTS, which opens Sept. 15:

Accepting submissions from Wisconsin residents 18 and older from September 15 to December 15
Each year the Wisconsin Academy shines a light on the best Wisconsin writers through our annual fiction and poetry contests, which award up to $500 and other prizes along with publication in Wisconsin People & Ideas, a reading at the Wisconsin Book Festival, even a one-week residency at the lovely Shake Rag Alley School for Arts and Crafts in Mineral Point. Accepting submissions from September 15 to December 15, 2014, the contests are open to all Wisconsin residents and students age 18 and up. Visit our fiction contest and poetry contest pages for complete submission guidelines and to learn more about our 2015 contest judges: author Nickolas Butler and poet Kara Candito.
Here’s the link:  http://www.wisconsinacademy.org/content/writing-contests.
Also, please visit the CWW website at www.wiswriters.org

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CWW Announces 2012 Wisconsin Writers Award Winners

Press Release: CWW 2013 Wisconsin Writers Awards
From: Council for Wisconsin Writers www.wiswriters.org
For release: March 30, 2013
Contact: Robin Chapman rschapma@wisc.edu

CWW Announces 2012 Wisconsin Writers Award Winners, Hamilton Receives Highest Honor

The Council for Wisconsin Writers is proud to present its highest honor, the Major Achievement Award for work of outstanding merit, to novelist Jane Hamilton, who will keynote CWW’s awards banquet, 11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee. The award is being presented in memory of CWW friend and colleague Thomas J. Bontly, who passed away last year.

Hamilton, who lives on an orchard in Rochester, Wisconsin, is author of six novels, including the award-winning The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World, both Oprah Book Club selections. Her most recent novel, published by Grand Central, is Laura Rider’s Masterpiece. Her sharply drawn characters and poignant story lines depict real people struggling with the complexities and tragedies of ordinary life. Her award will include $1000 and a week-long writer’s residency at Shake Rag Alley or Maplewood Lodge in Mineral Point.

At the banquet, the CWW will also award prizes in eight literary categories for this year’s Wisconsin Writers Awards. Sixteen distinguished writers will be honored for work published in 2012 and chosen by out-of-state judges. The first prize winner in each category will receive $500 and a week-long residency in Mineral Point. Honorable mentions will receive $50.

Shauna Singh Baldwin of Milwaukee, author of The Selector of Souls, published by Random House of Canada, will receive the Anne Powers Fiction Book Award for her novel interweaving the lives of her two main characters over the course of a turbulent decade for women in 1990s India.  Honorable mention goes to Paul Salsini of Milwaukee for The Temptation of Father Lorenzo (iUniverse), featuring characters from his prize-winning Tuscan trilogy.

The Tofte/Wright Children’s Award winner is Kathleen Ernst for Meet Caroline (American Girl Co.), a story of historical fiction about a 9-year old American girl living on the shore of Lake Ontario in 1812. Honorable mention goes to Isabella Fontaine, who lives on a farm in rural Wisconsin, and Ken Brosky, who lives in Madison, for volume 1 of The Grimm Chronicles (Brew City Press), stories about fairytale characters released into real life.

The Posner Poetry Book Award winner is Sarah Busse, co-poet laureate of Madison and co-editor of Verse Wisconsin, for her book Somewhere Piano, published by Mayapple Press.  James Pollock of Madison receives honorable mention for Sailing to Babylon, published by Able Muse Press.

The Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award will go to David McGlynn of Appleton for his memoir A Door in the Ocean (Counterpoint Press), which traces his journey from competitive swimming and family tragedy through radical evangelicalism and adult life. Jim Draeger of Monona and Mark Speltz of Madison will share honorable mention for their book Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries (Wisconsin Historical Society Press).

The Larry and Eleanor Sternig Award for Short Fiction will be given to Jeff Esterholm of Superior for “Mrs. Weir,” published by Midwestern Gothic in its nostalgia-themed issue. Karen Loeb’s “Housewarming,” appearing in Thema, receives an honorable mention. Loeb lives in Eau Claire.

George Johnson of Madison is winner of the Kay Levin Award for Short Nonfiction for his piece, “The American Pearl Rush: Its Wisconsin Beginnings,” about freshwater pearls discovered in 1889 in the Sugar River at Albany. His account was published in the Wisconsin Magazine of History. Honorable mention goes to Tom Matthews of Wauwatosa for his piece, “Almost Famous,” published in Milwaukee Magazine, a profile of a long-time musician from Milwaukee, Paul Cebar.

The Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award for five poems goes to Kara Candito of Madison, where she co-curates the Monsters of Poetry series; honorable mention to Amie Whittemore of Racine.

The Ellis/Henderson Outdoor Writing Award goes to Tom Davis of Green Bay for his essay “Ghosts of the Little Sioux,” which appeared in Pointing Dog Journal. Steven Dewald of La Crosse will receive honorable mention for his book Under a Poacher’s Moon: Stories of a Wisconsin Game Warden (self-published with Create Space).

The CWW Essay Award for Young Writers of $250 goes to Tatiana Lyons of Madison West High School for her essay “The Greatest Wizard in South Dakota.”  Honorable mention and $50 goes to Elijah Carrel, also of Madison West, for his essay “Thank You, Christopher Columbus.”

The public is cordially invited to hear Jane Hamilton and these other fine Wisconsin writers at the Council’s May 11 awards banquet. Reservation forms can be found at the website, www.wiswriters.org. More information about the winners and contest judges can be found at the Awards link on the website.

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Bridge Poetry Reading at the Chazen

Wisconsin poet Susan Elbe has issued the following invitation:
Please join me and 11 other Wisconsin poets for the Bridge Poetry Reading Series at the Chazen Museum of Art on Thursday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. We’ll be reading poems written in  response to the Smithsonian exhibition 1934: A New Deal for Artists:
These are amazing paintings commissioned by the Federal government. It was the first time the government provided financial support for the arts. The poetry by these fine poets promises to be amazing as well: Oliver Bendorf, Kimberly Blaeser, Kara Candito, Susan Elbe, David Graham, Karla Huston, Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Mark Kraushaar, Shoshauna Shy, Danez Smith, Angela Trudell Vasquez, and Timothy Walsh.