Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Maplewood Lodge

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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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WFOP Jan. News

Here’s some January news from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, including the Council for Wisconsin Writers contest deadline, which is January 31. Get details at www.wiswriters.org/rules:

Make a point of coming out on January 21 to help us kick off the Harmony Cafe/WFOP Poetry Series in style…Brent (driving all the way over from Rhinelander!!) and David (from Ripon!!) are two of Wisconsin’s (and the nation’s) FINEST poets. 

The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP) Fox Valley Poetry Series meets at Harmony Cafe in Appleton (233 E. College Ave) on the third Monday of most months.  Each evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with the featured reader(s), followed by an open mic open to anyone who wishes to read 1-2 poems.  

Monday, January 21, 6:30 p.m. – Brent Goodman and David Graham

 

Brent Goodman is the author of Far From Sudden and The Brother Swimming Beneath Me. His poems have appeared in Pleiades, Sou’wester, Pank, Poetry, Barn Owl Review, and elsewhere. Brent lives in Rhinelander WI, where he works as a creative professional and serves as an assistant editor for the online journal Anti-.  For sample poems and more, visit www.brentgoodman.info/ 

David Graham has published six collections of poetry, including Stutter Monk (Flume Press) and Second Wind (Texas Tech University Press).  He also co-edited (with Kate Sontag) the essay anthology After Confession: Poetry as Confession from Graywolf Press.  Essays, reviews, and individual poems have appeared widely for over thirty years.  Recently anthology appearances include Seriously Funny: Poems about Love, Death, Religion, Art, Politics, Sex, and Everything Else; Aspects of Robinson:  Homage to Weldon Kees; Poetry from Paradise Valley:  Poems from the First Decade of Valparaiso Poetry Review; and 180 More:  Extraordinary Poems for Every Day.  He has served on the Advisory Board of Verse Wisconsin, as poetry editor for Blue Moon Review and as poet-in-residence at the Frost Place, in Franconia, New Hampshire.  He is Professor of English at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin.  For more on David, visit http://www.ripon.edu/faculty/grahamd/ 

ON DECK AT HARMONY – 2013 

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Feb 18           FICTION LIKE POETRY:  Abby Frucht and Don Wydeven

Mar 18           Bobbie Lovell and Michael Koehler

Apr 15           Marilyn Annucci and Susan Elbe                       

OTHER KEY HAPPENINGS 

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JANUARY 22 (TUES), APPLEBLOSSOM BOOKS, OSHKOSH FEATURES MARILYN ZELKE-WINDAU:  A retired art educator who lives in Sheboygan, Marilyn likes to paint with words.  Her work has been published in many journals including Brawler Lit, Qarrtsiluni, Your Daily Poem, Verse Wisconsin, Seems, and Stoneboat. Marilyn will be giving a poetry reading at 6:30 pm at Apple Blossom Books, 200 E City Center, Oshkosh.  An open mic will follow where participants may read one or two of their own poems or poems by others that they love.   Come early and enjoy a meal or grab a cup of coffee at Caramel Crisp and Café whose inner doors connect with the bookstore.

CONTESTS

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Wisconsin Writers Awards DEADLINE JANUARY 31!

Contact: Robin Chapman rschapma@wisc.edu   608-238-6932
For the 49th year, the Council for Wisconsin Writers sponsors its contests for work published by Wisconsin writers in the prior year.  Entries published in 2012 are invited in the categories of book-length fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; short fiction and nonfiction; a set of five poems; outdoor writing; and children’s literature.  Authors who enter must be current Wisconsin residents. First-place winners will receive $500 and week-long writers’ residencies at Shake Rag Alley Center for Arts and Crafts or Maplewood Lodge in Mineral Point. CWW also sponsors an Essay Award for Young Writers (1500 word maximum) for Wisconsin high school students; there is no entry fee, and the award is $250 this year. Members of the board will judge. Postmark deadline for the student essay contest is also January 31, 2013. Nominations are also open for the $1000 Major Achievement Award, which is given to recognize a Wisconsin writer who deserves special recognition for literary merit. Specific guidelines, entry forms, and important additional information for each award category are available on the website, www.wiswriters.org.   

WFOP 2013 CHAPBOOK PRIZE DEADLINE FEB 1!:  The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets honors the best chapbook published in the previous year by a Wisconsin resident.  Visit http://wfop.org/contests.html for details.

WFOP MUSE PRIZE FOR POETRY DEADLINE FEB 1:  Open to any Wisconsin resident (you don’t need to be a member of the WFOP).  Visit http://wfop.org/contests.html for details.

Cathryn Cofell, PR Coordinator for 

Sarah Gilbert, Poetry Reading Series Coordinator (and WFOP Regional VP)

 

 

 

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CWW Announces 49th Annual Contests

Press Release: Wisconsin Writers Awards Contests Open

From: Council for Wisconsin Writers  www.wiswriters.org

Contact: Robin Chapman rschapma@wisc.edu   608-238-6932

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2012

For the 49th year, the Council for Wisconsin Writers sponsors its contests for work published by Wisconsin writers in the prior year.  Entries published in 2012 are invited in the categories of book-length fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; short fiction and nonfiction; a set of five poems; outdoor writing, and children’s literature.

The Council contests open November 1, 2012, and will close January 31, 2013 (postmark deadline).  Authors who enter must be current Wisconsin residents. The entry fee is $20. Out-of-state judges will make the selections. Awards will be presented in a banquet at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee in May 2013.

First-place winners will receive $500 and week-long writers’ residencies at Shake Rag Alley Center for Arts and Crafts or Maplewood Lodge in Mineral Point.

CWW also sponsors an Essay Award for Young Writers (1500 word maximum) for Wisconsin high school students; there is no entry fee, and the award is $250 this year. Members of the board will judge. Postmark deadline for the student essay contest is also January 31, 2013.

Nominations are also open for the $1000 Major Achievement Award, which is given to recognize a Wisconsin writer who deserves special recognition for literary merit.

Specific guidelines, entry forms, and important additional information for each award category are available on the website, www.wiswriters.org.  CWW is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of published Wisconsin writers and encouraging an appreciation of Wisconsin writing.

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CWW 2011 Wisconsin Writers Award Winners and Honorable Mentions

Congrats to this year’s CWW writing award winners and honorable mentions — and kudos to the judges and contest chairs for job well done!
Below is CWW’s news release announcing the recipients.

PRESS RELEASE

2011 Wisconsin Writers Award Announced

CONTACT: Robin Chapman rschapma@wisc.edu

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, March 22, 2012

Eight winners of the Wisconsin Writers Awards for work published in 2011 were announced today by the Council for Wisconsin Writers. Each will receive $500 and a week-long writer’s residency at Shake Rag Alley or Maplewood Lodge in Mineral Point. Awards were decided by out-of-state judges and will be presented at a May 12 Awards Luncheon at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee. The public is cordially invited to attend and celebrate Wisconsin’s fine writers.

Winners are Kathleen Ernst of Middleton for her fiction book The Heirloom Murders; Paula vW. Dáil of Spring Green for her nonfiction book Women and Poverty in 21st Century America; Adam Fell of Madison for his poetry book I Am Not a Pioneer;

Janet Halfmann of South Milwaukee for her children’s book Star of the Sea. A Day in the Life of a Starfish; and Richard Carter of Wauwatosa for outdoor writing in his book Through the Cabin Door.

The winner for short fiction is Lydia Conklin of Madison for “Bear With Me” in Narrative Magazine; for short nonfiction, Mary Ellen Gabriel of Madison for “Ne-rucha-ja: The Forgotten Tale of Frost’s Woods and Charles E. Brown’s Fight To Save It for the Ho-Chunk” in Wisconsin Magazine of History. Sarah Busse of Madison received the Lorine Niedecker Award for five poems.

Honorable mentions were also named in each category and will receive $50 each. They are Douglas W. Jacobson of Elm Grove, for The Katyn Order: a novel; Josephe Marie Flynn, SSND, Milwaukee for her nonfiction book Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death; Robin Chapman of Madison for her poetry book the eelgrass meadow; Rachel Callaray of Hartford for her children’s book My Wooden Wings; and Marcia Carmichael, Eagle, for outdoor writing in Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin’s Early Settlers.  

Paul Schultz of Madison received honorable mention for his short fiction “First Sign” from Burning Bright, Passager; Wendy Vardaman of Madison, for her short nonfiction “The Essay that I Begin Writing While Walking to the Wisconsin Capitol Trying to Discern the Right Question, 2/24/11,” Verse Wisconsin; and Susan Elbe of Madison, for the Niedecker Award for five poems.

Annetta Lorraine Martin, a junior at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, is winner of the Essay Award for Young Writers, which totals $250 in 2011, for her essay “Tiny Fingers.” Brandon Hansen, a junior at Florence High School, receives an honorable mention for his essay “You Have My Heart (At Least for the Most Part).”

Karl Elder of Lakeland College is recipient of the $500 Christopher Latham Sholes Award for outstanding encouragement of Wisconsin writers through his long history of mentoring and showcasing their work, especially in co-ordinating the Great Lake Writers Festival since 1991.

More about the winners, names of the out-of-state judges and information for reserving a place at the May 12 Awards luncheon ($28; reservations required by May 7) is at the Council for Wisconsin Writers website at www.wiswriters.org.

CWW is a non-profit organization founded in 1964 to promote awareness of Wisconsin’s literary heritage.