Council for Wisconsin Writers

Supporting Wisconsin writers from 1964 to 2022

Sarah Busse

by

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.

by

Fermentation in Verse–Burma Shave

This landed in my email inbox over the weekend:

Poetry Call for Entries

2012 Reedsburg Fermentation Fest

 Wisconsin writers are invited to submit short poems relating to food, agriculture, art, or the landscape to be part of the 2012 Reedsburg Fermentation Fest and Farm/Art DTour, October 12-21.  Three entries will be selected for display along the Farm/Art DTour in a series called Pass Words.  This series is modeled on the Burma Shave roadside advertising sign series that appeared from 1925 to 1963 in most of the contiguous US. 

 A Burma Shave poem or jingle consisted of six consecutive red-and-white signs posted along the edge of highway.  Each sign was a line of a witty message spaced for sequential reading by passing motorists with the last sign the name of the product. In most cases, the end of lines 2 and five rhymed. Examples of the original Burma-Shave signs can be found at

 

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/.

 Entries must be five lines of two to five words.  Each Pass Word will be six 36-inch wide signs; the final sign will carry the Farm Art Dtour logo and the poet’s name.  Additional entries will be printed and several special read-aloud presentations of entries will take place during Fermentation Fest.

 Writers may enter up to three poems.  All entries will undergo a blind jury process – anonymously judged by Sarah Busse and Wendy Vardaman, co-editors of Verse Wisconsin.  Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2012.  Entries may be sent via email to Dtour.poetry@gmail.com or mailed to Dtour Poetry, 6048 S Highlands Ave, Madison WI 53705.

For more information about Fermentation Fest 2012 please see www.fermentationfest.com.

And don’t forget to visit the CWW website at www.wiswriters.org.

 

 

by

Fox Cities Book Festival Offers Book, Author Feast

The Fox Cities Book Festival could more aptly be called a Book Feastival. The lineup of authors and events for the April 11-18 bibliotheque-esque banquet runs deep and wide.

Some, such as  UW-Madison Professor Emeritus and author of three-dozen books Jerry Apps, poet and Verse Wisconsin co-editor Sarah Busse and prolific mystery and children’s book author Kathleen Ernst, are current or former CWW award winners.

Some, such as Redbird Studio writing center founder and author/writing mentor Judy Bridges, poet and writer Karla Huston, short-story writer and book reviewer Ted Hertel, and journalist and award-winner novelist Paul Salsini, are current or former CWW board members.

Some, such as poet and retired educator/public library director Bruce Dethlefsen and poet and author Ellen Kort, are current or former Wisconsin poets laureate.

Some, such as The Zookeeper’s Wife author Diane Ackerman, The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York author Deborah Blum and creator of the adorable Fancy Nancy children’s books Jane O’Connor, are writers of national best sellers.

Read all about this feastival at the Fox Cities Book Festival website at http://www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org/, the complete list of authors and their bios at http://www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org/authors/2012 and the schedule of events at http://www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org/schedule/2012.

Learn more about the Council for Wisconsin Writers, its annual contest and contest winners at www.wiswriters.org.

 

 

by

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.

by

"Verse Wisconsin" Co-Editors Named Madison Poets Laureate

A recent news release from the City of Madison starts out…

“Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced that Sarah Busse and Wendy Vardaman have agreed to serve as Poets Laureate for the City of Madison. Busse and Vardaman will share the volunteer position from January 16, 2012 until January 18, 2016.”

A reception and celebratory poetry reading is being hosted this Saturday, February 11, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m., at the Goodman South Madison Library, 2222 South Park Street, Madison, WI 53714. State Poet Laureate Bruce Dethlefsen, members of the Hibiscus Poetry Collective and Poets Laureate Emeriti Fabu and Andrea Musher are among those who will be reading from their works. The reception is free and open to the public.

The rest of the news release is at http://www.cityofmadison.com/news/view.cfm?news_id=3067

Congratulations from all of CWW to Sarah and Wendy on this great honor.

Please visit the CWW website at www.wiswriters.org.