Congratulations to the Wisconsin People & Ideas / Wisconsin
Book Festival 2009 Poetry Contest Winners
Every year this contest brings out the best of Wisconsin poets--both amateur and professional--and places a spotlight on one of our state's finest natural resources. We'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that Wisconsin People & Ideas is the only quarterly magazine in the state that regularly highlights Wisconsin poets and poetry.

Our poetry editor John Lehman, our judges--Joan Wiese Johannes, Nancy Rafal, Lynn Patrick Smith, and lead judge, Karl Elder--and I greatly enjoyed reading all of the over three-hundred submissions we received this year. The judges cast their votes and the final tally is now in. Without any further ado, here are the winners of the Wisconsin People & Ideas /Wisconsin Book Festival 2009 Poetry Contest:

1st Place - "What to Give Her," by Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
2nd Place - "Kiehnau's Service Station (since 1952) Fire--Spring 1996," by Caleb Whitney, Bailey's Harbor
3rd Place - "What does it take," by Judy Kolosso, Slinger

Runners-up (in alphabetical order):

"Memories of Two Lights: Notes for a Quilt," by Sarah Busse, Madison
"The Origami of Large Animals," by Nickolas Butler, Madison
"Asemic," by Lisa Cihlar, Brodhead
"The Portfolio," by Ronnie Hess, Madison
"Dogma for the Junk Drawer," by Karla Huston, Appleton
"Geology," by Dion Kempthorne, Richland Center
"Gas, 1940," by Janet Leahy, New Berlin
"A Leavetaking," by Jeri McCormick, Madison
"About String," by Fran Rall, Madison
"Looking for a Room," by Richard Roe, Middleton


Winners will receive cash prizes and will travel to Madison to read their award-winning poems during the 2009 Wisconsin Book Festival. In addition, the winning poems--along with another by each poet, selected by John Lehman--will appear in the spring issue of the magazine. Runners up will appear in the summer issue of Wisconsin People & Ideas and on our website at wisconsinacademy.org.