15th Annual Blizzard Writer s Poetry Retreat

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1 upcoming dates >>> January 2, 2014 deadline to register for Blizzard Writer s Poetry Retreat January 15, 2014 Manningham Student Competition deadline January 23, 2014 Blizzard Writer s Poetry Retreat January 31, 2014 renew your membership dues for the upcoming year A Quarterly Publication of the League of Minnesota Poets December 2013 LOMP lighter about us >>> League of Minnesota Poets (LOMP) holds biannual meetings, supports regional chapters in Minnesota, and publishes the Moccasin anthology. Annual membership fee: $20 Students (K-12): $10. Mail dues to LOMP Treasurer: Susan McMillan 6327 Oak Meadow Ln NW Rochester, MN Membership fees include a subscription to the LOMPLighter, membership in the National Federation of State Poetry Societies and the NFSPS publication Strophes. Regional Chapters Polaris Poets (Duluth) Heartland Poets (Brainerd Lakes) Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers (Twin Cities) Southeastern Minnesota Poets (Rochester) Southern Minnesota Poets Society (Mankato) Grand View Poets (St. Cloud/Sartell) 15th Annual Blizzard Writer s Poetry Retreat Join us Thursday, January 23rd midafternoon through Sunday, January 26th, (Or who knows how long if we get snowed in!) Single day participation welcome as well. We will feature readers from Southern Minnesota Poets Society 4th Thursday Poetry Night. WHERE: At the home of Sue Chambers and Henry Panowitsch, located in the country on 10 wooded acres next to the Big Cobb River, 10 miles south of Mankato, MN. (Detailed directions on page 6.) There are many bedrooms in the main house. There are fireplaces to curl up in front of, a full library so we can consult the authorities, and good places to hike, ski or skate. WHO: You! This retreat is for all who are interested in poetry. WHAT IS REQUIRED: Bring food to share and a poetry program that is at least 30 minutes in length. The program can be anything that tickles your fancy physical activity that will stimulate writing; a writing workshop; a favorite author; a new form; a lecture; a special taped program that you want to lead a discussion on the possibilities are endless. Joint programs are also permissible. Please notify Sue Chambers at least 3 weeks in advance so that beds and food selections can be coordinated. Home (507) , work (507) or schambersmediator@yahoo.com

2 from the President >>> LOMP Members and Friends in Poetry Season s Greetings LOMP Members and Friends in Poetry, As the year draws to the close it is the time to look back and see what 2013 has brought for LOMP. It is also the time to look forward to see what the New Year will bring is our Octogintennial celebrating 80 years of LOMP Poetry, and there are several exciting projects in the works to mark this milestone. Looking back 2013 was a mixed year for us, while we saw the resurgence of our membership numbers we also lost several wonderful poets as well. The new website was launched and at the same time we saw lower attendance numbers at local chapter meetings and the fall and spring meetings. All of this is changeable and as we move forward into 2014 I would like you as poets to think about what you want for LOMP in the New Year. How can your participation make a difference in your local chapter of LOMP or for the statewide group as we celebrate 80 years of poetry? Many of our chapters are answering this in a resounding way. The Southern MN poets group had a successful year enjoying several collaborations with other arts groups and hosting the Fall LOMP meeting with keynote speaker National Book Award finalist Matt Rasmussen. Southeastern MN Poets hosted the spring meeting. At it we participated in the Zumbrota Crossings collaboration and celebrated the launch of the new website. Polaris Poets slowly but steadily has been laying the ground work to grow stronger and build their fledgling group. Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers worked in conjunction with the Cracked Walnut Group to promote poetry in the cities area and plan on hosting the spring meeting. Heartland Poets held a moving evening of poetry honoring the work of member Claire van Breemen Downes who passed away in July. And importantly we continue to grow adding just last month the Grand View Poets as the newest LOMP chapter in the Sartell/St. Cloud area. There are several opportunities coming up for you to get involved with your local chapter or with several LOMP projects. Help us share poetry with young people by promoting our youth Manningham competition whose deadline is January 15th. Participate in the LOMP video project by contacting Susan Chambers (schambersmediator@yahoo.com). Join the 80th year anthology committee, or volunteer for one of the positions opening up at our Spring meeting in the cities April 26th. Or you could think even further long term, LOMP has voted to host the National Convention in 2016, contact Susan Chambers or Peter Stein one of the co-chairs for the convention if you want to get involved. Nothing you want to do for LOMP will go unappreciated. Please join me in helping to make 2014 our Octogintennial, LOMP s best year yet. Happy Holidays to everyone, I remain yours in poetry, Christina M. Flaugher, LOMP President

3 Minnesota Valley Poets & Writers invite you to the Spring LOMP Convention April 26, 2014 The Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers are hosting Poets in the City, the Spring LOMP Convention, and are pleased to announce Matt Mauch as our Keynote Speaker. His latest book of poetry If You re Lucky Is a Theory of Mine was published by Trio House Press. He is also the editor of Poetry City, U.S.A, curator of The Great Twin Cities Poetry Read, and teaches at the Normandale Community College A.F.A. program. The convention will offer a choice in breakout sessions with variety of programs to choose from. The open mic and critique session will be on the program as usual, along with a few surprises. It is the League s 80th birthday, so it promises to be a special celebration. Plan to join us on the 26th of April at the First Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights, so mark your calendars. The 5th annual Great Twin Cities Poetry Read (GTCPR) will be taking place that evening at Augsburg College, so we hope you stick around and join us to hear a some of the finest poets from the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota, and beyond. Held on the last weekend of April (that'd be Nat'l Poetry Month), the GTCPR features 25 to 30 poets reading a single poem each. The Mississippi Valley Poets & Writers are excited to host and look forward to seeing you there! Peter Stein Registration for 2014 Spring LOMP Convention Name: Mailing Address: City: State: Zip code Phone: Vegetarian or food allergies? address: Registration fee (includes lunch): $35 LOMP Members $40 Non-members IMPORTANT: Please make checks payable to Mississippi Valley Poets and Writers Mail registration form and registration fee by March 31, 2014 to: Dan Hanson MVP&W Treasurer 1815 Central Ave NE #2212 Minneapolis, MN ***If you wish to have a poem critiqued please include one poem in with registration.

4 Photos from LOMP Fall Conference 2013 The 2013 LOMP Fall Conference, October 18-19, 2013, at the Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center in Chaska, featured guest speaker Matt Rasmussen. Above: Sue Chambers announced the contest winners Clockwise: LOMP members practiced their craft in a walking/writing workshop; Peter Stein & Mary Schmidt; poetry bridges the generations; LOMP members listen to the winning poems

5 about LOMP officers >>> PRESIDENT: Christina Flaugher. (507) PO Box 446, Mapleton, MN VICE PRESIDENT: Dennis Herschbach. (218) First St S, Apt 467, Sartell, MN RECORDING SECRETARY: Evelyn Klein. TREASURER/MEMBERSHIP: Susan McMillan. (507) Oak Meadow Ln NW, Rochester, MN ASSISTANT TREASURER: Susan Stevens Chambers (507) th Ln, Good Thunder, MN CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Meredith R. Cook. (507) , 427 N Gorman, Blue Earth, MN appointments >>> LOMP POET LAUREATE: Shirley Ensrud MOCCASIN EDITOR: Meredith R. Cook HISTORIAN: Shirley Poliquin LOMPLIGHTER EDITOR: Joe Anderson PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN: SuzAnne Wipperling YOUTH CHAIRMAN: Peter Stein Manningham Poetry Competition for MN Students The Manningham Poetry Trust was established in 1981 by the late J. Howard and Mary Manningham in memory of Gertrude E. Stiller, for the purpose of "Encouraging the art of poetic expression among students." Since only interest from the trust can be used for prize money, various state societies and other individuals have contributed funds to the trust, and in Sam Wood of Reno, Nevada added a substantial donation to the fund to bring the total to $25,000. Contest Entry Rules All Minnesota students in grades 6-12 who attend public, parochial, private or home-schools are eligible. Limit one entry per student. There is no entry fee. Poems must be original but may have been published and/or have won previous awards. Submit two (2) copies of each poem. In the upper left corner of each copy, write the division entered (Grades 6-8 is Junior Division, and Grades 9-12 is Senior Division). In the upper right corner of one copy, list the student s name, home address, grade, school name, school address and school phone. The student should sign the work and include this statement: This is my original work. Type the poem (handwritten copies will NOT be accepted) using a simple, legible font (Arial 12 pt, for example) in black. The poem must not exceed 50 lines, and if it continues on more than one page, staple the pages together. Illustrations will not be accepted. The ten top poems will be selected by the League of Minnesota Poets for submission to the National Manningham Contest and published in a chapbook given to the student authors and participating schools. National Awards 1st $75; 2nd $50; 3rd $40; 4th $35; and 5th $30. Places 6-10 will receive Honorable Mentions of $10 each. Mail entries to: Peter Stein MN Manningham Poetry Competition Chair rd Ave NW Coon Rapids, MN Students may submissions as long as they conform to the format outlined above. Signatures on the poems may be electronically signed, or signed and scanned, but the signature must be present. Sent pdfs to pwilliamstein@yahoo.com All submissions must be postmarked or ed by January 15, 2014.

6 Commemorative LOMP DVD available At the 2013 Fall Meeting LOMP Members were recorded reading their poetry and talking about what poetry and the league mean to them. These recordings have been compiled into a commemorative DVD which is now available for sale! The cost of the DVD is $ $2.00 shipping and handling. Please make checks payable to the League of Minnesota Poets or (LOMP) and mail to: Susan McMillan LOMP Treasurer 6327 Oak Meadow LN NW Rochester MN Please mail with a completed purchase form. Or you can fill out your order form online at and mail your check. Orders will not ship until payment is received. Name Phone: Shipping Address: Quantity (cost $ $2.00 S & H): Total Payment submitted: Questions? Please contact video project manager Susan S. Chambers at or schambersmediator@yahoo.com Directions to th Lane in rural Good Thunder 1. You ll need to find County Road 16 where it becomes 169th Street. If heading south on Highway 22 from Mankato, go 7 or 8 miles, then watch for a little white church on the right about a half-mile further and turn west (right) onto County Road 16 (AKA 169th Street). If heading south on County Road 16 from Mankato, cross two rivers, the Le Sueur and the Big Cobb. If coming from Mapleton, head north on Highway 22, go 6 miles (through Beauford) and turn west on County Road Continue to the second gravel road on your left, a t-intersection where you ll turn south (left) onto 574th Avenue, follow it for about 2/3rd of a mile, then turn right onto 166th Lane. You will note a "dead end" sign. We are the first house on the right, look for the large garage and brown house. If you go down the hill on the minimum maintenance road, you have gone too far.