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Door County Poets’ Retreat Redux

“The retreat reminded me that I am a poet,” said Appleton writer Barb Germiat, “and that I want to focus my efforts more on poetry and be a poet every day again.”

Germiat’s response to the Door County Poets’ Retreat held at Bjorklunden March 23 – 25 was similar to that of the 23 writers in attendance; they did not come to learn how to write poetry but rather for inspiration and revitalization. Guest facilitator Susan O’Leary encouraged participants to focus on small moments, much in the spirit of writers of haiku, and the poets did, finding ways to make those brief encounters loom large in the writing of verse.

Susan Moss, a poet and retired teacher from Evanston, Illinois, has taken several poetry classes at The Clearing and this is her second Door County Poets’ Retreat at Bjorklunden. She liked having “someone guiding me, focusing on something that takes you from any other thoughts you might have to that place” where you are concentrating on writing.

Egg Harbor poet and hotel manager Rolf Olson was attending his first poetry workshop and enjoyed the novel approach to writing verse. “I don’t normally write haiku,” he said, and took advantage of the focus on “small moments, seemingly insignificant moments that reveal aspects of character or place,” to try his hand at this traditional verse form.

Facilitator Susan O’Leary did “an excellent job,” said Moss, “very professional” and provided a format that allowed writers to use either prose or poetry “to clarify moments, to make things pop!”

“The instructor was very good, very understanding, gently prodding,” Olson said, “gently encouraging people into unfamiliar waters.”

This was Germiat’s second time at Bjorklunden, but she had attended several Door County Poets’ Retreats held at the earlier location, St. Joseph’s Retreat Center. She, too, praised O’Leary for being “very encouraging as she presented information and little challenges in a way that led me to more production,” creating a number of first drafts, an approach that was not only supportive but “freeing.”

Germiat, who volunteers her journalistic skills to some organizations, also enjoyed the camaraderie. “It’s very good to be together with a group of poets again, several friends from earlier retreats, some new, several I regard as very accomplished poets, and I enjoy being in their company.”

Olson, too, “enjoyed meeting new and very skilled poets.” The workshop not only opened the possibilities of new techniques for him, but “being in the company of poets is wonderful and encouraging.”

And Moss was “so pleased and honored as an Illini that I am included with the poets” in Door County, and “feel enriched by being with [them].”

This year’s organizer Estella Lauter of Fish Creek, thought perhaps her role as organizer “would spoil the event for me, but it didn’t.” Because of the help of Kim Eckstein at Bjorklunden, “once the workshops began each day I was completely free to participate in them.” She left the retreat with six new poems and the belief that “Susan [O’Leary] was wonderful!”

Lauter is a member of the Wallace Group poets that sponsor the event. Interested writers should watch next year for notice of the 2013 Door County Poets’ Retreat once again to be held in March.