Honoring Poet Frances May

A celebration of Door County’s first designated Poet Laureate, Frances May, will be held in her honor on Sunday, March 13 at 3 pm at the Miller Art Museum.

Norbert Blei, noted author and publisher, will introduce the program with comments about May. Area poets Nancy Rafal and Sue DeKelver, along with renowned artist Charles Peterson, will read some of May’s work and share tales of her and her contributions to the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.

The Door County Board of Supervisors appointed May as the first Poet Laureate of Door County from October 2010 through March 2011. The position is ceremonial and uncompensated. May lived in Sturgeon Bay most of her life. Her works were published by August Derleth early on, and Norbert Blei published a collection of her poems in 2005 entitled The Rain Barrel. Active with community writing programs, May was a literary figure in Door County until her death in 2004.

A reception will follow the program, which is free and open to the public. The Miller Art Gallery is located inside the Door County Public Library, located at 107 S. 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay.

A new Poet Laureate will be appointed at the end of March. This person will serve for two years. The mission is “to raise the county consciousness to a greater position of the reading and writing of poetry. In furtherance of this mission, the Poet Laureate may be asked to plan, attend and/or participate in countywide or statewide literary events.” The appointment will begin in April, which is National Poetry Month.