Poetry and Planning for 2011

“Any healthy man can go without food for two days – but not without poetry.” – Charles Baudelaire, 19th century French poet

The season of resolutions is upon us, and I have decided that I need more poetry in life. In fact, I have decided that you need more poetry in your life.

For 25 years, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets has published a Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar, offering a year’s worth of poetry. Edited by Sandra Lindow and Peg Lauber, the 2011 calendar features work from an array of Wisconsin writers and poets, including Michael Perry, nationally-recognized author of Coop and Truck: A Love Story, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Marilyn Taylor, and a number of Door County’s finest: Sharon Auberle, Barbara Larsen, Loraine Brink, Michael Farmer, Nancy Rafal, Judy Roy, Larry J. Eriksson, and more.

The weekly calendar opens to show three or four poems on the left page, and the seven days of the week on the right, highlighting major poets’ birthdays, from Christopher Marlowe to Robert Frost to Maya Angelou. The calendar also features artwork by poet/painter Candace Hennekens.

The over two hundred poets included in the publication cover a range of subjects, but those of the Midwest will appreciate the consist theme of Wisconsin landscapes and traditions, from fishing and hunting, to county fairs and walks through the park. Who knew poetry in Wisconsin could be so good or accessible?

The Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar is available from local booksellers throughout the peninsula. For more information and/or to order calendars, visit wfop.org/calendar.html.