An offshoot of the Poetry Jumps Off the Shelf initiative, this award was designed to help other Wisconsin poets implement a project that brings poetry into the eye of the general public in an unconventional manner.

The award of $500.00 went to Jim Pollock and the Aspiring Authors of Stevens Point for a project mounting monthly haikus on the historic Fox Theater marquee in Stevens Point. Built in 1894 and originally named the Grand Opera House on Main Street, this theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and at present, descendants of the theater's original owners are working on restoring the building for a cultural center. Calls for submissions for the haikus will be conducted with the help of Portal Wisconsin, The Portage County Arts Alliance, the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, and local schools.

The finalist was Nancy Rafal who received $400.00 for her proposal for the Baileys Harbor Community Mural Project which will include Lorine Niedecker and part of her poem, "Wintergreen Ridge" on an outside wall of Nelson's Shopping Center in Baileys Harbor in Door County. This project coincides with Niedecker's work being featured on the Poetry Trail in Newport State Park, and the 75th anniversary of The Ridges Sanctuary, which was the inspiration for Niedecker's poem.

2010 Winners

Paula Sergi of the Foot of the Lake Poetry Collective in Fond du Lac won first place and $500.00 for her proposal to collaborate with cultural centers in her community to bring poetry to the local farmers' market, library, art center and harvest season festivals. Poems about food were on display at vendor booths and sandwich boards at the farmers' markets; bookmarks featuring the poems and corresponding recipes were at the Fond du Lac Public Library and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) office; poems were paired with art and on exhibit at the Windhover Center for the Arts, with readings by contributors at the Fondue Festival, and at Park Ridge Organics Farm.

Phil Hansotia of Ellison Bay and the Wallace, Unabridged and Word Women poetry groups of Door County took the finalist position for $250.00. Display cases of poetry were mounted along two trails in Newport State Park with receptions at the Newport State Park shelter and visitor center prefacing each season's presentation of poems. Throughout 2010 and into 2011, the work of former Poet Laureate, Ellen Kort, and local poets were featured, as well as the contest winners of three area high schools.

2009 Winner

Jan Chronister of Maple received the first place award for her program titled, "Ojibgewin" which involved teaching a series of poetry classes on the Bad River Reservation in Odanah.

Questions? shoshaunashy@yahoo.com