VOLUNTEER NEEDED
One volunteer is needed to help run the registration table Friday night, Oct. 31st, at the fall conference in Marshfield, from 4 p.m. on. Contact Jan Chronister at janchronister@yahoo.com.

We're also looking for a volunteer to make a cd of the open mic / roll call poems. If you have your own equipment, and the know-how, and are able / willing to make copies for members, contact Jan Chronister.

The South Region is working on the 2009 Spring Conference in Oconomowoc and the theme will be Regional Poetry. We are asking everyone, especially the Regional VP's from across the State to send us copies of poems, or a poem that epitomizes their area or Region. Please send it to Frank Konieska 3633 Honey Creek Rd. Burlington, WI 53105 or fkonieska@tds.net as we will be featuring some of them around the meeting room and as table decorations.

POETRY READING & Open Mike
1st and 3rd Tuesdays; 6:30 pm: TIME CHANGE FOR CONKEY'S READINGS! Beginning in September the readings will begin at 6:30pm to give us more time before the bookstore closes at 8. It's been a bit squishy since they changed their closing from 9 to 8 so now we will have more time for relaxed open mic and socializing.Always starts with a featured reader, followed by an open mic. All are welcome to read one or two short poems. Packed house most nights. FREE.

September 2 no reading
September 16 Lou Roach
October 7 Richard Swanson
October 21 Lucy Johns
November 4 Barbara Fitz Vroman
November 18 Bruce Dethlefsen
December 2 WFOP 2009 Calendar reading—editors Nancy Rafel and Kathy Miner will be there and we welcome contributors to read their poems.
December 16 no reading

Hosted by Sherry Elmer. (920) 735-6223. Inside Conkey's Bookstore, 226 E. College Ave, Appleton.

Due to personal health issues, the 4th Annual Art/Poetry Ramble organized by Ia Bolz will be postponed in September. Ia hopes to organize it for May 2009.

POETRY READING
First Tuesdays, 7 pm: Foot of the Lake Poetry Collective meets every 1st Tuesday at Windhover Center for the Arts, 51 Sheboygan St., Fond du Lac, 1 Block East of Main Street (across from Public Library), 2nd floor, Studio 51, free admission.

We start at 7 pm and finish at 8:30 or so. Refreshments are available and there is no charge so spread the word. For information call the Windhover 921-5410 or Mary Wehner at 921-2932.

Poetry Workshop
Summer roundtable workshop sessions at Redbird Studios in Bay View. Wednesday evening still in store: Aug 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

And if you're thinking ahead to fall, here's what's on Redbird's poetry agenda for September and beyond:
Fall Session: 4 TUESDAYS: Sep 2, 16, 30, Oct 7: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Late Fall Session: 4 TUESDAYS: Nov 4,18, Dec 2, 16: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The format is always informal; the atmosphere supportive. Facilitated by WFOP member Marilyn Taylor, this group of energetic, creative poets is positively brilliant at pinpointing problems, analyzing, and very often totally healing the ailing poem. A warm welcome will be extended to all poets! For more info, call JUDY BRIDGES at Redbird: 414-481-3195. Or e-mail her at jb@redbirdstudio.com.

Poetry Workshops
Robin Chapman will teach a workshop on From Poem to Sequence: Writing into chapbooks and books, in the Celebrity Saturday series 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008, at Allwriters Workshop, 234 Brook St, #2, Waukesha, WI 53188. (262) 446-0284. allwriters.org/celebrity_satudays.asp

ILLUMINATING THE WALLS OF MYSTERY
October 4, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Susan Elbe, www.susanelbe.com, will be teaching a workshop in the Celebrity Saturday series at All Writers' Workshop, 234 Brook Street, #2, Waukesha. T. S. Eliot said, "Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood." And Major Jackson said, "… one of poetry's chief aims is to illumine the walls of mystery, the inscrutable, the unsayable." In this workshop, we'll challenge the ways we perceive in order to discover new or unexpected meanings in our writing. For more information, call 262.446.0284 or visit All Writers' web site at: allwriters.org/celebrity_satudays.asp.

POETRY READING & Open Mike
First Thursdays, 7–9 pm: The Original Voice—An Advocate for the Arts—holds an open mic event each month, featuring a guest artist. The artist shares ideas and inspirations, and then presents selections from their personal collections. This is a wonderful opportunity for many artists to introduce new books, chapbooks, or CDs they’ve published. Following the feature guest, the microphone is offered to anyone wishing to participate in the open mic event. Participants are encouraged to share short presentations of their work. We encourage seasoned and unseasoned voices.

Mark your calendars for The Original Voice Open Mic Night at the Coffee Cabin in Wautoma on the first Thursday of each month from 7–9 pm. The Coffee Cabin is located at Village East Plaza (W7829 State Highway 21/73) between Anchor Bank and First Choice Realty. For more information contact Julie Eger at (920) 787-7663 or Carol Fischbach at (920) 787-7704.

POETRY READING & Open Mike
Last Thursdays, 6:30 pm: Poetry Night at Neville Public Museum of Brown County. Sign-up at 6 pm. Arrive early to take in the exhibits. Open reading at 6:30 (one poem per person), followed by featured reader at 7 pm. This year's host for poetry night will be Sarah Rose Thomas.To purchase chapbooks by the evening's featured reader as well as those by past featured readers, you can also stop in our Gift Shop before the event.

August 28: Jean Begiun

For more information, contact: Welter_MT@co.brown.wi.us
(920) 448-4460 ext 219
Matt Welter, Curator of Education
Neville Public Museum, 210 Museum Place, Green Bay, WI 54303

You can find our new updated Poetry Night schedule to bookmark here.

POETRY READING
Madison Poet Laureate Fabu is part of the following readings:

9/13, Saturday, 1:30 pm: Poetry at The Harambee Center sponsored by The South Madison Library and The Wisconsin Humanities Council.

10/4, Saturday: Kids in the Rotunda, Storytelling at 9:30 am, 11 am and 1 pm at the Overture Center for the Arts, Rotunda Stage.

10/16, Thursday, 7 pm: Open Book Cafe in the Helen C. White building. The Wisconsin Book Festival presents The Wisconsin Poet Laureates: The New Wisconsin Poet Laureate will be invited, 2. The Milwaukee Poet Laureate Susan Firer will be there and Madison Poet Laureate Fabu.

11/14, Friday, 6:30 pm: Andrea Potos, Rhonda Lee, Katrin Talbot and Fabu read their poetry. The women's a capella group Ancestra will also perform. At A Room of One's Own.

Adult Madison Poets!
Poets who have poems on the theme of Christmas, please forward them to Madison Poet Laureate Fabu at blkpoetess68@hotmail.com. Her initiative/partnership continues with Madison Magazine. The selected poem would be in the December issue and a reading on their website. The dead line is September 30. All poets are encouraged to continue to send a one-paragraph bio and poems (no longer than 9 lines) for inclusion in Madison Magazine on any theme as well.

POETRY Club and Open Mike
Second Tuesdays, 7 pm: The Regent Neighborhood Poetry Club meets at the Froth House, 11 N. Allen St., Madison. Two poems or five minutes maximum. For more information, rlhess@wisc.edu or (608) 238-1828 (Club) or 231-0100 (Froth House) or regentneighborhoodpoetry.googlepages.com/, where there is a link to a UW-Madison page with history of the University Heights Poetry Club.

Thanks to Fran Rall who brought in another historical document, about the University Heights Club's December, 1978 meeting. The theme was poetry by women and oyster stew was served. It's interesting to note that "the evening of reading consists of poetry selections brought by each member, or of poems of one author pre-chosen by the group as a whole. Members read and listen uncritically, just for the pleasure of the spoken word and the poetic reflections." It's good to see we are on the same wavelength.

9/9: theme: New Beginnings

POETRY Open Mike
Third Tuesdays at 7 pm at University Bookstore—Hilldale, LiPS: Live Poet's Society, 702 N. Midvale Blvd., Madison, WI, 608-238-8455.

POETRY Open Mike
Thursday, September 4, 7 pm: Poetry Open Mike. Avol's Bookstore, 315 W. Gorham. 255-4730 for info.

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2 pm: Reading by Latina Activist Poet Angie Trudell Vasquez and Political Cartoonist Devin Trudell..

POETRY READING & Open Mike
Second Fridays at 7:30 pm. Featured readers followed by open mike. For additional information contact Annie Randall at the Village Booksmith, 526 Oak St, Baraboo. 608-355-1001; villagebooksmith@yahoo.com.

POETRY READING & Open Mike
3rd Saturdays at 7 pm: Urban Spoken Word Poetry Slam. Genna’s, Main St. on the Capitol Square. For info, e-mail David Hart at dahiii@hotmail.com.

POETRY READING & Open Mike
Third Thursdays, 7 pm: On the third Thursday of each month (September through May), The Pump House Regional Arts Center in La Crosse sponsors a reading series. A featured poet receives a small honorarium. An open mic follows the featured poet's reading. The Pump House Regional Arts Center Reading Series, 119 King Street, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Epidemic Peace Imagery:
This traveling joint exhibition continues to grow and travel; to contribute, construct an individual work of art with the sole constraint being 12" x 16" footprint or outside dimensions of frame. Poets/writers will compose a work that can be displayed on a surface of the same size.
Russell Gardner, art: rgj999@yahoo.com
Robin Chapman, writers: chapman@Waisman.Wisc.Edu

LitMag Swap Shop in Madison!
Monroe Street Branch Library, 1705 Monroe St., Madison, 266-6390. On a lower shelf south of the magazine shelves is a space for a literary journal-magazine swap. Bring in issues that you no longer wish to keep, and help yourself to those there! No charge and no check-out for these 'zines.