Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets

05/01/2026

Woo hoo, Wisconsin! What a thrilling National Poetry Month that was! Y'all showed that poetry is alive and kicking in our state. Let's keep the momentum going.

Submit your poetry events to our Events Calendar on our website:

🎙️🎙️Got a recurring monthly poetry mic? Get it on our calendar!
✒️✒️Poets--do you have a book signing or event coming up? Submit it to our calendar.
📚📚 Special poetry event? You guessed it...enter all the details on our calendar.

Have you been published recently? Submit your publication info to Jenna at [email protected]

---we'll get your publication posted on our socials.

04/30/2026

"We don't care how you get here...just get here if you can... " 🚙 🐎 🏃‍♂️ 💃

Tomorrow is opening day! WFOP's 2026 Conference kicks off with a celebration of 25 years of Wisconsin Poets Laureate and an open mic!

Stone Harbor Resort / Brygga Plates & Pours

Destination Door County

Destination Sturgeon Bay

Wisconsin Poet Laureate

Write On, Door County

04/30/2026

Friday, May 1st at Appleton Music Factory/Appleton Beer Factory

7:30 - Doors open
8:00 - Carnage the Executioner
9:30 - Cujo the Poet

$12 - Advance / $17 - Day of

Cujo the Poet

Creatively weaving lyrical Hip-Hop and spoken word poetry, Cujo the Poet pulls at audiences' heartstrings and encourages them to look deeper, listen harder, and smile at their own shortcomings.

Carnage the Executioner

TERRELL X (A.K.A. Carnage The Executioner) is a fearless, multi-dimensional artist who draws from a vast well of influences across musical genres. Terrell has been composing, recording and traveling the world for over 30 years blending jazz improvisation, classic hip hop precision and rock energy with live looping and human beat boxing. Highly-respected for his electrifying stage presence, deep rhythmic storytelling, confidence, and interactive choruses, Terrell’s innovative approach to performance fits all venue settings, as he captivates attendees of all ages and demographics. The Minneapolis Star Tribune made the claim that his “mouth might be the best drummer in town,” referring to Terrell’s human beat boxing techniques.

04/30/2026

Happy International Jazz Day which culminates Jazz Month. Here's some info on jazz poetry and a cool jazzy poem by Jayne Cortez.

Jazz poetry is a literary genre defined as poetry necessarily informed by jazz music—that is, poetry in which the poet responds to and writes about jazz. Jazz poetry, like the music itself, encompasses a variety of forms, rhythms, and sounds. Beginning with the birth of blues and jazz at the start of the twentieth century, jazz poetry is can be seen as a thread that runs through the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat movement, and the Black Arts Movement—and it is still vibrant today. From early blues to free jazz to experimental music, jazz poets use their appreciation for the music as poetic inspiration.

"Jazz Fan Looks Back"

I crisscrossed with Monk
Wailed with Bud
Counted every star with Stitt
Sang “Don’t Blame Me” with Sarah
Wore a flower like Billie
Screamed in the range of Dinah
& scatted “How High the Moon” with Ella Fitzgerald
as she blew roof off the Shrine Auditorium
Jazz at the Philharmonic

I cut my hair into a permanent tam
Made my feet rebellious metronomes
Embedded record needles in paint on paper
Talked bopology talk
Laughed in high-pitched saxophone phrases
Became keeper of every Bird riff
every Lester lick
as Hawk melodicized my ear of infatuated tongues
& Blakey drummed militant messages in
soul of my applauding teeth
& Ray hit bass notes to the last love seat in my bones
I moved in triple time with Max
Grooved high with Diz
Perdidoed with Pettiford
Flew home with Hamp
Shuffled in Dexter’s Deck
Squatty-rooed with Peterson
Dreamed a “52nd Street Theme” with Fats
& scatted “Lady Be Good” with Ella Fitzgerald
as she blew roof off the Shrine Auditorium
Jazz at the Philharmonic

Sources: Poetry dot org/American Academy of Poets

From Jazz Fan Looks Back by Jayne Cortez. Copyright © 2002 by Jayne Cortez. Reprinted by permission of Hanging Loose Press. All rights reserved.

04/30/2026

Poetry Party at the Hatch Public Library this evening.

Details:

April is National Poetry Month! Create your own poetry with different styles: redacted, ransom, magnetic, and more. Something for all ages - kids, teens, and adults.

For those on Facebook, here's the event link: https://facebook.com/events/s/poetry-party/1662102521658001/

04/30/2026

This evening at Woodland Pattern...Thurs. Apr. 30 | 7 pm CDT ($Give What You Can)
*HYBRID* In person at Woodland Pattern and livestreaming via Crowdcast

Join us for a reading featuring Abraham Smith, author of Surgencies (Baobab Press, 2026) and Steve Timm, author of Rule of Composition: Poems Written to the Cecil Taylor Feel Trio’s 2 Ts for a Lovely T.

Abraham Smith was raised around Ladysmith, WI, and lives in Ogden, Utah, where he is associate professor of English and co-director of Creative Writing at Weber State University. His recent poetry collections include Surgencies (Baobab Press, 2026), One Warm Morning (Stubborn Mule Press, 2025), Insomniac Sentinel (Baobab Press, 2023), and Dear Weirdo (Propeller Books, 2022). Away from his desk, Smith improvises poems inside songs with the Snarlin' Yarns: thesnarlinyarnsut.bandcamp.com.

Steve Timm is a poet and sound poet in Madison, WI. He is the author of four books of poetry, the most recent of which is Rule of Composition: Poems Written to the Cecil Taylor Feel Trio’s 2 Ts for a Lovely T, as well as several chapbooks.

04/29/2026

Tomorrow at the Fox Lake Lounge!

Details:

📜 Three Pages of Poetry
Enjoy a curated selection of poetry, thoughtfully chosen, perfect for both seasoned poetry lovers and first-time listeners.
Guests are invited to read along, reflect, or simply soak in the atmosphere.

🎤 Open Mic Poetry Reading
Bring your own original poem and share your voice in a welcoming, supportive space.

✍️ Autograph Signing at the Event
Connect with Michael and take home a signed piece to remember the evening, and support our local Poet.

🌟 Guest of Honor
To be announced — stay tuned for a special addition to the night!

🎁 Door Prize Raffle
To celebrate the launch, join us for a drawing on April 30!
Win: 📚 A selection of chapbooks
All attendees will be automatically entered.

🍷 Drinks and food available for purchase throughout the evening
Entry Cover Change: $5 at the door

📚 Introducing: “Poetry Corner”
In honor of Poetry Month this April ✨

We’re launching a new ongoing feature at Fox Lake Lounge:

A Poet’s Corner — a dedicated space offering curated chapbooks and poetry collections for patrons to browse and enjoy.

✨ Available on an honor system
✨ Accessible during all lounge hours
✨ Continually refreshed and thoughtfully curated

A cozy literary nook to sip, read, and unwind anytime!

If you are on Facebook, click the event link: https://facebook.com/events/s/poetry-night-featuring-michael/1438907357685507/

04/29/2026

April is National Poetry Month! 📚 Join me for a Free Verse Workshop on Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at the Karl Junginger Memorial Library.

📖✨What is free verse poetry?

✍️Free from the constraints of traditional poetic structure.
✍️Relies on other poetic devices, such as imagery, metaphor, and symbolism, to create rhythm and interest.
✍️The poet can experiment with different techniques and styles creating a unique and personal voice in their writing.
✍️It allows the poet to have greater creative freedom and self-expression using any combination of words, phrases, and lines that they feel best convey the meaning or emotion.

Free to attend, but registration is required.

If you are on Facebook, Click here to reserve your spot! ➡️ https://live-karljunginger.pantheonsite.io/event/local-author-free-verse-writing-workshop-1263

04/29/2026

🎙️Tonight! Get details from the post.

Join us LIVE tonight for the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Finals! ✨🎙

Starting at 7 p.m. ET, these nine talented students will recite for the title of National Champion and the $20,000 grand prize! 🥳

Don't miss out, head over to arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud to see all the action and cheer on your champ!

04/29/2026

Join Milwaukee's Poet Laureate tomorrow evening for Writer's Hive.

Details:

Dust off your notebooks! Share or hear poetry, sip some tea and nestle in to a community of people who Love words.

Doors open at 6 PM to order tea, mingle, scribble words inspired by our 'photo of the week' and sign the open mic list.

6:30 PM we share poetry in a space that is warm & welcoming to all levels of writers. YES-even first timers!

If you are on Facebook, click on the event link: https://facebook.com/events/s/writers-hive-poetry-open-mic/4551669651728102/

04/29/2026

Teen Poetry Slam tonight in Franklin, WI!

Details:

All youth in grades 6-12 are invited to arrive early at 5:45pm to sign-up to read a poem on stage!

Join us for an evening of poetry performed by our local youth talent! Enjoy coffeehouse refreshments, and cast your vote for the Teen Poetry Slam Favorite prize! Winners of our Teen Poetry Contest will be revealed, and prizes will be given out!

This free event is open to all ages. Teens who have entered poems in the Franklin Public Library Teen Poetry Contest are encouraged to attend AND perform!

Call 414-425-8214 for more information.

04/29/2026

3 more days!

There's still time to register for one or both days. Join us in beautiful Sturgeon Bay at Stone Harbor Resort! 🍒

Stone Harbor Resort / Brygga Plates & Pours

Destination Door County

Destination Sturgeon Bay

Write On, Door County

Wisconsin Poet Laureate