Poets All Around

by Liz Rhodebeck

           They might be next door to you – a lawyer, doctor, teacher, or gas station attendant.  They might even look normal: They're Poets.

            While poetry may seem an arcane subject from high school, the interest in poetry has steadily grown in Lake Country.  Classes and venues are there, if you just look for them.  Instructor Mariann Ritzer from Hartland has taught a non-credit poetry workshop at Waukesha County Technical College for about five years.  Beginning with only 7 or 8 students, the class now has at least 15 each semester – most of them returning students.  The twelve, 2-hour sessions involve "lots of laughing and lots of hard work," according to Ritzer.  "The class is very interesting because we have students from all ages, all walks of life; some are just beginning poets while others are already published," she says.

            Ritzer's class first looks at contemporary poets as examples.  Students then write and share their own poems with feedback from the other students.  "It's amazing what they're willing to do – they're so hungry to get their poems out," says Ritzer.  She also spends time going

through the process of how to submit poetry for publication and the various markets available.  As part of their assignments, students submit to contests in Free Verse, a journal from Marshfield – and often win.

            One of Ritzer's students, Paula Anderson, makes poetry a big part of her life.  Her zeal for poetry began in 1996 when she took a poetry class at Green Lake taught by Ellen Kort (who was named Wisconsin's first Poet Laureate in 2000).  Anderson, who is from Wales, soon began getting together with other poets she met at the class from Slinger, Watertown, Waukesha and Madison to critique each other's work; they evolved into the Stone Kettle Poets, now a tight group of seven friends.

"It's nice to connect," says Anderson.  "Poets are by nature solitary so it's helpful to meet with other poets.  I love taking classes and workshops."

In addition to regular readings at Books & Company in Oconomowoc, the Stone Kettle Poets publish a quarterly broadside, Echoes, available in area bookstores.

            Diana Cohen, owner of Books & Company, sings praises for Epiphanies, a literary journal put out by the students of Oconomowoc High School.  In its third year, the publication has a special "release night party" at the bookstore each spring.

"I think it's really neat," says Cohen.  "It's the best thing for fostering new poets."  Though there are no such events on the upcoming calendar, Cohen is open to more poetry programs at the bookstore.  She carries a broad assortment of poetry books, from classical to contemporary.

            Another well established outlet for poets is Professor Phil Zweifel's poetry class taught through University of Wisconsin-Waukesha's extension program.  "It originally started in the late 70's as a YMCA class," reports Zweifel.  "That grew into a continuing ed class at UW-Waukesha, which I've been teaching for about 15 years."

Much like Ritzer's class, there is a core group of students who show up for the class every Monday night, each semester.  "The class is all ages from early 20s to mid-80s – that's what's kept me most interested," says Zweifel.  "I really like the way the group has bonded outside of the class and support each other; then even meet in the summer without me."

            Out of this class has evolved The Poetry People, a group of poets started by matriarch Barbara Bache-Wiig.  She and two other friends who took Zwifel's class came up with the name when they did a reading at Martha Merrell's Books & Café in Waukesha in about 1999.

Since then, The Poetry People has included new members of Zwiefel's poetry class and has done readings at Good Harvest, Waukesha Public Library, and Swartz's Bookstore in Brookfield.

"My favorite reading gig is at the 'Poetry Café' for the fourth graders at Lake Country School in Hartland," says Bache-Wiig.  "The teacher, Robin Leatherberry, loves poetry and starts the kids learning about it in the fall."  Bache-Wiig's been reading for youngsters for five years along with Dousman poet, Robert Kokan, a superintendent for an area golf course.

            Kokan's interest in poetry started with scribbling and journaling in high school; when he saw a flyer for Zwifel's class, he thought it would be a good opportunity to come out of his shyness a bit.

"The class really taught me to have faith and courage in my self," says Kokan.  "I can freely express myself and have a supportive group listen to what I write."  In addition, he feels feedback from the teacher and the group often provides insight into his poems that he didn't see.  "The group really learns from each other; it makes all of our poetry much better," he says.

            Another avid fan and member of The Poetry People is Maryam Dachniwskyj of Pewaukee.  A substitute science teacher for Arrowhead High School, Dachniwskyj was taking a summer English class at UW-Waukesha with Zwiefel for her certification a few years ago.  "I liked his teaching so thought I'd try his poetry class," she says.

She has signed up for his class repeatedly as well as for workshops at Woodland Patterns Bookstore in Milwaukee, and All Writers' Workplace & Workshop in Waukesha. "I really love being with other people and writing," says Dachniwskyj.  In 2005, she took third place in a poetry contest sponsored by the Milwaukee Art Museum as well as contributing to Windy Hill Review, a UW-Waukesha publication edited by Zwiefel.

            However, poets in the Lake Country can find kindred spirits all over the state through the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, a 57-year old organization with over 400 members.  At its bi-annual conferences in various cities, poets can learn tips on poetry as they connect with other poets.

It was out one of these conferences that the Wasteland Poets was launched, a performance group of four poets from the Waukesha and Kettle Moraine area.  "Part of our mission is to bring more poetry awareness and opportunities to the area," says Palmyra member Anjie Greene-Martin.  In addition to conducting youth workshops and performances, the group sponsors an annual open mic poetry reading to benefit the Waukesha Food Pantry at Martha Merrell's Books & Café.  "The turnout of poets has grown every year – the support has just been awesome," says Greene-Martin.  With over 25 poets reading at the September event, it has a crowd that rivals more established venues in Madison and Milwaukee.

            Delafield poet Khristian Kay, has appreciated the new venues open in Waukesha County, though he still regularly reads at Linneman's bar on the East Side.  "I love words and word play," says Kay, who is a special education teacher.  "Poetry is an underground voice that expresses our dealings with life through metaphor.  I feel my role as a poet is to be a social commentator, to hold a mirror up to ourselves."  He has published a dozen or so chapbooks through small presses – the backbone of the poetry world.

            Aspiring poets can also hone their work at All Writers' Workplace & Workshop, a relatively new venture for writers in downtown Waukesha.  The brainchild of Kathie Girogio, the studio offers workspace for writers as well as a variety of classes in poetry and other genres.  They also provide coaching and editing, stressing that a "writer does not need to be isolated" in their publishing dreams.

            Poets looking for a place to share their poetry have ample outlets in Lake Country.  Local libraries, colleges, art groups, coffee houses and bookstores continue to be the best places to find out about readings and classes.  Or, maybe just ask your neighbor....chances are there's a poet on your street.

Back to the top