The Friends of Lorine Niedecker are hosting the ninth annual Lorine Niedecker Wisconsin Poetry Festival on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30. The Poetry Festival celebrates Wisconsin poetry and the legacy of Fort Atkinson’s own renowned poet Lorine Niedecker. All events are free and open to the public.
 
This year, the Hoard Historical Museum will host the Poetry Festival. Saturday morning is the Keynote presentation. In January 118 items belonging to Lorine Niedecker’s library were returned to the Hoard Historical Museum after being borrowed for 40 years. “This is a game changer for Lorine Niedecker scholarship,” said Ann Engelman, Friends of Lorine Niedecker. “We contacted the Director of Special Collections & Archive at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. David Pavelich worked with the Hoard Historical Museum to review and study the items. David has agreed to speak about his observations at the Poetry Festival on Saturday, September 30 at 10:00 at the Hoard Museum.”
 
Merrilee Lee, Director of the Hoard Historical Museum said, “We know that the additions to our collection are important to the study of Lorine Niedecker and our hope is that this presentation will help us better understand the literary significance of our collection and its influence on future scholarship. We are also very delighted to host the Poetry Festival this year! David’s presentation about these materials will be of great interest to Festival participants, Niedecker fans and will help us better understand Lorine’s place in Fort Atkinson.”
 
Before arriving at UW in 2016, David Pavelich was head of Research Services in Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Bibliographer for Modern & Contemporary Poetry/Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Chicago’s Special Collections Research Center. David earned his MA in poetics at SUNY Buffalo (where he wrote his thesis on Lorine Niedecker) and his MA-LIS at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
 
Saturday afternoon will include Writer’s Workshop opportunities. Rita Mae Reese will lead a workshop at Lorine Niedecker’s cabin on Blackhawk Island. The property was recently listed on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places. Ms. Reese is an award-winning poet and the Co-director of Literary Arts at Arts + Literature Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. This event is free but limited to 20 and registration is required.
 
The second Writer’s Workshop will be a walk starting at the top of Blackhawk Island Road and ending at the Island Bar and Grill. Co-moderator Chuck Stebelton is author of two poetry collections, is a birder and Wisconsin Naturalist volunteer and has offered interpretive hikes for organizations statewide. He is currently Program Coordinator for Interfaith Older Adult Programs in Milwaukee.  Richard Meier is author of three poetry collections and is writer-in-residence at Carthage College. He lives in Madison and Chicago. This event is also free but registration is required.
 
Other Festival partners include Café Carpe hosting the opening dinner, Dwight Foster Public Library will host the Friday Open Mic, Farmers Market will include Fox River Poetry Company where Paul Wiegel will create poems while you wait. The Island Bar and Grill on Blackhawk Island is a new partner this year. They will host the closing Open Mic, dinner, and, back by popular demand, the Lorine Niedecker Grasshopper Invitational – Lorine’s favorite after dinner drink.
 
The ever-popular Poetry Café, will provide a casual meeting place for poets, writers, publishers, and poetry appreciators. Festival information will be available. Newcomers are specially welcomed.
 
Ann Engelman noted, “This festival has built a poetry tradition in Fort Atkinson. Lorine Niedecker and her poetry have inspired young poets, Little Libraries, murals and significant literary collections at the Dwight Foster Public Library and the Hoard Historical Museum. Fort Atkinson is a destination for national and international visitors. Along the banks of the Rock River is the perfect place to host this event. The annual Festival is a fall destination for writers and poets.”
 
For a complete schedule, event descriptions and list of presenters and biographies visit www.lorineniedecker.org or Google Wisconsin Poetry Festival, or contact
Amy Lutzke 920-563-7790.
 
The Festival is sponsored by the Friends of Lorine Niedecker and includes partnerships with the Hoard Museum, Dwight Foster Public Library, Café Carpe, Woodland Pattern Book Center - Milwaukee, Fort Atkinson Farmers Market, Kwik Trip and the Island Bar and Grill.