WORD TENT

Saturday

11:00-12:30: Poetic Pens of Wisconsin

Local and regional poets of Wisconsin gather to share their poetic work. In the spirit of the bards of old, please come to lend an ear to the impressions, fears, loves, and healing energy of heart, mind, and body as these poets bare their souls in chance that the link that binds us all might be revealed. Each voice, unique in style and complexity, offers a glimpse into the experiences that have rendered our human interpretations and perspectives into a collective whole; poetry, the sound of the universe coming together.

Denise Sweet

Denise "Dee" Sweet is an Anishinaabe (White Earth) poet, Professor Emerita, Humanistic Studies, English, First Nations Studies, and served as  Wisconsin's second  Poet Laureate, 2004-2008. Denise is an associate professor of English and teaches primarily for the creative writing program within Humanistic Studies at UW Green Bay. She contributes to the First Nation Studies by teaching courses on the literary traditions of native people. Courses include American Indian Writers, Borderland Literatures, Capstone Seminar on Louise Erdrich, Great Works of N. Scott Momaday, and Ethnic Diversity and Human Values. During her time as Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate she crisscrossed the state, bringing the joys of poetry, reading and literacy to young and old, alike.

Reggie Finlayson

Reggie Finlayson, a Milwaukee-based poet, began writing early in life, both as a means of personal expression and social activism. He grew up during the Black Arts Movement of the 60s and 70s, learning to, "Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud," from James Brown. Many writers from that time influenced Finlayson. However, he owes the greatest creative debt to Gil Scott Heron and The Last Poets, who couched searing social commentaries within a poetic/musical context. Finlayson’s poetry often reflects this historic sensibility, but he also addresses themes related to the natural world, current affairs, and personal issues. He has written three books for young readers, numerous articles for a variety of publications, and six plays in addition to poetry, drawing on African and African American sources for the tales he has presented to audiences for over 25 years.

Brenda Cardenas

Brenda Cárdenas’ collection of poetry Boomerang was published by Bilingual Review Press in 2009, and her chapbook From the Tongues of Brick and Stone by Momotombo Press (Institute for Latino/a Studies) in 2005. She also co-edited Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest (MARCH/Abrazo Press, 2001). Cardenas’ work has appeared in a range of publications, including Achiote Seeds, The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century, The Wind Shifts: The New Latino Poetry, RATTLE, and the Poetry Daily web site, among others. Her poem “Song” was recently made into an animated film in the Poetry Everywhere series sponsored by the Poetry Foundation. Cardenas is an Assistant Professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is the 2010-2012 Milwaukee Poet Laureate.

E.P. Schultz

Award-winning poet E.P. (“Ed”) Schultz lives amongst the hidden valleys of the Driftless area of northern Crawford County in Wisconsin.  Ed received literary honors in 2008 and 2009, most recently as runner-up in the Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine poetry contest for his poem, “He Was From,”and is the recipient of a 2010 Contributing Editor’s Pushcart Nomination.  His work has appeared in Atlanta Review, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Rosebud, Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal, and dozens of others. His chapbooks include: Echoes from Silhouettes, Misprints and Legends, Desert Poems, and Third Floor Window.Edward hosts a local monthly poetry reading series, First Friday Poetry Reading, which brings a wonderful array of poetic talent from across Wisconsin to the area. He has also hosted inspirational poetic presentations for area junior and senior high schools, and conducts reading and writing poetry workshop focused on unlocking the imagination. 

1:00-2:00: Special Guest Speaker Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is a Professor at Colorado State University who has Asperger’s Syndrome. She obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College and her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University. Dr. Grandin received her Ph.D in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989. Grandin is considered a philosophical leader of both the animal welfare and autism advocacy movements. Both movements commonly cite her work regarding animal welfare, neurology, and philosophy. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants. Her early life and career in the livestock industry is the subject of a recent movie produced by HBO. She is the author of the best-selling Animals in Translation, Thinking in Pictures, and Animals Make us Human and many books and articles on livestock handling and autism.

2:30-3:30: Terra Brockman

Terra Brockman is a speaker and author, most recently of The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, which wasa finalist for the James Beard Award in literature.  The book takes the reader through the many “micro-seasons” on Terra’s brother Henry’s sustainable, extremely diverse (655 varieties at last count) vegetable farm in central Illinois. A member of a remarkable farming family, Terra is a nuanced observer of, fierce advocate for, and gifted writer and speaker about sustainable agriculture. Terra is also the founder of The Land Connection, an educational nonprofit working to ensure that more Illinois farmland will grow local foods for our tables. Her website is www.terrabrockman.com

4:00-5:00: Don Paul

Don Paul was the youngest winner of a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing at Stanford University, age 20 in 1971. He held the World Best for running 50 kilometers between 1982 and 1994 and qualified for the 1980 and 1988 U. S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trial. Paul is the author of more than 20 books, including four novels and four books of poems and since 1988 has led or produced more than 20 albums. In the year 2000 he co-founded Housing Is a Human Right to work particularly with low-income residents of San Francisco's Bay View Hunter's Point district. Since January 2006 he has lived in New Orleans and worked with the organizations Common Ground Relief and Rebuild Green toward recovery for natives in southeast Louisiana.

5:30-6:30: Viroqua Community Theatre

The mission of VCT is "to provide an opportunity for dramatic expression in theatre, education and performance, creating one community through the arts." The idea of a community theatre in Viroqua started in October 2007 when a group of theatre lovers joined together and started talking. After many meetings and much hard work, the dream of becoming an official organization materialized almost one year later with their first production – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific - performed at the historic Temple Theatre in September 2008. It was a grand success and got the organization up and running! Since then, VCT has produced two other large scale productions at the Temple Theatre. Arsenic and Old Lace - a classic comedy, took the stage in June 2009 and Nunsense - a fun-loving, off-broadway hit, was performed in February 2010. Both shows continued to establish the foundation and tradition of Viroqua Community Theatre producing quality entertainment with amazing local talent.

Sunday

11:00-12:00: Michael Perry

Michael Perry is a humorist and author of the bestselling memoirs Population 495: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, Truck: A Love Story, and Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, as well as the essay collection Off Main Street. Perry has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Backpacker, Orion and Salon.com, and is a contributing editor to Men’s Health. He has performed and produced two live audience humor recordings I Got It from the Cows and Never Stand Behind a Sneezing Cow and he performs regularly with his band the Long Beds who released their second CD, Tiny Pilot, in 2010. Michael Perry lives with his family on a small farm in rural Wisconsin, where he remains active with the local volunteer rescue service. He can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com.

12:30-1:30: Nancy Langston

2:00-3:00: Shannon Hayes

Shannon Hayes is the author of Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture, The Farmer and the Grill, and The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook.  She is the host of grassfedcooking.com and radicalhomemakers.com, and works with her family raising grassfed and pastured meats on Sap Bush Hollow Farm in upstate New York.  Hayes' work has been featured in numerous regional and national venues, including Northeast Public Radio, The New York Times and Yes! Magazine online. Hayes holds a Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture and community development from Cornell University.

3:30-4:30: The Underground Players

The Underground Players’ mission is to present thought provoking theater that inspires both audience and artists alike. Our goal is to enrich the cultural life of the region and in doing so, add to the common cultural experience that bonds us all to our community.