June 13, 2022

This winter and spring, the Marathon County Public Library hosted a youth poetry contest. Students between the ages of 9 and 18 submitted their best work, and submissions were judged by Wausau Poet Laureate Dawn Anderson. Anderson said: “Thank you for this privilege to read these wonderful poems where young people pour out their hearts, joys, struggles and creativity. It confirms my resolve that poetry is a wonderful way to process thoughts and feelings, and share wonders.” MCPL is pleased to announce the winners in each of the two age groups. In first place, in the 9‒12 age group: “Spring is a Spring” by Macy Rentmeester. Second place went to “The Sea Emotions” by Paige Mathies, and in third...

Children Contests Events Poetry Teens Tweens Writing

April 4, 2022

Poetry is all around us. It’s in the shape of the spoon you used for breakfast, your brother's missing tooth, and that dingy mitten left behind when the snow melts. Inspiration for a poem can appear any place. But how do you catch it? Read on for simple ways that kids and teens can practice poetry every day and develop those poetry skills. Then, consider submitting your poetry to our Youth Poetry Contest. We have two age categories - ages 9-12 and ages 13-18 - and entrants can submit up to two original poems to the contest. Submissions will be accepted at poetry@mcpl.us or in person at any Marathon County Public Library location through May 27, 2022!  To help jumpstart your creativity...

Children Contests Learning Poetry Teens Tweens Writing

September 9, 2021

The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2021 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)! From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds. Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations:

Authors Books Catalogs and Collections Central Wisconsin Book Festival E-books Events Graphic Novels Poetry Reading Recommendations

July 7, 2021

The fifth annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF) takes place September 17–26, 2021! Even though summer is officially upon us, the committee behind the Central Wisconsin Book Festival have their eyes on the fall as we plan our annual fest!The festival, an initiative of the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL), has grown in several exciting ways since its humble beginnings in 2017: The number of authors hosted, the number of people who attend, and the reach of the festival beyond Central Wisconsin to other states and even countries!The biggest way we’re growing this year is geographically: For the first time, MCPL is collaborating with the Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point and the...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community Events Poetry Writing

April 8, 2021

Each year, the month of April is recognized as the National Poetry Month. To celebrate this, we at MCPL wanted to create a program that would inspire young patrons and students to learn more about poetry, and maybe even write a few poems themselves! The idea of a Poet-Tree came about from one of the children’s Library Specialists. She was inspired to create a program for tween and teen patrons to submit poems to display on a tree within the library. What could be more fun than hanging a leaf shaped poem you wrote on a 3D tree? With that thought in mind the mixed media Poet-tree was created! The poems currently being featured on our first-ever Poet-Tree were written by students from within the Wausau...

Children Education National Poetry Month Poetry Tweens Writing

September 2, 2020

The fourth annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF) takes place September 21–27, 2020, with events happening each of the six days, bringing authors and literature lovers together in exciting, creative and introspective ways! Although organizers felt it was necessary to make this year’s festival all-virtual, we’re still really excited about this year’s lineup and hope you will be, too. About a dozen volunteers have met monthly — first in person, then virtually — since the end of the 2019 festival to set up this year’s events. It’s been a challenge to reorganize the whole festival to take place online, due to the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll certainly miss the opportunity to gather together and...

Adults Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community Events Poetry Reading Recommendations Writing

September 1, 2020

The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2020 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)!  From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's "virtual" CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds.  Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations:

Authors Books Catalogs and Collections Central Wisconsin Book Festival E-books Events Graphic Novels Poetry Reading Recommendations

August 27, 2020

The Central Wisconsin Book Festival will take place Sept. 21-27, 2020. Before it happens, we want to share a bit about some of the guests so we've asked a few to answer some questions that festival organizers have. Below is a back-and-forth between CWBF committee member Danielle Hale and Tiffany Midge, who will appear during two virtual events, Sept. 24 and Sept. 27. Quarantine Questions with Tiffany Midge I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a fangirl when it comes to Tiffany Midge. I first heard about her just after I finished grad school in 2017. I was looking up Native American women writers because I wanted to read more from authors I could identify with. (Midge is a member of the...

Adults Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Events Poetry Writing

April 22, 2020

April is National Poetry Month, and we have a fun and creative poetry-related project that you can make at home (and it might even help you write your next poem!) In this blog post, we'll walk readers through how they can make their own magnetic poetry set - with a twist. This magnetic poetry set is done in the style of a ransom note, made from cut out words from a variety of magazines or catalogs. Once completed, the set can be placed on any magnetic surface, such as a refrigerator, and you can then move the words around to create poems! Supplies:  -Glossy magazines and catalogs (having a variety will work best) -Scissors (use a smaller scissors, which will help when cutting out smaller words...

Arts and Crafts National Poetry Month Poetry

September 25, 2018

Would you like to hear about Wisconsin politics from an author receiving national attention? Ask an award-winning mystery writer a question? Want to learn how to start your own blog or create your own podcast? Maybe you’d like to hear Wausau-area writers — teenagers to senior citizens — read their own, original work? Over the course of 4 days, a person has a chance to do any of that — maybe ALL of that — and much more during the 2nd annual Central Wisconsin Book Festival, taking place around the Wausau area September 27–30, 2018. The festival began in 2017 as a way to connect authors of all stripes with fans of the written word around Central Wisconsin. At the same time, it was meant to...

Events Central Wisconsin Book Festival Books Authors Poetry

June 11, 2015

The United States has a new champion for poetry. On June 10, the Library of Congress announced it appointed Juan Felipe Herrera as the nation’s Poet Laureate, a position that dates back to 1937 and is aimed at raising awareness of the reading and writing of poetry. Perhaps most significant in the announcement is the fact that Herrera, 66, is the first Latino poet to be named to the post. You can read or listen to an NPR story here, but the short version is he’s the son of migrant farm workers and spent much of his earlier life on the west coast. He studied at both UCLA and Stanford, as well as the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. He has since written more than two dozen books. If you’re curious to read some of...

Awards Poetry Writing

April 8, 2015

There are plenty of things to celebrate in April, but one of my favorite is poetry. Here at MCPL in Wausau, we’ve got two activities to encourage you to experience poetry every day.  Come and build a poem with LEGO poetry in the TeenZone. Each LEGO has a word on it and you are invited to create a poem by using the words on the LEGOS.  It’s like magnetic poetry, but in three dimensions.  When you are done, take a picture with your phone, name the picture with the title of the poem (and your name if you want) and send it to us at teenzone@mcpl.us. We’ll post the poems to our Facebook page, so remember to like MCPL on Facebook to see your poem. Don’t have time to build a poem here?  Take...

Teens Poetry National Poetry Month

April 16, 2008

It's April and Spring is finally here and with it National Poetry Month sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.  Poems speak to us in different ways, affecting our heart and soul. I know that I easily become engulfed in a poem, lingering, enjoying the sound and play of the words, drinking in its meaning. Poems often find a way into our busy lives when mere words are not enough, when we find it difficult to express the depth of our feelings and need something to soothe us, inspire us, give us hope—weddings, funerals, when we fall in love.  Some of my favorite collections of poetry that you may also enjoy are: Good Poems—selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor—a nice...

Poetry National Poetry Month Reading Recommendations

April 16, 2008

It's April and Spring is finally here and with it National Poetry Month sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. Poems speak to us in different ways, affecting our heart and soul. I know that I easily become engulfed in a poem, lingering, enjoying the sound and play of the words, drinking in its meaning. Poems often find a way into our busy lives when mere words are not enough, when we find it difficult to express the depth of our feelings and need something to soothe us, inspire us, give us hope—weddings, funerals, when we fall in love. Some of my favorite collections of poetry that you may also enjoy are: "Good Poems"—selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor—a nice collection of...

National Poetry Month Poetry Reading Recommendations