Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP) is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of poets and poetic heritage in the state, mentoring and supporting local poets with regular readings, workshops, conferences and other events and advocating for the study of poetry in our schools.
Membership is open to residents and former residents of Wisconsin and neighboring states who are interested in the aims and endeavors of the organization.
Member benefits include:
Conferences: Spring and fall conferences are held around the state. More info available here.
Regions: Seven regions provide additional gatherings, readings, and local events. Check here to find your region.
Museletter: Members receive the quarterly Museletter, featuring upcoming WFOP and member events, poetry activities around the state, poetry page and more. Issues archived here.
Calendar: Our primary outreach is our annual Wisconsin Poets' Calendar. Members and non-members can submit poems for consideration. We publish hundreds of poets. For many it is their first-time being published.
Contests: WFOP sponsors annual contests for members and non-members. See what's open for submission on our annual contests page and recent winners on our contest results page.
Member Pages: Members are eligible for a personal page on the WFOP website, which may include contact info, bio, publications, personal website link, sample poetry and chapbooks or collections.
Craft Workshops: Workshops on Zoom. See upcoming topics. Past workshops are also archived.
Join and support us by becoming a member, making a donation, or buying our Poets’ Calendar and swag.
Publishers of Bramble Literary Magazine
The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets creates a triannual lit mag called Bramble that helps us showcase the creativity of members and poets, essayists and artists throughout Wisconsin. Bramble is guest-edited by a series of guest editors, a majority of whom are members. Members are also first to hear about submission opportunities. See latest issue here.
2023 Triad Contest Winners
Kay Saunders Memorial Emerging Poet
Third Place
Kay Saunders Memorial Emerging Poet
Honorable Mention
Kay Saunders Memorial Emerging Poet
Honorable Mention
Poet’s Choice
2nd Place
Poet’s Choice
Honorable Mention
2023 Chapbook Contest Results
2023 Muse Prize Winners
I know you’ve crossed
some border when you cannot
I thought of when my 20-year-old self
dated the wrong man, and my period was
Sit next to a child learning to read.
Hear the stumbles,
My grandfather died at Auschwitz.
He fell from a guard tower.
Ask awkward bangled buskers: do statues' threats fear pigeon myths?
In questing for ions and electron definitions: did physics analogies
See full contest results.
Enjoy poems from the latest Bramble
At the height of summer there is always
some sense of tipping, of downslope. Some
afternoons the wind rushes the season,
is a woods’ edge brimming
with ripe blackberries
hanging thick
The smell of dew-
wet salal
and Oregon grape
Such greenness growing
from the dark soil of spring
I’ve tried to cage it in,
my single, sprawling tomato plant
that will not be contained,
Buy Our Swag
Show your support for WFOP with a tote, T-shirt or sweatshirt. Go to our swag site. If you have other ideas for swag items please email Colleen at layersofmoments@yahoo.com.
Kay Sunders Memorial Emerging Poet
2nd Place